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Lucas McGrail: A Man for the 21st Century; BY ANNA KROME
Topic Started: Jul 2 2009, 06:33 PM (3,774 Views)
Ms. AK
Veteran
I don't know how Mr. McGrail plans to handle posting. But, I'd like to say that I'm impressed the guy even had the guts to post on this forum, which is known to some as a hostile environment.

I was hoping to do a follow-up article with Mr. McGrail after the primary, exploring more issues--such as those brought up. With the help of this forum's readers, we actually might have a non-incumbent in the race.

I truly feel that Mr. McGrail has been honest in his responses, although I don't necessarily agree with every position he holds.

I interviewed him at length and I found him to be sincere and fresh. No double-talk. Yes, he is new to the game of politics and "smooth talk"--which has become more and more a "game" of who's in power and whose sound-bite tends to play on peoples' fears the most that day.

No other pol--except Mr. Bailey (formerly of the BOE)--regularly posted under his own name--and answered questions from the forum. BUT, he was instructed to stop posting by LPS attorneys.





Krome on Cars

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Otis B.
Veteran
Anna,

I have to respectfully disagree. We have been going on for 4 pages now and he really has not given a straight answer on anything.

Yes, it is brave of him to come on here, but how else is an outside candidate going to get his name out? He had no problem commenting on here when it suited him, but was AWOL once the questioning became direct.

How is he going to hold up to getting grilled on the council if he can't answer "where do you stand on X issue"?
Edited by Otis B., Jul 28 2009, 08:33 AM.
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Ms. AK
Veteran
OB: I do not know if Lucas McGrail is even aware of the most recent questions you and others have brought up. He's provided his email in his posts, so perhaps someone might want to email him and ask him what's up.

OB, I appreciate your point-of-view very much, but I have to disagree a bit.

I found Lucas quite straightforward in my interview, which was almost two hours long. We spoke via Skype, so I could see his face, body language and hear the tone of his voice. There were also quite a few emails pre- and post-interview.

Being a long-time journalist, I have learned how to read people very well. I've interviewed a lot of politicians. I even interviewed "Big Mac" when I was 18 and came away with some major impressions. I'll save those for another time.

Back to Lucas, when I asked Lucas about his political philosophy, this is what he said from my interview with him (see page 1 of this string):

When asked about his political affiliations, he responds: "I don't like the typical labels in politics, but I have personal beliefs that are both Republican and Democrat in nature. I am more in the center. I use my personal and professional experience to interpret information and data and use that to formulate decisions. Labels, which are slapped on people, marginalize--it's about doing the right thing for everybody. It's not about who's to blame for someone's lot in life."

That's all I can go on.

Also, I found it interesting that some felt that a candidate's stance on abortion, et al, in a non-partisan local election was important because of the person's potential to making it to higher office. Because I try to vote the whole person--I did not put much into that thought.

But it is ironic that Sarah Palin's political career started as two terms on Wasilla CC in 1992.

I'm planning to attend the LWV candidates' forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Livonia City Hall. That will be an excellent test of his ability to answer questions. There, we will see his body language and his face. Hear the tone in his voice. All of these factors are essential to understanding more about a person.


Edited by Ms. AK, Jul 28 2009, 12:11 PM.
Krome on Cars

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Ms. AK
Veteran
see politifact.com thread
Edited by Ms. AK, Jul 28 2009, 01:22 PM.
Krome on Cars

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Otis B.
Veteran
Fair enough, Anna. Perhaps the LWV forum will be the best venue to judge the candidates.
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Micki
I love teaching.
Interestingly, he is choosing not to answer some of our questions.
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Lucas McGrail
Member
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Micki
Aug 6 2009, 08:59 AM
Interestingly, he is choosing not to answer some of our questions.
I am not refusing to answer questions. I have choosen to address specific questions and issues at the LWV and the COC forums to address issues and questions instead of addressing them in this format. Thank you for your interest, I encourage you to attend both forums.
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Mrs.M
Veteran
Lucas McGrail
Jul 24 2009, 09:35 PM

I would like to close by saying that I appreciate everyone's continued interest and support of my campaign and I trust that I can count on your vote.

Speramus Meliora – We hope for better things


Lucas McGrail
 
I am not refusing to answer questions. I have choosen to address specific questions and issues at the LWV and the COC forums to address issues and questions instead of addressing them in this format. Thank you for your interest, I encourage you to attend both forums.


I do commend you for posting on this forum. I noticed the change in your salutation of these two posts. It's understandable, since the posts and your responses did at times have an air of debate more than question and answer (comparable to the Senate Confirmation Hearings B) ) Imagine, here you are just a council candidate for a city with a population of less than 100K.
I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be WRONG.
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Micki
I love teaching.
Ok, to save debate here are the questions... since I don't believe they will be asked at any debate. Feel free to answer them in a pm if you do not want anyone else to know your beliefs:

What is your stance on:

abortion
unions
healthcare

Thanks.
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Raise the standard
Advanced Member
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Why do we ask a candidate his position on abortion? Every member of the current council is right to life--as is the Mayor. Are you happy with the way they have run the city? If so then use right to life as your basis.

I for one will look at zoning beliefs, infrastructure repair, transparency, and other local issues.
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Mrs.M
Veteran
Raise the standard
Aug 12 2009, 09:27 AM
Why do we ask a candidate his position on abortion? Every member of the current council is right to life--as is the Mayor. Are you happy with the way they have run the city? If so then use right to life as your basis.

I for one will look at zoning beliefs, infrastructure repair, transparency, and other local issues.
A potential politician or candidate's opinion on RTL is important to many people. It can have a bearing on and explain how they treat life and people in general.

I tell ya, a few of the sitting council people don't seem to give two hoots to what the citizens and residents of Livonia have to say about a proposed development, discontinuation of services, etc. especially when that development is not in their (elected official's) backyard. Full speed ahead appears to be the MO lately.






I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be WRONG.
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Mrs.M
Veteran
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090906/NEWS10/909060465/1027/Council+candidates++voting+records+mixed

Council candidates' voting records mixed
By Ken Abramczyk • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • September 6, 2009

Livonia City Council candidates are asking for your vote Sept. 15, many of them saying every vote counts. But how often have they themselves voted in the past five years?

Three of the 11 candidates — Joe Laura, Jim McCann and John Pastor — have perfect attendance; one candidate — Lucas McGrail — missed more than half of the elections, according to voting records, a figure he disputes. The others fall somewhere in between.

... cont'd...

MISSED ELECTIONS

McGrail missed 11 of 18 elections, including this year's school board election, the state primary and annexation on the Northville Township property in August 2008, a city primary in 2007, and three other school board elections since 2005, along with a school millage renewal.

McGrail said that those records are not accurate and wanted to double check them at the clerk's office.

“When the annexation came up, I thought it was preposterous from the start,” McGrail said. “I remember my wife and I voted at Grant. I question the accuracy of those records.”

Later in an e-mail, McGrail said he couldn't remember voting in the May 2008 school board election or the county parks election in 2005, but believed he voted in the May 2008 school board election.


He didn't vote in May 2005 and August 2004 because he was living with his mother-in-law for family reasons.


On the other missed elections, McGrail said: “I can't explain as to why I would not have voted. The only way I would not have voted is if I was out of town on vacation or business.”

McGrail looks at voting like it is jury duty — a civic duty. “If you want to participate in the process, you have to vote,” McGrail said. He added that the only way people can change policy is to vote or run for office, if they feel that strongly about it.

McGrail wanted to look at the voting records from the other elections before commenting on them. “I'd have to sit down and really think about it,” McGrail said. He wanted to cross-reference voting records to ensure their accuracy.

At the request of the Observer, Grimsby double-checked voter applications and the precinct list as to whether McGrail had voted in last year's annexation election. Voters are given an application to vote, which they sign; then their names are highlighted in the precinct books by election workers. “His name is not highlighted, and we do not have an application to vote from him,” Grimsby said. Grimsby said the number of applications and the number of residents who voted were the same at 428 voters, so she had all of the applications.

...cont'd...

Most of the others voted in the city, state and national elections, but chose not to participate in many of the local school elections. Voter turnouts for school elections during this five-year range fell between 5.2 and 11.3 percentiles of the district's registered voters.

I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be WRONG.
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Otis B.
Veteran
That is really pathetic.
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Lucas McGrail
Member
[ *  * ]
Good evening all
I would like to start by thanking everyone who has been supporting me during this run for City Council. For those of you on this discussion board who would like to have one of my lawn signs, please feel free to email your address to electmcgrail@yahoo.com and we'll get you one. Thank you again for your continued well wishes and support. Looking forward to Tuesday. Take care.
LM
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Deleted User
Deleted User

Response to voting record

I am writing to response to the article published Sunday, Sept. 6, regarding my voting record.

-The information presented was not entirely correct. Previously, the Observer had e-mailed me a list of elections and votes which showed that since 2004 there were 16 voting cycles, yet the Observer reported that there were 18. The Observer e-mailed me a list of the City Clerk's records which showed that I missed nine voting cycles, not the 11 that the Sunday paper reported.

-The reporter did not give me the opportunity I requested to address why I did not vote. In some of the instance I was not even living in Michigan due to work responsibilities.

-I had requested that the reporter call me back so that I could take the time to look at my records to five more detailed responses but, again, this request was not honored.

I believe voting is an important civic responsibility. I am not making excuses for missed votes; I am simply trying to provide some background as to why they were missed. I do not believe that a missed vote as a private citizen tarnishes my professional accomplishments and skills, nor do I believe that they will impact my ability to do an excellent job as a future member of City Council. Please remember that voting in general elections is different than voting in-session when you are an elected official. Thank you for the opportunity to respond.

Lucas C. McGrail
Livonia

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090913/OPINION03/909130566/1199/NEWS10/Letters
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injuneer
Advanced Member
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I just saw this response from Lucas McGrail about his voting record and that's a pretty pathetic response. beyond the excuse of being out of town it doesn't even explain why he missed so many votes. Hasn't he ever heard of voting absentee if he knows he is going to be away?
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Silentwolf
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injuneer
Sep 14 2009, 09:25 PM
I just saw this response from Lucas McGrail about his voting record and that's a pretty pathetic response. beyond the excuse of being out of town it doesn't even explain why he missed so many votes. Hasn't he ever heard of voting absentee if he knows he is going to be away?
Even if you request an absentee ballot, there is no guarantee that you'll be able to vote. If you are out of town prior to the absentee ballots being mailed out, the only way you'll get the absentee ballot is if someone forwards the ballot from your home address to where you are going to be. Livonia will NOT send the absentee to where you are going to be
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