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| Another view on the race for Mayor; Why Livonia? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 31 2007, 12:43 PM (636 Views) | |
| Blue Skies | Oct 31 2007, 12:43 PM Post #1 |
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[size=14]AmericanConfluence Blending idealism and realism[/size] At the request of Steve King, Trustee of the Livonia Board of Education, I am posting this commentary on the City of Livonia election. Your comments are welcome especially if they deal with the serious issues facing Livonia. Bill Joyner Paid for by Citizens for a Better Tomorrow, 3105 S. Martin Luther King Blvd, Lansing. The post card was waiting in the mailbox. From a Lansing based PAC with the same phone number as Main Street Strategies. The person responsible for the PAC is listed as Todd Cook. The person listed as an officer of Main Street Strategies is Todd Cook. The money to finance the PAC comes from West Bloomfield, Flint and Washington D.C. The Singh PAC, 7125 Orchard Lake, West Bloomfield contributed $5000. Abdulnoor Malik, 5215 Deer Run Ct. contributed $10,000. Richard Kaaraft of 409 W. 7th Street, Flint contributed $1000, Ware Jamal, 301 M Street NW, Washington DC kicked in $1000. The PAC accused a Livonia City Council candidate of feeding at the public trough, of being tossed out of Lansing and returning to the dole once again. A picture of a pig. Those are the facts. Black and white. Cold. But something is missing. The personal sorrow I felt for the candidate on the receiving end of a scurrilous piece of campaign literature who has done nothing wrong except have a desire to serve her hometown. The anger I felt at a system that replaces civility with crassness. I can only imagine how she feels. And my heart goes out to her. Laura Toy. Just as my heart went out to Maureen Brosnan for the pointless attacks on her. The sorrow I felt at the depiction of Laura Toy as feeding at the public trough, listing the money she has made as a Livonia elected official, legislator in Lansing and her current position working for the Michigan State Senate. Sorrow in that once again Livonia is being held hostage by outside groups. First the Wayne 11th Republican organization mounts a $30,000 TV and paid mailing blitz against Maureen Brosnan. No issue debate just personality driven guilt by association and leaps in sophomoric logic. Then comes the outside developers with Lansing connections mounting a mailing campaign against Laura Toy. No issue debates just another leap in logic that defies any attempt to frame issues for the good of the community. We are at the end of a campaign in which a former Mayor running for the office he held for 8 years warns the voters to beware of last minute negative advertising without the time to respond. So what does Jack Kirksey send out? A letter from the Michigan Right to Life accusing Maureen Brosnan of being supported by radical abortionists and questioning her sincerity in being a Catholic. How low can you go Jack. So what do Jack Kirksey’s supporters send out? An attack piece labeling a $10,000 contribution from the Governor as proof that she will create a Livonia that drives out jobs, raise taxes and force seniors out of their home. How low can you go Jack. This typewriter is more convinced than ever that we need to have Maureen Brosnan elected Mayor. She has refused to allow negative advertising to go out, from her or from her supporters. She has continued to talk issues and look to the future. Responding to the negative attacks is to look to the past. How high can you go Maureen? This typewriter is fed up with personality driven campaigns that define issues as the negative attributes of the opponent instead of the positive attributes of the hometown. How high can you go Maureen. She has set the standard and it is imperative that the community rise to the level of excellence that this candidate has set. . .set not for herself but for her hometown. . not for herself but for her children. . .not for herself but for the next 50 years. . .not for herself but for you. This typewriter is voting for Maureen Brosnan for Mayor. Laura Toy and Eric Stempien, another who was on the receiving end of an attack (for moving his office to Northville to practice law with his father who lives in Northville). Read on. A distinction is not an attack. There are some issues like oil drilling and AT&T cable that are not being addressed. And why? Because the dominant paradigm brought them to Livonia and don’t want the issues discussed. [size=7]View from an upfront perspective[/size] Imagine my double take as I drove down I-275 just before Seven Mile and saw the 60 foot oil rig looming above the roadway. Steve King had told this typewriter that he understood from talking with the folks constructing the rig that it would not be noticed and would be landscaped. How could this not be noticed? The lobbyist to bring this to Livonia? Jack Kirksey. Who also represented AT&T. But don’t count on AT&T to have a local studio, office or local programming. They take the money and ship it off to San Antonio Texas. Oil money. Cable money. They get the riches. Our lobbyist gets the money. We get the shaft. And no discussion. Just an acceptance that if the dominant paradigm wants it they get it. After looking at the oil rig this typewriter returns home to a piece of campaign literature mailing. Literature paid for by a partisan organization determined to make the Livonia City election one that pits Democrats versus Republicans. By defining the election as one party against another Republicans are able to keep the focus away from issues. By focusing on the negative argument against Maureen Brosnan they are able to focus on driving up their numbers within their base group of supporters. And to top it off the mail delivered a letter sent from Team Jack Kirksey accusing Maureen Miller Brosnan of being supported by “radical abortionists” and of hiding her abortion views behind her “perceived church affiliation.” The campaign in Livonia is about power, ego and the 2010 race for Governor. Jack Kirksey has done a lot of which he should be proud. He has a legacy that is rock solid. He will be remembered for years to come as a strong Livonia leader. But this typewriter joins others in the hope that Livonia will break from the paradigm of the past and determine a vision for the future; a vision that is inclusive, that engages, that encourages. Maureen Brosnan brings to the table a willingness to open the process by involving people in the community that want to be heard and desire to take ownership of the issues facing their hometown. Negative campaigns are here to stay. To date Brosnan has refused to get into the briar patch, has no interest in following the lead of Team Kirksey down a path from which no one will recover. This decision is right for Brosnan and right for Livonia. Should she win next Tuesday she genuinely can reach out a hand and offer those who supported her opponent an opportunity to help build a hometown of which all can be proud. She will not have to apologize for the campaign tactics of destruction because she will not have participated in anything negative. The decision is right for Brosnan and right for Livonia. Should she win next Tuesday she can start right off on a positive footing not having to worry about the animus generated by personal attacks, from her or from her supporters. The decision is right for Brosnan and right for Livonia. On Tuesday it is the hope of this typewriter that the voters agree that drawing a distinction is not an attack. [size=7]The Steve Colbert perspective[/size] Steve Colbert is the first candidate to officially announce that he is sponsored. With Doritos as his corporate sponsor in the race to capture the democrat or republican nomination for president can Halliburton/Guiliani or Hedge Fund/Edwards or Venture capital/Romney be far behind? As one who remembers Pat Paulson putting smiles on the faces of voters I am encouraging Steve Colbert to once again show that politics can be fun, voters can smile and candidates can lighten up. I am voting for the Doritos Man. Originally printed in AmericanConfluence, a weekly blending of idealism and reality. |
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| Must Be Psychic | Oct 31 2007, 01:02 PM Post #2 |
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Thank you for doing such a beautiful job summing up exactly how so many of us feel about this mayoral race. |
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| Mrs.M | Oct 31 2007, 01:07 PM Post #3 |
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I wonder if that oil rig is what chased Quicken out of here? THAT makes me wonder. |
| I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be WRONG. | |
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| Blue Skies | Oct 31 2007, 01:27 PM Post #4 |
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When people reference that Quicken is moving out of Livonia it must be remembered that the choice never was Livonia or Detroit, it was and will continue to be Michigan versus Ohio. There are some who will try and make it a determination that Quicken is being touted to move into Detroit. It is my understanding that the first choice has always been to have them stay in Livonia, but if they were going to go to Clevland where he owns the Cavaliers, then an alternative was to move to Detroit. I am convinced that Maureen's plan to rally the community around Quicken, court the employees and work with the ownership has possibilities. But just remember the arguement is Michigan from where he comes or Ohio as the owner of the Cavaliers. It is not and never has been Livonia versus Detroit. Only for those wanting to play the Detroit card in campaigns. |
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| LPS Reformer | Oct 31 2007, 01:46 PM Post #5 |
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The schools exist to educate, not employ.
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Do you think this kind of negative advertising is effective? It sure as hell does not project confidence in the canidate they support. |
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“Child Abuse” means different things to different people.... ----Randy Liepa 8/9/12 | |
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| livoniarocks | Oct 31 2007, 01:57 PM Post #6 |
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You all can say whatever you want. But, the hit pieces that came out before the primary on Kirksey were dirty and nasty. No one can say that none of Maureen's supporters have sent out negative pieces, unless they know who sent those pieces out. Negative campaigning has an effect if the accusations are believed to be true. The only way to know will be Tuesday at about 9:30pm. |
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| livoniarocks | Oct 31 2007, 01:59 PM Post #7 |
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I'll discuss cable. How about the fact that Maureen pushed cable competition out of Livonia when she was on Council? |
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| Blue Skies | Oct 31 2007, 02:00 PM Post #8 |
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The tragedy is that attack advertising done early enough to allow the candidate to then send out positive information about himself does work. But we are in a culture that has an attention span of minutes suggesting that if we see a candidate picture with a police car we conclude that they are supportive of law and order, a senior they are supportive of caring for our elderly, an American flag they are patriotic. Style wins most all the time as the logical thought process is replaced with simplistic sloganeering. I hope that doesn't come across as cynical but rather realistic. In an ideal world we would require weekly debates/discussions with the candidates in a give and take forum so that we can see what they actually think about specific proposals. Just a few ramblings. But thanks for the question. |
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| Blue Skies | Oct 31 2007, 02:04 PM Post #9 |
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Actually I am not sure that Maureen did. She was doing her job by asking questions at a time when ATT did not want to answer all of the questions. Even in communities with competition the rates are close to the same as Brighthouse. We now have ATT and without local programming, no local studio, no local access programming. I have always felt that DISH was competition for Brighthouse. It really is too simplistic to suggest that one person ran out competition for cable. We also have to remember that when cable was first proposed it was significantly cheaper and promised substantially more than we are getting now. I paid $8.00 a month. Anyone that assumes your life is better off with cable is missing out on a tremendous opportunity to take part in the real activities of Livonia. |
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| livoniarocks | Oct 31 2007, 02:13 PM Post #10 |
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Never said I was better off with cable. But, I do think that everyone is better off with competition. |
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| Extra Olives | Oct 31 2007, 02:25 PM Post #11 |
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Thank you, Blue Skies. Well done. |
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| Must Be Psychic | Oct 31 2007, 02:31 PM Post #12 |
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If you take a look at the tape of that city council meeting, you will see the Maureen was completely appropriate. To say that she pushed out A T & T is a real stretch. In reality, then Ameritech was just beginning to dabble into the cable business. They had a handful of other cities that they made deals with and when it was Livonia's turn, the company was already beginning to question whether they really wanted to be in the cable market. It was easy for them to walk away fron Livonia. IF they had wanted the business badly, one meeting would not push them out. They just never committed 100% to the cable business. Down the road, they sold that business entirely to WOW. Since that time, Ameritech as bought by SBC and then by AT & T. AT & T now offers a completely different service that runs on fiber. They ARE committed to this product as they have spent a lot of time, energy and resources getting the fiber network established. I have several family members that work for AT & T, including one that works on the team that handles the fiber network, so I am confident of my information. Do not let anyone fool you into believing that cable was "run out" of Livonia by anyone. As to the behavior of the members of the City Council at the meeting, well, you have to watch for yourself to judge. Maureen did NOTHING wrong. |
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| Deleted User | Oct 31 2007, 03:14 PM Post #13 |
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I wish that applied to the school system. |
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| livoniarocks | Oct 31 2007, 03:34 PM Post #14 |
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Ideally it would apply to everything! |
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| Sourapples | Oct 31 2007, 08:41 PM Post #15 |
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Idealism is just that, the basic premise of an ideal that should be consistent across all boundaries. Unfortunately we have seen that idealism turned into a nasty case of reality with all that has happened in this town in the last several years. Between the schools and the city govt we have been poorly represented, and thoroughly misled. It is time for the citizens to reclaim our govt by voting out incumbents, crony's, partisan politicians, and mudslingers. We all need to take a deep hard look at what our founding forefathers had envisioned, and the visions they had for the future for every single individual citizen, and for what one of our greatest presidents stated at a critical time in the challenges facing our nation... "...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." If we keep going the way we are, with the total voter empathy and nasty, dirty politics ruling every election we shall perish soon. It's yours to lose. Get out Get educated Vote intelligently and learn how to take back the govt that belongs to the people... ...you and I. Not the special interests, power brokers, campaign financiers, and career politicians serving parties and not people. |
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