A rose by any other name

Bernero criticized for wrong spelling of Hussain's name in endorsement letter

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Residents of Lansing's Third Ward are questioning the motives of Virg Bernero, the mayor, over spelling error in an endorsement letter sent to voters. The letter, paid for by A'Lynne Boles campaign committee, is an endorsement of Boles to serve a third term in the Third Ward.

But voters are seeing red over the way Boles' opponent — Adam Hussain — was identified.

“Imagine having to choose between loyalty to your mother or loyalty to your voters and the city. It is wrong to put Adam Hussein (sic) — or any young person -- in such a position.”

Both version of the surname — Hussein and Hussain — have the same meaning in Arabic according to About.com. But for Melissa Quon Huber, the spelling error is something more. Here's what she wrote on her Facebook page this weekend:

This is the SECOND time the mayor has gone Anti-Muslim in his attacks on Adam Hussain for Lansing City Council.

First his PR firm darkened and photoshopped the picture to make him look forboding.

Now today the mayor was canvassing our neighborhood with these flyers in which he has clearly misspelled Adam's last name. Some might say this is an attempt to associate his name with an enemy of the US.

I really hope no one ever lets Virgil darken the door of another Ramadan Unity Dinner.

Of course, the "PR firm" Quon Huber is referring to is Capitol Region Progress, a shadowy political nonprofit that has been flooding both the First and Third Wards with robocalls and mailers attacking Hussain, and his mother, First Ward incumbent Jody Washington. Bernero has repeatedly refused to answer questions about whether he has raised money for the organization.

Neither Bernero's spokesman Randy Hannan nor Boles responded to requests to explain the spelling error.

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