The race for Council: 2011

As Mark Twain wrote more than 100 years ago: “… when you are in politics you are in a wasp’s nest with a short shirt-tail ... .”

Ask Lansing City Council candidates,particularly in the 1st Ward and At-Large races, and they might likenthe past few weeks to living and campaigning in a wasp’s nest.

Over the past two weeks in the At-Largerace, a campaign consultant for At-Large incumbent Derrick Quinney, alabor-backed, labor-employed candidate (he’s an executive with thestate AFL-CIO), accsed the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce of“bigoted” and “racist” political strategies. In the 1st Ward, onecandidate, Jody Washington, said her opponent, Lynne Martinez, istaking advantage of “tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars” to consulton Ingham County Land Bank initiatives, which turned out to be abouthalf that. (Washington corrected herself, but said the dollar amountwas immaterial.) And at times, some candidates have been left in theawkward position of being affiliated with their endorsers’ dirtycampaign tactics after having pledged to run positive campaignsthemselves.

Is it any surprise that, with less thana week to go before Lansing residents elect candidates to fill fourpositions on the City Council, the races have been divided betweenbusiness- and labor-backed candidates? Not really. It might be arguedthat it’s a predictable political narrative for this town.

And perhaps it’s getting so heated because, as one Democratic political strategist said, all of the races are close.

“The only thing I’d be surprised aboutis the idea that someone will pull away from one of these races,” saidTodd Cook, of Lansing-based Main Street Strategies. And when you getdown to it, he said, candidates might have to renege on theirpositive-campaign promises in order to distinguish themselves fromother candidates. “Elections are about differences. If you’re layingout the differences between yourself and your opponent in an effectivemanner, that benefits you.”

But what happens when, say, you don’tagree with what those who endorse you are doing? Or you don’t agreewith positions they’ve taken on issues? 

“Endorsements used to be ‘validaters.’If a group endorsed you, you must be OK because they endorsed you,”Cook said. “That’s not the case anymore. If they’ve endorsed you,they’re gonna put resources into this race.”

So, do endorsements even matter if theydon’t fully explain where a candidate stands on issues? “They matter interms of campaign resources,” Cook said. “If you’re gonna takesomeone’s endorsement, that means you get the good with the bad. Youdon’t get to cherry-pick — ‘I only like the good parts and all the badparts I don’t like’ — come on, give me a break.”

Cook is referring to the chamber, whichsupports Tom Stewart and Rory Neuner in the At-Large race, A’LynneRobinson in the 3rd Ward and Martinez in the 1st Ward. The chamber alsosupports the ballot proposal to sell nearly 13 acres of the former RedCedar Golf Course, but it opposes the 4-mill property tax increase forpolice, fire and road services in the city. All of the chamber’scandidates support the millage. 

Over the past few years, campaignfinance records show that the chamber has contributed to bothRepublicans and Democrats (the Council races are nonpartisan). Thatincludes Republican Rick Jones for state Senate, Republican DebShaughnessy for the state House, and Steve Dougan and Andy Schor forIngham County commissioner — a Republican and Democrat, respectively.In the 2009 city races, it spent $10,000 on Mayor Virg Bernero’scampaign, $2,500 on At-Large Councilwoman Kathie Dunbar’s campaign and$2,000 on 4th Ward Councilwoman Jessica Yorko. It 2007, it spent $5,000on Gina Nelson’s failed At-Large campaign.

Cook, who worked at the chamber from2003 to 2007, said the chamber is spending much more on local electionsthan it did in his four years. Kristin Beltzer, who has Cook’s formerjob as senior vice president of government affairs and publicrelations, said it’s true the chamber has increased the amount of moneyit’s put into local elections. “I think we’ve worked very hard on that.Our membership looks at us for a voice of reason. We’ve worked hard tobuild a strong PAC,” she said.

Beltzer also said the chamber“absolutely” realizes that its candidates may not agree with everyposition the chamber supports. “We know these are independent thinkers.We don’t expect people to line up with us all the time. We do expectpeople to be open-minded and straight with us. Sometimes we run into(disagreements).”

At-Large: Politics is a contact sport

An e-mail Friday landed in my inbox froma campaign consultant for Quinney, a black man seeking re-election forhis At-Large Council seat, accusing the chamber of “race baiting” and“bigotry” in its latest literature against Quinney’s record on medicalmarijuana dispensaries. Joe DiSano, the consultant from Main StreetStrategies (the same firm as Cook), accused the chamber of darkening aphoto of Quinney, which chamber President Tim Daman adamently denies.The campaign literature was distributed by the group Greater LansingProgress, which Daman called an “effort and initiative within theLansing Regional Chamber of Commerce.”

Quinney said Sunday he’ll let residentsdecide for themselves if the photo was actually darkened and that hedoesn’t want to make it a “race issue.”

“They’ve (the Chamber) certainly goneabove and beyond with all the blatant lies and trying to paint me as adrug dealer,” he said referring to the medical marijuana literature.“I’m really disappointed but not surprised as to the depths the chamberfolks will go. Do I think (the photo) was doctored? You can be thejudge of that.” Quinney emphatically agrees, though, with the notionthat the chamber has been trying to suggest he is a drug dealer.

In fact, Quinney’s position on medical marijuanadispensaries was basically lock-step with that of the mayor’s. Bothsupported allowing dispensaries in any zoned property in the city,except for residential and parking. Both were against capping thenumber of them and believed the buffering requirements betweenbusinesses would have sufficiently solved a clustering problem. Bothbelieve that without dispensaries, the medical marijuana trade wouldrevert, illegally, to neighborhoods and from people’s homes. Berneroeven had City Attorney Brig Smith draft an ordinance outlining theserules, but that received little to no attention in the media and atCity Hall. 

Quinney’s campaign also released a radioad Tuesday that will run through Monday. In the 60-second spot, Quinneysays the “Chamber of Commerce is spending thousands of dollars todistort my voting record.” He also says, in light of Bernero supportingNeuner: “On Council issues, Mayor Virg Bernero has a right to hisopinion but he is not my boss. The people of Lansing are.”  

Quinney said the negative campaigning“was not this bad at all” when he ran for Council in 2007. Carol Wood,who’s seeking her fourth term as an At-Large Council member, agrees andhad this to say in a City Pulse questionnaire: “Having been involved infour campaigns for Council, this has been the most negative,” citing“five robo calls and six negative pieces of literature” againstincumbents.

The chamber’s Daman said Friday in response to DiSano’s claims: “To step out and call us a racist organization is appalling.”

Daman said the claims about the photodarkening are “not factual and not true. I’m deeply offended. They havea candidate in trouble and this is what they’re stooping to.”

But Daman defended the general tone ofthe mailings. “It raises the level of awareness voters of Lansing needto be educated on as they vote to re-elect candidates.”

(The chamber’s fliers also appropriateda photo of Quinney from City Pulse, whose attorney has sent the chambera cease and desist order; Daman said Tuesday any future fliers will notuse the photo.)

The mailing, which comes from GreaterLansing Progress, is the latest in a series of fliers that attackQuinney’s record on medical marijuana dispensary regulations. For theAt-Large candidates whom the chamber endorsed — Rory Neuner and TomStewart — the Quinney mailings have been nothing short of disappointingand awkward. Both have said recently that their intent all along was torun positive campaigns. Both have used the word “disappointed” whenasked about the Chamber’s … er, Greater Lansing Progress’ … tactics.

“I’m trying to run a campaign based onrising above (negative politics),” Stewart, who’s in his first bid foran elected position, said Sunday. “It’s a little discouraging to havethat happen.”

But Stewart said it goes both ways — hementioned campaign literature that surfaced before the Aug. 2 primaryelection that targeted him, Neuner, then-1st Ward candidate JoeManzella and 3rd Ward incumbent A’Lynne Robinson “because of theirsupport for developers using Lansing’s tax dollars to hire non-union,scab contractors,” the mailing — paid for by the Greater Lansing LaborCouncil, said. Stewart said the labor group used a “drunk picture” ofhim from Facebook and other not-so-flattering photos of Neuner,Manzella and Robinson, compared to the Labor Council’s candidates —Quinney, Carol Wood, Jody Washington and Jason Wilkes. “There have beendirty tactics back and forth,” Stewart said.

However, the At-Large race to mostobservers is for second between Neuner and Quinney. Wood swept theprimary with more than 31 percent of the vote out of five candidates,leaving doubts both Quinney and Neuner could pass her.

“It’s made my life difficult becausepeople are torn who want to support my campaign and Derrick’s and theyfeel alienated,” Neuner said last week.

Neuner said she “made it clear” incandidate interviews with the chamber that she does not agree withstate legislation that proposed to take away prevailing wage andproject labor agreements. She also does not agree with the chamber’sposition of not supporting the millage. And as for a descriptor onGreater Lansing Progress’ website that says “Ingham County recentlyadopted a so-called Pollution Prevention ordinance that imposes costlyand duplicative regulations on businesses that handle hazardousmaterials”?

“I work for an environmentalorganization,” Neuner said of her employer, the Transportation forMichigan. “There’s very clear evidence that every dollar we spend onreducing pollution has a positive effect on quality of life and wellbeing. 

“I hope voters will see I’m trying tostand on my own two feet with this. They’re not voting on whether toelect the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, but me,” she said. “Thething I’m most concerned about is this distance between the laborcommunity and the business community. Right now this community isstrained.”

1st Ward: ‘I don’t think informing people is negative’

Jody Washington, in a Sunday eveningphone interview, said the media — particularly City Pulse — is devotingquestionable coverage to her race against Martinez. Washington saidshe’s “being hammered on” for one mailing her campaign sent out againstthe Ingham County Land Bank paying Martinez “tens of thousands” ofdollars for consulting work.

“I’ve made one sentence and you saidI’ve been running a negative campaign and that’s what this is about. Ithink you’ve been fair but you’ve got to understand my frustration inall of this. You have not asked her any tough questions,” she said.“(Martinez) has not been held to the same standard as I have. I wantyou to be tough on me, but ask everybody the tough questions.”

A second mail piece from Washingtoncalls herself “The New Voice” and Martinez “The Career Politician.”Like the first mailer, Washington cites Martinez’s Land Bank contracton a bike-sharing program: “At a time when crime is rampant and peoplecan’t find work, Martinez’s job is to use taxpayer dollars to launch acounty program for people to share bicycles.” Washington also saysMartinez is “not supported by any police and fire organizations.”Washington landed endorsements from both of the local police and fireunions, while Martinez announced Tuesday the support of Ingham CountySheriff Gene Wriggelsworth.

Martinez defended the contract on “CityPulse on the Air” by saying her job was to “facilitate a variety ofstakeholders and bring them together and build consensus. … EricSchertzing trusted me to facilitate those meetings and get the jobdone.”

Washington also criticized Martinez onthe same radio show for accepting the chamber’s endorsement. Martinezsaid on the Oct. 19 show that “I’m really saddened and disappointed inthe conversation that has begun to go on in this race. This isn’t aboutbusiness versus labor. … It isn’t about personalities bickering,” shesaid.

Martinez added that she’s “pleased tohave the chamber’s endorsement.” She does not agree with the chamber’ssupport of Gov. Rick Snyder’s tax cuts for businesses and cuts topublic education funding. Martinez also supports the millage proposalin the city, but she incorrectly stated on the Oct. 19 radio show thatthe chamber is too. “The chamber is well aware that I support labor, Isupport collective bargaining, prevailing wage,” she said.

The major campaign contributions,though, show that it really is business versus labor, whether Martinezwants to admit it or not. Martinez received $5,000 from the chamber’sPAC this election, while Washington received $4,500 between the UAW,Operating Engineers Local 324 and Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333.Washington’s landed the endorsement of most union groups in Lansing,including the Michigan Education Association.

3rd Ward: The quiet candidates

The race for the southwest side of town,however, is comparatively quieter and less contentious than what’splayed out in the 1st and At-Large races.

A’Lynne Robinson, who’s seeking hersecond term as 3rd Ward Councilwoman, mentioned in a City Pulsecampaign questionnaire that “neighbors, family and friends haveexpressed concerns” about a robocall portraying “an extremely negativeand false message about me. To that end I am saddened that they had tobe exposed to such a call. However, I am encouraged by the enormousamount of support I have received and appreciation for the high andpositive road my campaign has chosen to take.”

Robinson’s opponent, Jason Wilkes, wasasked the same question about whether he thought his opponent wasengaging in a positive campaign. “To this point, my opponent and I haveengaged in discussion on the issues. I pledge to run a positive andclean campaign; I would expect the same of my opponent.”

In an interview, Robinson said “I think3rd Ward residents expressed very, very clearly that is nothing theywant to see and it would bode very negatively for the individual whochose to go that route.”

However, you could argue that none ofthe Council candidates are engaging in dirty politics — it’s theirendorsers. Robinson — who’s endorsed by the chamber — said it’s“cowardly” to not own up to the claims made in robocalls or mailings.“Certainly if I was going to point out somebody’s shortcomings, I wouldown it. Those would be places I depart from anyone using those tactics,both the chamber and organized labor.”

Robinson said particularly the At-Large race has taken on “a life of its own.”

“Individuals endorsed by both camps (thechamber and organized labor) are pawns at this point,” she said. “Thatis now a race between those two camps and individuals are caught up init.”

Wilkes could not be reached for an interview for this story.

Cook, of Main Street Strategies, summed up why the 3rd Ward “has been the quietest of all the Council races.”

“In the 1st you have Lynne Martinez, whois a known quantity and has been around. Jody Washington is veryaggressive, with strong endorsements from groups considering she’s afirst-time candidate. In the At-Large you have some interestingpersonalities there. The 3rd Ward has an overall theme of a couple ofcandidates out working the community and shaking hands along the way,”Cook said. “There’s not as much heat coming out of that. … You haven’tseen this sparring back and forth between the two camps, either, whichis another thing that drives attention. When there’s no conflict, it’shard to write about.”

Campaign literature

From top: Paid for by the Greater Lansing Labor Council;Paid for by Greater Lansing Progress; Paid for by Jody Washington forCity Council.