An Arena for Kalamazoo?

by: memiller

Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 11:23:34 AM EDT

The current proposal would site a 6800-seat arena in downtown Kalamazoo on nine acres formerly occupied by a tire store, a funeral home, and the Cole-Gilmore car dealership, which vacated the site many years ago. This concept was explained to the Kalamazoo Democratic Party last November.

Six Applicants to Fill Open County Commission Seat

by: memiller

Wed Feb 24, 2010 at 20:51:08 PM EST

The applicants are:

Thomas Batten, Democratic candidate for the 61st House district. He obviously would not be running to hold this seat, but using it as a springboard for his House run.

Ron Commissaris, retired Republican Supervisor of Texas Township.

John Cross, retired Kalamzoo County Sheriff's Deputy.

Erin Hoogendyk, Texas Township Trustee, and wife of former state Representative and US Senate candidate Jack Hoogendyk.

Elrico Hurley, former member of the Kalamazoo Public Schools Board (and a former student of mine at Loy Norrix High School!)

Timothy Rogowski, a banker.

Kalamazoo County Democratic Party Elects Officers

by: philgoblue

Sat Dec 13, 2008 at 15:09:20 PM EST

This morning the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party Executive Committee elected its officers from 2009-2010. The results were:

Chair: David C. Pawloski
1st Vice Chair: Phyllis Smith
2nd VC: Josh Brandt
Corresponding Secretary: Marcy Ohs
Recording Secretary: Amber Colegrove
Treasurer: Carolyn Cardwell
Trustees(4):  
Creed Stegal
David Kinsey
Mary Jo Walsh
Brad Kent

The first meeting of 2009 is Thursday, January 15th at 5:30 pm at Theo & Stacy's on Portage Rd. by the airport.

The Executive Committee at that time may wish to expand itself. If interested in serving on the Executive Committee, please plan on attending and make sure to have a current member nominate you. Nominations do not require 'a second' or support. The executive committee will then vote on nominations.

Stay after for our 7:00 pm program - "Election 2008: Recap and analysis-Kalamazoo County" presented by Mark Miller.

Special Thanks to the Officers of 2007-2008:
Tim Light
Cheri Bell
Martha Warpehoski
Namita Sharma
Sara Wick

-------------------------------

Mark's comments: I was not there, at our Bach Festival dress rehearsal instead - but this election was not contested, I gather (not sure about all the trustee positions). Cheri Bell, former 1st VC, is going to be running the 60th district service office now, which is non-profit and evidently precludes an active role in the party. Phyllis is of course our former candidate for the 63rd. Josh Brandt is a young man who currently works for Sen. Glenn Anderson, but lives in Kalamazoo. I predict you will hear from him in the future.

We have a good mix of "new blood" in the officers, with Amber Colegrove being the former field director for the Cooney campaign, and Brad Kent having managed Kate Segal's successful campaign for the 62nd. The other officers are all long-term activists. This is not a case where baby boomers are grimly holding on to power!  

Jones to Lead Michigan Legislative Black Caucus; Dean Remains Secretary

by: philgoblue

Tue Dec 09, 2008 at 06:09:25 AM EST

MIRS reports that State Representative Robert Jones (D-Kalamazoo; State House District 60) will replace Representative Brenda Clack (D-Flint) as the chair of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus for the 2009-2010 term.

The bi-partisan caucus will have 25 members (22 Democrats and three Republicans) after losing four, but gaining 8 new members.  

The rest of the Caucus' officers include
* Vice Chairperson is Representative Shanelle Jackson(D-Detroit)
* First Vice Chairperson is Representative-elect Fred Durhal (D-Detroit)
* Second Vice Chairperson is Representative-elect Woodrow Stanley (D-Flint)
* Secretary is Representative Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids)
* Treasurer is Representative-elect Jimmy Womack (D-Detroit)  

Mr. Humility Wins in the Kalamazoo Township Trustee Race

by: philgoblue

Thu Nov 13, 2008 at 17:39:44 PM EST

That's your first WMR Editor to be elected to public office.  The last????

In other Kalamazoo Township News:

Rising Dozen semi-finalist DemocratTerri Mellinger won her race to become the new Kalamazoo Township Supervisor with 62% of the vote.

Also winning with Mark were Don Martin (an ex-Republican), Ron Reid (retired Kalamazoo County Road Commission Director) who announced as a partisan Democrats, and possible DINO Patricia Hiatt who was on the Board as a Republican for years before abrupting switching parties this year.  Miller, Reid and Martin were part of the original Kalamazoo County Democratic Party's slate in the August primary.

Democrat George Cochran, a trustee who in 2004 was the first Democrat to be elected to the Township Board, won the treasurer seat over Republican Susan Kleiman.

Thus, the only Republican left on the board is Township Clerk Donald Thall, who ran uncontested.

So, congratulations to Mark as candidate and KCDP Candidate Recruiter, all the good Democrats who won, and especially to the County Party for putting an emphasis on Township races.  We can all learn from the turn-around in Kalamazoo Township.  This is where we can build a farm team and test folks as candidates and officials and raise them up to County Commissions, State House, State Senate and beyond.

Granholm Announces Job Growth in West Michigan

by: philgoblue

Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 09:00:00 AM EDT

You can chat with Governor Jennifer Granholm about these developments and others at her sixth annual swing through Grand Rapids is next week TONIGHT:

Sweet September
General Reception
24 September, Wednesday
5:00 -- 6:30 pm
Frederik Meijer Gardens
Grand Ballroom
1000 East Beltline NE, Grand Rapids
$100 per person

For more information or to RSVP, please call Jordan Rossen at (517) 485-5100 or see the Sweet September event website.

Robert Jones Preparing for State House Leadership Position Now ... and maybe more in 2010

by: philgoblue

Mon Aug 18, 2008 at 20:02:58 PM EDT

Leadership PACs give politicians a way to raise money and then distribute that money to candidates who might later be colleagues and might then be willing to support the previous donor in their quest to gain a leadership position in the legislature.  In other words, it's a way for powerful, well-funded politicians to raise money for candidates in tough races who then are more disposed to supporting someone who backed them in their time of need.  The citizens who give to a leadership PAC understand that they're making their representative more powerful. Like most anything, in the hands of the good, this is fine, in the hands of the bad ... we'll that's another story.

Rich Robinson, executive director for the Michigan Campaign Finance Network told the Kalamazoo Gazette that Jones' fundraising has been impressive:

"It stood out for a new PAC -- this was a big new PAC. You don't find many freshman who have a leadership PAC like his."

The latest financial disclosure statement in July showed Jones has already given $4,200 to four state House Democratic candidates from Wayne County (including George Cushingberry) and has also donated to State House Democrats in south-west Michigan like Julia Rogers, Kate Segal, and Judy Truesdell.  Jones has also been extremely generous to his county party, giving the Kalamazoo Democrats $10,000. Now, that's what an elected official should do!

Jones has $47,503.06 cash-on-hand in JAMPAC.

We can only hope Jones is gearing up for not only his future in the House, but a really important 2010 election when West Michigan will be the key to taking back the Michigan Senate!

The Democratic Primary for Kalamazoo County Sheriff

by: philgoblue

Tue Jul 22, 2008 at 09:59:12 AM EDT

The Democratic primary pits Richard Fuller, a 20-year veteran of the sheriff's department against Ray Roberts, who works part time as an ordinance officer in Cooper Township.  The winner will take on either Michael Anderson or Ricky Combs in November general election.

I love to hear folks weigh in on this race.

The Cooney Campaign Takes Flight

by: philgoblue

Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 12:06:50 PM EDT

The Cooney for Congress campaign has taken off in the past 8 weeks and is flying high.  Obviously, we have the impressive ability to get 3,000 signatures in a little over one week to get on the ballot.  Since then Don, has hired a campaign manager and just brought on a well-respected field director.  In addition they've put up an impressive new website with great features: actblue donation links, easy ways to volunteer, a blog, links to social networking sites, audio and video, a calendar, etc.  So, this is clearly a campaign that's runninig to win and Cooney's path to victory is clear: tap into Don's roots and history in Kalamazoo city and county, build off of the Obama Effect by mobilizing youth and the African-American community (something Cooney has already been doing for decades), mix in support from labor and college folks, and run a strong campaign throughout the district with strong Obama-Cooney GOTV in Berrien county and they can pull an upset against one of the richest silver-spoons in Congress.

Think that's pie in the sky?  An old friend of mine -- Nick Beaudrot -- who is a complete numbers geek, ran numbers on how an Obama Effect might influence Congressional races.

Admittedly a "very crude" model to estimate of Barack Obama's performance on a district-by-district basis, what Nick did was:

I've given him 95% of the black vote, 60% of the Hispanic vote, 55% of the college white vote, and 35% of the non-college white vote. This gives him 43% of the overall white-plus-Asian/other vote, and just over 50% nationwide. I've then assumed that Black voters and Latino voters exhibit uniform voting patterns, and then computed the Partisan Voting Index among white voters to arrive at a number for Obama in the district...

Now, I'm not even sure that Nick is taking likely very increased voter turnout among African-Americans along with increases in the Latino community into effect or not, but he does find that Michigan's 6th Congressional district is the 31st most competitive among Republican incumbent seats.  Beaudrot finds that based on his assumptions, Obama would win the district with 48.6%.  And that's an opening for Cooney, especially given that I think McCain will be in a world of hurt come the fall and that the election could look over by early October, leading to low Republican turnout in November for people like Upton.  Of course, we have to work our tails off to make those assumptions -- and more -- true.

Follow me below on how you can help Don win TOMORROW (Satruday) the 6th Congressional District....

Conversations with Voters - the shape of things

by: memiller

Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 02:42:28 AM EDT

So I got my lit just a week ago, and have been pounding the pavement, starting in my neighborhood. I know I won't have time to knock every door in the township, so I'm working from a list of voters who have voted in at least one of the last three August primaries.

I am doing two things at once, asking the voter ID script, and then later entering the responses into VAN/VoteBuilder (the Democratic Party database), and then, for voters who identify as Democrats, giving them my lit and asking them to vote for me in the primary. It is a more ambitious, and some would say riskier strategy than just going straight to my points, but voter ID will help all our candidates in the long run. Because I am a very down-ballot candidate, I am not asking for any volunteers to help me. Any volunteer efforts should be going to Julie Rogers and others. So this is just me, going out after work on a night when I don't have any other meetings.

These are primary voters - a small minority of the whole electorate, and a minority even of consistent general election voters. One would expect them to be the most tuned-in, the most civic minded, and the readiest to engage in political discourse, right?

Not so much.

Vander Roest Drops Out of State House District 63 Race

by: philgoblue

Wed Jun 25, 2008 at 22:48:54 PM EDT

Pol Watcher publishes Vander Roest's press release in full:

I am requesting to have my name withdrawn from the 63rd House Seat, for which I served from 1998-2002. I do this reluctantly and sadly, because I believe I could have been a good State Legislator for the 63rd District if I was elected. My focus was to be a part of the solution in helping to turn Michigan's economy around, and making a better life for each of us and our families.

To correct statements made regarding an incident from the past, I have never pled guilty nor ever been charged with the charges that have been "alluded to" by the media. My only sin was stopping to ask someone for the correct time while on my way to a meeting at the Capital. With my window half open, I mistakenly made a joke about "how inflation probably affects all business ventures." It was suggested I meet at a nearby park; I instead drove in the opposite direction towards the Capital. I was never charged with, nor pled guilty to the charges that have been raised against me. I only wish people could've known all of the facts.

When my campaign opponent and the media found out about the fact that I had been stopped by an entrapment situation, the word spread and claims were made that I was charged with solicitation, which is not true. Inaccuracies hurt people more than anyone can realize. I've learned that the people who speak out the loudest against a circumstance in someone else's life are generally the ones with the most to hide themselves.

I have a terrific family, a wonderful wife whom I love more than life itself, and beautiful children and grandchildren. I don't want any of them hurt by this situation. So, with a heavy heart, I have decided to withdraw from running for the 63rd House Seat. I was looking forward to meeting with people, discussing the issues and giving voters a choice of representation.

I would like to serve in the future in whatever way I can to give back to the community and help create a better life for others. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jerry Vander Roest

Pol Watcher has a take.

According to Charlotte Channing at the Kalamazoo Gazette:

Both Vander Roest and his wife, Nancy, said he was getting out of the race because of recent resurrected reports in the Kalamazoo Gazette about charges he faced in Lansing over his alleged soliciting of an undercover police officer for sex in 2003. He later pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly public disturbance, which he said he did because he couldn't afford to defend himself against the solicitation charge.

The charge and guilty plea came to light in 2004 and became an 11th-hour issue in his GOP primary race against state Rep. Lorence Wenke that year, which Wenke won in a squeaker.

Hmmm, usually police and detectives don't investigate, prosecutors don't charge, and people don't plead guilty to crimes just for asking someone for the time.

Kalamazoo County Sheriff Primary

by: memiller

Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 02:17:36 AM EDT

Kalamazoo Candidate Wrap-up

by: memiller

Thu May 15, 2008 at 23:29:42 PM EDT

No, seriously, we did not have to blackmail anyone, and we have a stellar line-up of candidates. Some months ago, the committee reached a consensus on, and the Executive Committee ratified, a set of Candidate Recruitment and Election goals. It is now time to take stock of the former.

1. Strong candidates in 60th, 61st, 63rd State House.
This goal was met even before the goal was ratified.

2. Strong County Commission candidates in districts 1-7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16.
Districts 1 through 7 are the Democratic base of Kalamazoo City and Township. 12 and 15 are marginal Republican areas where we won last time to take a bare majority on the Commission, and which we need to defend this time. 8 through 10, 13, and 16 are additional targets that might be winnable in a good year. Not only did we recruit candidates for all of these, but 11 and 14 as well, leaving only CCD 17 on the table.

3. Strong candidates in four out of six countywide races.
We beat this goal by one, lacking only a candidate for Surveyor. We actually have two candidates and a contested primary for Sheriff.

4. Candidates for a majority of township offices in Kalamazoo, Oshtemo, Comstock; at least six other candidates in outlying townships.
These three townships contain all of our Democratic base. Each of them have four trustees, a Supervisor, Clerk, and Treasurer, making 21 offices in all. We recruited for 13 of these slots, thus meeting our goal of a majority. We actually have 17 candidates, but four of these overlap. This includes the race I'm in - Kalamazoo Township Trustee, where I am one of six in the race for four ballot positions.

However, we only have two candidates running for the outlying townships. Oddly, one of these is for Supervisor of Wakeshma, the most rural and agricultural of our townships - and he's running unopposed! Mostly, the tradition of Republican dominance in these townships remains. As I (jokingly) mentioned above, we'll keep our eyes open during the summer to try to find write-in candidates, although this is not a top priority - we have other fish to fry.

So, in aggregate, we have met 3.5 of our 4 goals. Not bad. Below are more details for those who want  to know.

Pat Crowley for Kalamazoo Drain Commissioner

by: memiller

Wed May 07, 2008 at 18:17:30 PM EDT

Come on out to stand with our next Drain Commissioner as she announces her candidacy next Wednesday!

From her press release:

Pat Crowley, of Richland, will announce her candidacy for Kalamazoo County Drain Commissioner at 12:30 PM next Wednesday, May 14, in the Van Duesen Room at the Kalamazoo Public Library, 315 S Rose St. in Kalamazoo.

Pat Crowley has a professional degree in Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin Madison Institute for Environmental Studies and has been an active researcher, regulator, and consultant in all aspects of the hydrologic cycle for over 25 years. Though originally specializing in soil and water conservation engineering (which includes drainage, irrigation, and runoff/ erosion control), she has also supervised the cleanups of over 100 contaminated soil and groundwater sites  in the Kalamazoo district.

Most recently, she works with farmers on composting and minimizing agricultural impacts on the environment.  Dr. Crowley promises to use her engineering, scientific, and management skills to forge strong community-based partnerships and establish a comprehensive professional-quality water resources management program to protect water quality throughout the county.  More information about Pat Crowley can be found on Zoominfo.com.

The recent history of the Kalamazoo County Drain Commission office has been depressing. Elected Republican Commissioner Bill French missed deadlines for state-mandated reports, did not finish projects, was accused of sexual harassment, and finally was convicted of misdemeanor extortion. The County Commission was looking for a way to remove him, when he suffered a massive stroke while on vacation in Florida last fall.

Long-term county employee Pat Krause was appointed as interim drain commissioner, and has said that he will run for a full term this year.

However, Pat Crowley has the professional credentials to set the drain office on a firm footing.

Granholm Announces 3,300 New Jobs in Kalamazoo

by: philgoblue

Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 18:42:48 PM EDT

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced a $330-million expansion in Mattawan and Kalamazoo by MPI Research Inc., a leading provider of comprehensive preclinical research and development services.  The project is expected to create 3,300 new jobs at the company and an additional 3,300 indirect Michigan jobs over the next 15 years.

It's the largest life sciences job creation announcement in Michigan history and the largest of any kind under Governor Granholm.

wizzardkitten has the full report at BFM.

WOOD-TV has video of the press conference.

Julie Rogers for State House (61st)

by: memiller

Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 12:17:21 PM EDT

This diary is to introduce Julie to the West Michigan Rising audience. Most of it is an interview I conducted with her last week. I will be following this with more detailed policy statements from her, and news from the campaign trail as we go along.

The 61st covers Alamo, Oshtemo, Texas and Prairie Ronde Townships, then the western part of Kalamazoo Township, the City of Parchment, and the City of Portage.

map

It is a marginally Republican district, which has been trending more Democratic in recent elections.

Julie ran for this seat in 2006, as I discuss in the interview, and came close to unseating Jack Hoogendyk.

Julie will be making her formal announcement next Monday evening (April 14th) at 7pm in the Portage Public Library. We would love to see some of our West Michigan Rising friends there!

Comstock Township Follies

by: memiller

Wed Apr 02, 2008 at 11:32:33 AM EDT

Today at mlive we have this:

Recall effort of Comstock Township Trustee Bill Shields is back on
Posted by Ben Hoger | Kalamazoo Gazette April 02, 2008 10:05AM

COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP -- The recall effort against Comstock Township Trustee Bill Shields continues; new petition language was filed Tuesday with the Kalamazoo County clerk's office.

...

Austin said he will wait until he obtains county approval for the language before he begins circulating petitions. He will have a little more than two weeks -- until May 2 -- to gather 1,561 signatures to put the question on the ballot for the Aug. 5 primary election.

Shields, the township board's longest-serving trustee, has already said he intends to seek another four-year term in the November general election. Shields has said Austin's effort is in retaliation for a prior conflict the two had over Austin's home-based business, a charge Austin has denied.

Shields filed a lawsuit in January against township Supervisor Tim Hudson and the rest of the board, alleging they violated his First Amendment free speech rights last year during a board meeting.

Julie Rogers (State House 61st) Fundraiser Last Sunday

by: memiller

Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 14:29:11 PM EDT

We all know this, even as we decry the influence money often has, in spite of waves of campaign finance reform. Money from special interests finds its way. it can't be stopped, any more than water can stop flowing downhill.

But I want to argue that money in politics has its positive side. It provides a way for ordinary citizens to become invested (literally) in a campaign. Candidates who can attract small contributions from lots of ordinary folks are more likely to be able to attract volunteers, and ultimately votes. If we had purely publicly-funded campaigns, in addition to the First Amendment issues that would raise, there would be no opportunity to show which candidates had tangible support early.

And anyhow, it's the system we have, so we need to make the best of it, even as we open the envelope of the 17th fundraising letter this week.

Last Sunday, I cooked dinner for 35 people at my house. (more)