That's Debatable- Prosecutor Edition

Barry County prosecutor Tom Evans will square off against primary challenger Kerri Selleck tonight (June 26) at 7 p.m. at the Barry County Commission on Aging. The debate will be moderated by attorney David Makled.

That's Debatable- Sheriff's edition

Based on the comments on this blog and from what I'm hearing, the Barry County Sheriff's race may be the "big one" this primary season in Barry County. The candidates will be debating tonight at the Barry County Commission on Aging building on Woodlawn Avenue in Hastings at 7 p.m. Fred Jacobs, publisher of the Hastings Banner, will moderate. I just learned I can't make it so I doubt I'll be posting a recap of it (if I can or if I can tune it in on local radio I'll edit this post later to reflect that). Feel free to post your own reviews in the comments, though let's try to keep this race on the level of who will do the best job and stay away from the "your momma wears combats boots" rhetoric, shall we?

On a related note, I'm glad to see the GOP chair decided to step back from moderating the upcoming primary debates. We saw last election cycle how dangerous it can be when a party chair intervenes in a debate in what was generally seen as an underhanded way set up to aid one particular candidate. I'm also glad that the local Republican Party finally stepped up and decided to quit whining about how the Democratic Party handled the debates and host their own, especially seeing as how it didn't make sense that in a one-party system it was the OTHER party that was actually doing a better job of letting the public know who was running and what they stood for. While it makes sense for the Republican Party to host their own primary debates, I still would prefer to see the debates sponsored by the local media and/or a consortium of local civic organizations especially when it comes to the general election- at least when we manage to get a slate on candidates running on both sides of the political fence.

Lights Out

Wow. The entire city of Hastings is without power and estimates seem to be getting pushed back as to when it gets restored – yesterday, I kept hearing maybe Wednesday while today I'm hearing it might be Thursday. Makes me wonder where all those people I saw driving around town were headed since it was after morning rush hour when I drove through town Monday morning- up to Grand Rapids to buy generators perhaps?

One has to wonder how many people spent much of Friday's check on groceries sometime during the weekend, only to have a lack of power and 90+ degree temperatures turn the food into worthless mush. Luckily, my in-laws have a generator and some extra room in their refrigerator and freezer or I'd have been throwing out a good chunk of the $100+ I spent on staples this weekend without money to replace it.

The weird thing was that I was without power most of the weekend (we're on Great Lakes Energy out here at the Pol Watcher Compound- sometimes it seems as if every stiff breeze knocks out our power, if only for a few minutes), it seemed to get restored from Saturday's storms just in time for the wave of Sunday storms. I thought power had been restored around dinner time Sunday night but it lasted only for a brief minute or two before going back off until sometime after midnight. Hastings seemed to be in clear and was fine for a few hours after the storm passed Sunday afternoon before the lights went out.

I'm taking my chances with this post since many of you regular readers might be among those without power, but for those with some juice feel free to share your story about how you made it through the weekend. Enjoy your weather-related 3 day weekend... and give some sort of thanks to the crews working 'round the clock to get everything back up and running even as you wish they could do it even faster.

P.S. For the political junkies, I should be getting around to doing some kind of round-up of local elections as time allows sometime in the very near future. A Clash of the Titans going to head to head for Sheriff, the entire county running for Drain Commissioner, not one single Democrat filing for county-wide office – it's almost too much to put together.

Vander Roested

I'm not sure what to say about this...

News Release

I am requesting to have my name withdrawn from the 63rd House Seat, for which I served from 1998-2002. I do this reluctantly and sadly, because I believe I could have been a good State Legislator for the 63rd District if I was elected. My focus was to be a part of the solution in helping to turn Michigan's economy around, and making a better life for each of us and our families.

To correct statements made regarding an incident from the past, I have never pled guilty nor ever been charged with the charges that have been "alluded to" by the media. My only sin was stopping to ask someone for the correct time while on my way to a meeting at the Capital. With my window half open, I mistakenly made a joke about "how inflation probably affects all business ventures." It was suggested I meet at a nearby park; I instead drove in the opposite direction towards the Capital. I was never charged with, nor pled guilty to the charges that have been raised against me. I only wish people could've known all of the facts.

When my campaign opponent and the media found out about the fact that I had been stopped by an entrapment situation, the word spread and claims were made that I was charged with solicitation, which is not true. Inaccuracies hurt people more than anyone can realize. I've learned that the people who speak out the loudest against a circumstance in someone else's life are generally the ones with the most to hide themselves.

I have a terrific family, a wonderful wife whom I love more than life itself, and beautiful children and grandchildren. I don't want any of them hurt by this situation. So, with a heavy heart, I have decided to withdraw from running for the 63rd House Seat. I was looking forward to meeting with people, discussing the issues and giving voters a choice of representation.

I would like to serve in the future in whatever way I can to give back to the community and help create a better life for others. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jerry Vander Roest
2689 N. 37th Street
Galesburg, MI 49053

OK, so maybe I do have a few things to add ; )
So, you ask someone the time (apparently Vander Roest's car is without a clock and he has no working cell phone and doesn't wear a watch) with your window halfway down (how's that for unnecessary detail- one way to tell someone is lying to you is that they give too many details that don't really add anything to the story). We don't know what the other person (he/she?) said (though we have to imply it involved a price for a service of some sort- probably a hot dog vendor or something) and Vander Roest responds with a harmless joke about rising prices (see, he really does care about how energy prices affect your life) and the person responds to the joke by inviting him to a park (I'm sure it was a beautiful day out and he wanted someone to play with and Vander Roest's display of humor gave the unknown person walking the street the idea that he might be a playful guy but maybe Vander Roest has a medical condition like a debilitating wide stance that leaves him unable to engage in overly-physical activities at the park and he was running late anyway). So, Vander Roest does the honorable thing and drives the opposite way. So, what exactly is the problem here? Damn liberal media....

Vander Roest was the guy who ran against Lorence Wenke using the fact that Wenke was one of only 3 Republicans to oppose putting discrimination against gays on the ballot in order to enshrine homophobia in the state constitution. Wenke edged out Vander Roest in a squeaker, winning by less than 100 votes. The weird thing is that some people allege that Vander Roest lost that race because of allegations leaking out right before the election that he had solicited a prostitute. Wenke is term limited and so Vander Roest was running again for the open seat he had once held. So, was Vander Roest responding to those old allegations or to something new? None of the new coverage I've seen has touched this part of it. Either way, methinks he doth protest too much.

Vander Roest's exit from the race leaves Marshall Republican Calhoun County Commissioner Jase Bolger unopposed against Vicksburg Democrat Phyllis Smith for the State House of Representatives seat for the 63rd District in the Nov. 4 general election.

Once More To The Point

So, Brian Calley was once again interviewed on WOOD-TV's political news show, To The Point. Rick Albin and Republican State Rep. Calley discussed Michigan's response to the foreclosure crisis with Democratic State Rep. Steve Tobocman.

Nice to see some common sense in our politics and so for once I'll refrain from giving my cynical take and simply applaud all involved for doing the right thing to stop some of the bleeding. (Also, Blogger's autosave seems to be slowing my computer down, keeping me from wanting to type a lengthier piece.)

Not as unpopular as they would have you believe

According to the newest Epic MRA poll of Michigan voters, Barack Obama leads John McCain. The more interesting bit of news is how much better he matches up against McCain than Hillary Clinton would.

Obama, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, leads McCain 43 percent to 41 percent, according to the survey by Lansing polling firm EPIC-MRA. Obama's lead is well within the poll's error margin of 4 percentage points, however. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, holds a 46-37 edge over Clinton.


Obama's numbers look even better when you realize he has yet to fully campaign in the state while McCain has done so twice. It's reasonable to assume his numbers could come up by campaigning here just as they have in virtually every state during the primary season.

So much for the notion that Michigan voters would hold it against him that he followed the rules in the state's primary. The Clinton campaign has waged a bitter fight for the state's delegates which many felt could potentially alienate Obama from voters, thus denying him a fairly reliable large midwestern state. Clinton has tried to use her "win" here in an effort to sway remaining primary voters and Democratic Party superdelegates by creating a mythical narrative that only she can win the big swing states many see as key to an electoral victory in November. Not only was the argument wrong because it ignores many other small states that could tip the scales which Obama has ran well in, but now it's clear that it is also incorrect to assume her "win" meant anything more than it's easy to win a beauty contest when you're the only one vying for the crown.


In other polling data, even though it's being spun as bad news, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is not nearly as unpopular as the state's media wants to think she is. 45% hold a favorable view of the term-limited Governor, while just over 50% viewed her unfavorably (the President's unfavorable ratings are 10 points higher).

I'd say that all in all this isn't bad news for Granholm who has taken the brunt of round after round of budget battles with belligerent opponents who can't accept defeat at the ballot box as a sign that the public is not with them in their quest to restrict investments in state infrastructure and education, as well as getting the blame for the economic downturn which was caused by the failure of the Big 3 to nurse itself away from production lines raking in vast profits making gas-guzzling SUVs before the price of oil rose and dried up their profits, leading to massive job layoffs in a state already hit with the effects of trade deals without sufficient worker and environmental protections to level the playing field.

If the state's Republicans want to talk about the "unpopular" Governor then we should help them remember how few Americans still trust or support the President's failed policies and inept leadership and remind your fellow citizens that the Republican Party thinks that what we really need is more of the same.

Going back to Calley

For those of you who don't know, State Rep. Brian Calley sat in the "hot seat" with WOOD TV8's political reporter Rick Albin on last week's "To The Point." The main focus is Calley's "Kwame Bill" which would seek to make responsible sitting public officials, once they have been convicted of a crime, of any liability incurred by that municipality because of the official's wrong doing. I can't embed the video, so if you missed it and want to check it you have to click the link here.