"Gary Peters? He looks like a %$@#ing Republican!" That was the first thing a colleague of mine said when we got to Gary Peters. We were discussing possible candidates for MI-09, even though it was just weeks after the '06 election. It seems like that was yesterday, but the excitement of the '08 Election is already upon us!
These past few days have seen some spirited disagreements about the future of the 9th district. From whether Nancy Skinner should give it another go, to whether it was appropriate to protest at the Congressman’s home. Surely we can all agree we are only so restless and excited about the 9th because this is the year it will flip.
After last year’s heart breaking loss, it wasn’t long before the thoughts of many, myself included, wandered to speculating who would run in ’08.
Could Nancy Skinner take it in her 2nd try?... Jump the fold to read more!
Would Andy Levin rise above a tough loss in the 13th Senate District to defeat Knollenberg? Would Dave Woodward make the jump to Washington? Would someone new move into the district, or would someone I hadn’t heard of yet enter the race? Rumors that Gary Peters was interested in coming back to electoral politics filtered down from "those in the know", although our Oakland County Dem Party leaders are just as likely to be spotted at a diner with party activists as they are with party insiders.
I knew nothing about Gary Peters. A quick Google search turned up his Lottery bio. Clearly he has an impressive bio, ranging from his extensive education to his experience in Business, in the Military, and in Politics. My first reaction when seeing the host of awards bestowed upon him from groups like the Trial Lawyers, Sierra Club, Fraternal Order of Police, and more...was questioning what they were for. I wanted to see what it takes to become the "Champion of Justice" or "Environmentalist of the Year". With another Google search I turned up this article in the Michigan Bar Journal.
Peters isn’t even close to being a @#$%ing Republican! In fact he has a strong pro-labor, pro-choice, and pro-environmental voting record. However...that isn’t enough for me. If you are going to run with the (D) next to your name, if you want to represent the longstanding traditions of the Democratic Party of protecting working families, protecting women’s rights, and preserving the Earth for the future (my generation!)...you better have a strong record on these issues. What impressed me was his leadership, including the bills he wrote, introduced, and put his name to (not just voted for!) in the Senate.
Like Senate Bill 1443, which protected consumer’s rights against insurance companies. Or Senate Bill 1415 which cracked down hard on White-Collar crime. Or Senate Bill 1340 which protected our right to privacy. Senate Bill 1328 called for attorney representation even in small claims court, Senate Bill 607 which transferred control of MEAP testing back to the Department of Education (can you believe it was with the Dep of Treasury?) ....however, Senate Bill 9 which prohibited drilling for oil and natural gas underneath the Great Lakes however is by far my favorite. It is for his leadership on protecting the Great Lakes that earned Gary the Sierra Club's "Environmentalist of the Year" award. (All bills from previous sessions. Gary Peters' Senate Voting Record)
All of these bills were introduced by Senator Gary Peters...and Peters was also a leader on campaign finance reform.
"There is so much special interest money in the process that tends to dictate which issues get on the agenda. Campaign finance reform is a critical issue in Michigan as it is across the country." -Gary Peters
Peters has a proven track record of fighting for us. He was called a "lone ranger" in the fight against special interests. A stark contrast from our Congressman who hires a lobbyist as his Chief of Staff! Gary Peters was voted State Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman by his peers in the State Senate, and served as Vice Chair on more policy committees than any other Senator.
So before you decide who to support in the MI-09 primary based on your first reaction from a candidate, please take the time to learn more. I did, and I was pleasantly surprised!