2014 Candidates, Continued

Continuing last week’s coverage, here are the races to watch in 2014 in the State Senate and U.S. House:

State Senate

Redistricting due to population lost in Southeast Michigan has moved a district from Democratic Wayne County to Republican West Michigan. Democrats believe they have a strong shot at the 13^th, 25^th, 32^nd, and 34^th districts. Senator Vincent Gregory (D-Southfield) will face off against two high-profile state representatives. Senator Gregory had originally intended to run for Congress, but instead is running for re-election. Senator Virgil Smith (D-Detroit) will also have to face a challenger in Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit).

Democrats hope Representative Dian Slavens (D-Canton Township) can defeat Senator Patrick Colbeck (R-Colbeck) in the 7^th Senate District, and Representative Sean McCann will be a strong competitor in the 20^th according Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing).

2^nd District

Senator Bert Johnson (D-Highland Park) and Representative John Olumba (I-Detroit) are facing off for the 2^nd Senate District. They are joined by the wife of former Representative Lamar Lemmons III, Georgia Lemmons, as well as Taras Nykoriak of Hamtramck.

4^th District

Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) will face incumbent Senator Virgil Smith (D-Detroit) for the Democratic nomination. Candidate Howard Worthy has also filed, but is not seen as a true contender.

5^th District

Representative David Knezek (D-Dearborn Heights) is running against former Representative Shanelle Jackson, Representative David Nathan (D-Detroit), and Representative Thomas Stallworth III (D-Detroit) for the 5^th District. Two other Democratic candidates from Redford have also filed. RepresentativeKnezek could possibly benefit from Detroiters splitting their votes between RepresentativeNathan, RepresentativeStallworth, and Ms. Jackson.

7^th District

State Senator Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton Township) will face off against Representative Dian Slavens (D-Canton Township). The district is Republican leaning, but Senator Colbeck’s tea party voting record has Republicans concerned.

11^th District

With Senator Vincent Gregory (D-Southfield) opting out of a congressional race and running for re-election, the stage is set for an extremely competitive primary with names like Representative Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills) and Representative Ellen Cogen Lipton (D-Huntington Woods) in the race.

13^th District

Former House members Marty Knollenberg, Chuck Moss, and Andrew “Rocky’ Raczkowski along with Attorney Ethan Baker are all vying for the 13^th Senate District Republican nomination. Current Representative Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills) had been running for the race but has since changed his focus to run for the U.S. House as highlighted last week. Also in the GOP primary is Al Gui, who has filed paperwork indicating he plans to spend less than $1,000 on the race. Ryan Fishman, who is well funded and well connected, and Cyndi Peltonen of Clawson are facing off for the Democratic nomination.

16^th District

Not necessarily one to watch as much as one to note as Representative Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) has no challenger in the safe Republican seat being vacated by Senator Bruce Caswell (R-Hillsdale) and is measuring his new Senate office for curtains.

17^th District

Democratic former Representative Doug Spade of Adrian will face off against current RepresentativeDale Zorn (R-Ida) in a likely competitive race to fill the vacancy left by the term-limited Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe).

20^th District

Former RepresentativeLorence Wenke declined to participate in the August Republican primary battle for the 20^th Senate District race, and will instead be on the ballot as a member of the Libertarian Party. Mr. Wenke cited his belief that Republican party discriminates against homosexuals as among his reasons for doing so. Mr. Wenke’s party change clears the path for RepresentativeMargaret O’Brien (R-Portage) for the Republican nomination.

23th District

Again not likely a competitive race here as Ingham County Register of Deeds Curtis Hertel, Jr. is considered a shoo-in to win the Democratic Party’s nomination and succeed Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing), who cannot seek re-election due to term limits.

25^th District

Reprensentative Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) hopes to unseat incumbent Senator Phil Pavlov (R-St. Clair) in the thumb. RepresentativeBrown has a history of doing well in GOP leaning districts, but the race should prove challenging.

28^th District

Representative Peter MacGregor (R-Cannon Township) and former Representative Kevin Green of Cedar Springs are the only two individuals left in the GOP primary race for the 28^th Senate District seat. MacGregor remains the early favorite for the nomination.

31^st District

Representative Kevin Daley (R-Lum) seeks to unseat incumbent Senator Mike Green (R-Mayville) in a GOP Primary. RepresentativeDaley is forgoing re-election to challenge Senator Green, hoping his home base of Lapeer County, foreign territory for Senator Green, will win him the nomination. Newcomer Ron Mindykowski of Bay City will be the Democratic nominee in the Republican-leaning district.

32^nd District

As Senator Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw Township) is vacating his seat due to term limits, Democrats are gearing up to take over the 32^nd, which has seen an increasingly Democratic make-up in recent years. Former Representative Ken Horn of Saginaw Township will face the winner of the Democratic primary between RepresentativeStacy Erwin Oakes (D-Saginaw) and Democratic organizer Garnet Lewis of Freeland.

34^th District

Senator Goeff Hansen (R-Hart) is facing a more Democratic seat thanks to redistricting, and Oceana County Road Commissioner Cathy Forbes is receiving the full support of the Democratic Party. First Senator Hansen must face tea party challenger Nick Sundquist in the primary.

37^th District

Representative Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) and Representative Greg McMaster (R-Kewadin) are facing off in the top Republican primary in the state for the 37^th Senate district seat.

U.S. Congress

1^st District

U.S. Rep Dan Benishek (R-Crystal Falls) will face a primary challenge from Alan Arcand of Iron River, an indication that the tea party is less supportive of the incumbent than it was when he first ran. However the true challenge will be in the general election against former Kalkaska County Sheriff Jerry Cannon in this key seat.

3^rd District

Bob Goodrich of Kentwood will be the Democratic nominee for the 3^rd Congressional District. The seat is a Republican one, though, and the primary between incumbent U.S. RepresentativeJustin Amash (R-Cascade Township) and Grand Rapids businessman Brian Ellis should be the main event.

4^th District

State Senator John Moolenaar (R-Midland), Paul Mitchell, and Peter Konetchy will face off in a GOP primary, and Jeff Holmes of Alma will be the Democratic nominee in the race to replace retiring Congressman Dave Camp (R-Midland).

7^th District

Incumbent U.S. RepresentativeTim Walberg (R-Tipton) and former State Representative Pam Byrnes will face off with heavy national backing on both sides. First, Congressman Walberg must face a primary challenge from Douglas North of Jackson, who claims the Congressman is not conservative enough.

8^th District

Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing is still likely to be the lead in the Democratic primary, but will face former state demographer Ken Darga, Central Michigan University professor Susan Grettenberger and East Lansing attorney Jeffrey Hank on the way. The race to watch, however, is for the GOP nomination where former Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and current State Representative Tom McMillin (R-Rochester) are battling.

11^th District

Bobby McKenzie, Anil Kumar, Bill Roberts, and Nancy Skinner will face off against one another in the Democratic primary for the 11^th District. Democratic leaders believe the winner of the primary should have a realistic shot against the winner of the GOP primary between incumbent U.S. RepresentativeKerry Bentivolio (R-Milford) or attorney David Trott, who has raised more than all other congressional candidates in the state.

14^th District

In what was probably the biggest development of the season, former U.S. RepresentativeHansen Clarke announced very near the deadline that he would run for the 14^th U.S. House District. His comeback announcement came as a surprise, as Mr. Clarke had declined to comment for several months on his intentions. Mr. Clarke lost to U.S. RepresentativeGary Peters in the Democratic primary in 2012. A race that was formerly between RepresentativeRudy Hobbs (D-Southfield) and Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence is now up in the air.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, May 2, 2014 10:54 AM
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House Energy and Technology Committee Reviews Special Industrial Electric Rates

HB 5476, which would replace the E1 rate currently provided to Hemlock Semiconductor with a new rate-setting system for high-use, steady demand industrial customers, received a hearing before the House Energy and Technology Committee this week. House Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamas (R-Midland), the bill’s sponsor, said the bill also sets deadlines for various steps in the process to ensure the new rate is in place when Hemlock’s current rate expires on December 1, 2015. RepresentativeStamas went on to say that the new system could lower rates for all customers by efficiently allocating costs by class.

Governor Snyder’s energy advisor, Valerie Brader, said it was likely the Public Service Commission currently has the authority to consider the points in the legislation, but the bill would ensure there are no legal challenges. Ms. Brader said the change will be particularly important due to the coming federal emissions regulations that could cause some of the state’s baseload power plants to be retired in 2016.

Andy Coulouris of Hemlock Semiconductor said the company is expecting to pay more after the E1 rate expires, but he said the tax credit the company could claim erases half of that increase. The new rate developed under the bill is hoped to offset an additional portion of that increase, he said.

posted by PAA Online , 10:53 AM
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Sales, Use Tax Road Funding

Part of a plan to dedicate a portion of the sales and use tax towards road construction and repair was reviewed by the House Tax Policy Committee on Wednesday. The bills, HB 5492 and 5459, were also reviewed during committee on Thursday, but will not be voted on until next week.

HB 5492 would reallocate 1 percent of the use tax from the General Fund to the state Trunkline Fund. HB 5459 would dedicate all sales tax revenue garnered from fuel sales that is not currently earmarked for schools or local government to the State Trunkline Fund. The bills would redirect $239.2 million and $130 million respectively in fiscal year 2014-2015.

The plan has received support from the County Roads Association of Michigan (CRAM) and the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, while it was opposed by the Michigan Association of Counties. All groups, however, agreed that a more comprehensive solution would have to be made in the future. Ed Noyola of the County Roads Association of Michigan said between $2.1 and $2.5 billion is needed in the state to fix the roads.

posted by PAA Online , 10:51 AM
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Conyers Petition Controversy

A Democratic challenger to U.S. Congressman John Conyers is contesting the signatures gathered by two circulators because they may not have been registered to vote at the time they circulated the petitions. The Wayne County Clerk’s Office ruled that 1,193 of the 2,000 signatures filed by the Congressman were valid. If the 300 signatures currently being contested are ruled invalid, Congressman Conyers would be knocked off the ballot.

WDIV-TV, the NBC affiliate in Detroit, reported Tuesday that Wayne County staff performed a routine check of the petition circulators’ names in the Qualified Voter File, and in doing so found that the two names did not show up in the database. The next day it was revealed that the names did show up and were shown as having registered in December prior to circulating petitions. However, Wayne County Election Director Delphine Oden said the challenges remain unresolved. The clerk’s office has asked Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey to review the situation as part of the challenge process.

Depending on the ruling, whoever loses the challenge can appeal to the courts or the Bureau of Elections. Both sides have retained some of the state’s top elections lawyers, with Congressman Conyers hiring John Pirich, and Mr. Sheffield hiring Eric Doster. Most see this situation headed toward the courts. The deadline for Secretary of State Ruth Johnson to certify the ballot is June 6^th.

posted by PAA Online , 10:50 AM
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April 25th Survey Results

Last week’s PAAdvisory asked, when do you expect the Legislature to depart for summer recess?

45 percent of respondents believe the Legislature will depart on Thursday, June 19^th. 36 percent believe the Legislature will be done on June 5^th. 9 percent answered June 12^th and another 9 percent answered “other.” PAA’s team likes those who responded with June 5^th.

posted by PAA Online , 10:49 AM
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PAAdvisory Briefs

Former Representative Marc Corriveau to Trinity Health

Former State Representative Marc Corriveau was named the new director of Michigan advocacy at CHE Trinity Health. He will oversee the system’s legislative and regulatory efforts at the state and federal level. Mr. Corriveau had most recently been with the Kelley Cawthorne lobbying firm.

Snyder Confirms Financial Emergency In Highland Park

Highland Park is now in a financial emergency for the third time according to an announcement by Governor Snyder on Monday. The city must now enter a consent agreement, request a neutral evaluation, take on an emergency financial manager, or undergo Chapter 9 bankruptcy. This marks three consecutive gubernatorial administrations in which Highland Park has been under management of an emergency financial manager. The city was found to have let its fund balance fall from a negative $5.5 million in 2012 to a negative $12.5 million in 2013. It currently owes vendors $19.5 million.

posted by PAA Online , 10:47 AM
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Quote of the Week 5/2/2014

Mixing things up a bit again – PAA is going to provide some simple, light-hearted quotes from year’s past for a few weeks:

“I haven’t had very good luck with my success lately.” -Senator Gilbert DiNello, 1982

posted by PAA Online , 10:47 AM
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