Cross-posted to MichiganLiberal.com.
In This Week's Edition
- Kilpatrick, the Comeback Kid
- Sex, Lies, and Cox vs. Fieger
- Tax Cut Compromise Unravels
- What's Happening in Washington?
- Looking Ahead to 2006...and 2008
- Legislature Update
- Around the State
- Sound Bites of the Week
Michigan By the Numbers
- Aircraft owned by Keith Butler's Word of Faith church: 2.
- White-tailed deer population in the northern Lower Peninsula: 500,000.
- General Motors Corporation's market capitalization: $13.5 billion.
- Customers who lost power during Sunday's storms: 210,000.
- Crashes in which the driver admitted to talking on a cell phone: 1,021.
- Where Michigan's economy would rank if it were a separate country: 17th in the world.
- Lions' record under team president Matt Millen: 19-53.
Kilpatrick, the Comeback Kid
Election Night provided a long night filled with drama climaxed by not jut one, but two, major upsets. The headline story of Election Night was, of course, Kwame Kilpatrick's come-from-behind win over Freman Hendrix.
What put the mayor over the top? Experts agree that he ran a powerful ground game--turnout was 10 percent higher than in the last election, even though the city has lost population. Another factor was the mayor's appeal to young Detroiters. Voters under 40 strongly supported him. There was also the Rosa Parks factor. Parks's nationally-televised memorial service in Detroit gave Kilpatrick an air of gravitas and pushed Hendrix off the stage. And Desiree Cooper of the Free Pressoffered her version of the election's battle lines: the black bourgeoisie against the working poor, the darks against the lights, and the intellectuals against the street fighters.
Voters Oust Beleaguered City Clerk. Perhaps even more shocking than Kilpatrick's win was long-time City Clerk Jackie Currie's defeat at the hands of Janice Winfrey, a schoolteacher with little in the way of name recognition or campaign funds. Currie's defeat was the result of her well-publicized legal problems arising out of her office's handling of absentee ballots. Circuit Judge Mary Beth Kelly not only stripped Currie of her authority to handle absentee ballots, but also ordered those ballots--about 50,000 in all--preserved as part of the federal investigation of Currie's office. And Currie's problems might not be over. The Justice Department has opened a preliminary inquiry into allegations of voter fraud.
Voter Intimidation Alleged. In a suit filed by the Detroit branch of the NAACP,
a federal judge ordered party challengers not to talk to would-be voters, a practice prohibited by state law. The NAACP alleged that GOP challengers turned up at polling places and harassed voters, some of whom went home without voting.
Pollsters Shocked By Mayor's Win. Tuesday was a rough night for local pollsters. Exit polls by two local television stations, WDIV-TV and WXYZ-TV had Hendrix up by margins ranging from four to 12 points. WJBK-TV called the race for Kilpatrick during its 10 pm newscast, and by almost exactly the final margin. Some believe that the pollsters were tripped up by technology. Phone polling is done using voters with land lines, and thus misses voters who rely on cellphones. That constituency heavily favored the mayor.
Four New Faces on Council. Detroit's at-large voting system makes incumbents hard to beat, but it looks like voters elected four newcomers to City Council. They're Monica Conyers, wife of U.S. Representative John Conyers; union leader Brenda Jones; County Commissioner Kwame Kenyatta; and Motown artist Martha Reeves. Incumbent Alonzo Bates, who is under federal investigation, finished next to last in the 18-candidate field, ahead of Maryann Mahaffey, who withdrew as a candidate for health reasons.
In Brief. The city election results are still not official. On Thursday, election officials found 3,000 votes that weren't counted on Election Night....For the first time since 1999, Detroiters elected members of the city's school board....Back to work: Council met with city lobbyists on Thursday to discuss legislation that will affect the city.
The Numbers. The Detroit News has the latest vote tallies for Detroit's city elections.
Sex, Lies, and Cox vs. Fieger
Less than 24 hours after the polls closed, one of the strangest stories in recent Michigan political history knocked Kwame Kilpatrick and the rest of the winners of Tuesday's elections off the front page.
On Wednesday, reporters were summoned to an emotional press conference in which Attorney General Mike Cox admitted he'd had an affair. Cox held the hand of his wife, Laura, and wept as he told reporters that he'd been unfaithful but the couple had chosen to put their marriage back together.
What made this story page-one news and not just another sex story was Cox's allegation that an associate of trial lawyer Geoffrey Fieger threatened to disclose the affair unless his office dropped its investigation into a campaign contribution Fieger made last year. Cox indirectly accused Fieger of extortion and obstruction of justice.
The alleged associate is a lawyer by the name Lee O'Brien, but his connection to Fieger, or to Cox--he's attended fund-raisers for the attorney general--isn't clear. What is known is that O'Brien has had a number of run-ins with the law. O'Brien was arrested for DUI on October 14, the same day he met with a Cox staffer at an Oakland County sports bar and Fieger hinted on the "Off the Record" television show that Cox had skeletons in his closet.
When Cox told reporters that Fieger had threatened him, Fieger issued a statement accusing the attorney general of making accusations against himself and others to deflect blame for his own inappropriate behavior; and, for good measure, also called on Cox to resign.
So what is the political fallout from all this? Analysts believe that the scandal could hurt Cox more than Fieger. Bill Ballenger, the publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, wondered if Cox could stay on as Attorney General, while pollster Steve Mitchell pointed out that the won't face the voters for another year.
There's one more wrinkle to this story: Steven Markman, the justice targeted by Fieger in last year's election, received $34,000 from Cox.
Tax Cut Compromise Unravels
In a normal week, this story would get top billing. That bipartisan business tax-cut package, agreed to last Friday to great fanfare, looks has fallen apart. The compromise legislation would have created a $1 billion investment fund out of future tobacco-settlement revenue, cut the Single Business Tax beginning in 2009, and given tax credits to businesses that buy computers and equipment.
The first signs of trouble came hours after the agreement was announced. Conservative Republicans attacked the plan, claiming that it would provide too little relief too late. And that night, on "Off the Record," Representative Fulton Sheen (R-Plainwell) misstated some details of the agreement.
As the week wore on, the two sides disagreed over whether the Single Business Tax would continue after 2009. The governor said that she would sign a tax bill only if it lifted the December 31, 2009, "sunset" repeal of the SBT.
Defying the governor's veto threat, the Republican-controlled legislature passed a tax package that included an SBT sunset repeal on Thursday. Accusing GOP legislators of reneging, the governor has threatened to veto the package. So instead of taking a break for deer season and the Thanksgiving holidays, lawmakers will be back at work on Tuesday.
What's Happening in Washington?
Michigan's two senators both voted "no" on GOP-sponsored bills that would cut federal entitlement spending by $36 billion and allow exploratory drilling in Alaska; and the House delegation voted 13-2 in favor of a bill that would make it harder for state and local governments to condemn property. John Dingell (D-Dearborn) and Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) voted "no."
Looking Ahead to 2006...and 2008
Stabenow, Granholm Maintain Lead in Polls. The latest Zogby poll, reported by the Wall Street Journal Online, has Senator Stabenow and Governor Granholm in the lead. Stabenow is 16 to 19 points ahead of the three GOP contenders, and the governor leads likely challenger Dick DeVos by 18 points.
Senate Primary Outlook: Mostly Cloudy. Now that Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard is in the race, , it's far from clear who leads the three-way contest. Now that Bouchard has come out against a proposal that would ban affirmative action in state government and universities, some observers believe that Jerry Zandstra, the only candidate who favors it, might become more appealing to the GOP's conservative wing.
Bouchard picked up the endorsement of Speaker Craig DeRoche (R-Novi), along with those of ex-speakers Rich Johnson and Chuck Periccone.
In Brief. The Club for Growth has endorsed former State Representative Tim Wahlberg for Congress. Walberg will challenge Joe Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) in next year's Seventh District primary.
Legislature Update
Dial "C" for Contributions. To help a bill overhauling the state's telecommunications laws get through the legislature, phone companies contributed about $400,000 to Michigan politicians. The biggest recipient was Representative Mike Nofs (R-Battle Creek), who received $13,500 so far this year.
Compromise On "Payday Lenders". The House overwhelmingly passed compromise legislation regulating the "payday loan" business. The measure would limit the amount a customer may borrow and cap service fees charged on the amount loaned. Both the Senate, where the bill goes next, and the governor are expected to approve it.
New Bills in the Hopper. Representative John Moolenaar (R-Midland) has introduced a bill that would make it illegal to smoke in a car with a minor present....Representative Steve Bieda (D-Warren) has introduced legislation that would require elected officials to disclose their travel expenses, funds donated to a legal defense fund, and their family's personal income.
In Brief. The House passed a four-bill package that would provide tax breaks and other incentives to film-makers who come to the state...Even though the House has passed legislation that would bar drivers under 18 from using cell phones, lawmakers are unlikely to extend the ban to adult drivers....The Senate approved legislation that would protect service members from losing custody of their children while on duty...Senators also approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban property condemnation for economic development....The House approved a bill that would raise the speed limit for trucks from 55 to 60 miles per hour on some freeways.
Around the State
18-Year-Old Mayor of Hillsdale? Michael Sessions, a senior at Hillsdale High School, earned national attention--including an appearance on David Letterman--by outpolling incumbent mayor Doug Ingles. Even more amazingly, he did it as a write-in candidate. But the race isn't over yet. The County Board of Canvassers' final tally has the 18-year-old ahead by a tenuous 670-668 margin, and Ingles has until the close of business Wednesday to ask for a recount.
Local Elections. In a rematch, Senator Virg Bernero unseated Lansing Mayor Tony Benavides....Representative Clarence Phillips unseated Pontiac mayor Willie Payne....The former mayors of Southgate and Taylor won their old jobs back....Livonia voted to pull their out of the SMART regional bus system....Ferndale and Traverse City approved ordinances legalizing medical marijuana.
In Brief. Lack of funding could make it impossible to double the state's college graduation rate, which Governor Granholm proposed in her State of the State address....A federal judge enjoined enforcement of a state law that would ban the sale of violent video games to minors.
Sound Bites of the Week
"How much credibility does an 18-year old have?"--Hillsdale mayor Doug Ingles, commenting on Michael Sessions, a Hillsdale High School senior who went on to defeat him--as a write-in candidate.
"He's lost his mind. The next thing he'll do is jump off the Mackinac Bridge, and I'll be blamed for pushing him."--Geoffrey Fieger, referring to Attorney General Cox.
"I know I lost the election, so I don't have anything to say about it."--Detroit City Clerk Jackie Currie.
Hey Stu, it's Lee O. It's three o'clock...Wednesday....Fieger wants me to deliver a threat to your boss."--voicemail message left by Lee O'Brien for Stu Sandler, a member of Mike Cox's staff.