CD09 Incumbent Joe Knollenberg (R-Bloomfield Twp.)

by: matt

Fri Oct 07, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT

Campaign Website

Vote No On Joe

Biography:

Joe Knollenberg, who has been characterized by the Detroit News as ?arguably the state?s most powerful Republican? in Congress, is currently serving his seventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Knollenberg represents the Ninth Congressional District of Michigan, which consists of 22 cities and townships located entirely within Oakland County. He serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which determines how federal dollars are spent.

With more than 1,500 manufacturing entities in the Ninth District employing thousands of his constituents, Knollenberg is a well-known advocate for U.S. manufacturers and has emerged as their most effective voice on Capitol Hill. In 2003, he led the successful fight to repeal the steel tariffs that caused significant harm to steel-consuming manufacturers, an effort that was recognized by the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) with their Joseph M. Magliochetti Industry Champion Award.

More recently, he successfully organized and led a broad coalition in support of funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a key program for small and medium manufacturers. Additionally, his legislation to strengthen the law used to prosecute those who produce counterfeit manufactured goods that steal sales from legitimate manufacturers and cost American jobs has garnered the support of the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, MEMA, and a host of others.

In his more than ten years in Congress, Knollenberg has embraced innovative solutions and achieved uncommon success. Responding to a constituent?s concerns, he created a successful first-of-its-kind pilot program that allows seniors to stay in their homes while still receiving Medicaid benefits, which would not otherwise be possible.

Knollenberg was out front on Northern Border security concerns, ensuring that additional federal funding was directed there so that Detroit-area border crossings with Canada are secure and efficient. From his seat on the Appropriations Committee, he has secured more than $60 million in federal grants to assist in the clean-up of the Rouge River, and has directed millions to important local initiatives, including the George W. Kuhn Drain, transportation projects, and education and cultural institutions.

He has also garnered praise for his work as one of the [former] subcommittee chairmen of the House Appropriations Committee, a group that wields so much influence over the federal budget that they are often referred to as ?cardinals.?

In February 2005, Knollenberg was selected to chair the newly constituted Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In this role, he is [was] responsible for producing one of the ten annual appropriations bills that fund the federal government. His subcommittee will fund all the programs at the Departments of Transportation, Treasury, and HUD, as well as appropriating funds for the District of Columbia, and several independent agencies.

In addition to [formerly] chairing the Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury and HUD, Knollenberg serves on the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations. His work on this subcommittee, of which he has been a member for more than 10 years, has distinguished him as a leader on foreign policy issues, particularly on aid to the Middle East and on North Korea. He also currently serves as Republican Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus.

Knollenberg has used his position on the Appropriations Committee to champion issues such as the Great Lakes, reform of the EPA, low-income housing programs, and improved medical care for veterans, and he is a recognized congressional expert on energy issues. During his tenure as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction (108th Congress), his advocacy for the Military Housing Privatization Initiative in the Summer of 2004 ensured the continuation of this successful program. He has also served as Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the District of Columbia (107th Congress).

Knollenberg has earned a reputation for his hard work and common sense approach that has produced results for his constituents and the entire state of Michigan. As Vice President Dick Cheney noted in August 2002, ?Both Republicans and Democrats respect his diligence, his viability, his good judgment.?

Prior to running for Congress, Knollenberg ran a small business in Troy, Michigan, and was involved extensively in local and civic affairs. His sons, Marty and Steve, now run the family business.

He and his wife, Sandie, have lived in Oakland County for more than 35 years. They currently reside in Bloomfield Township.
(Knollenberg House web site).

CD09 District Profile

by: matt

Thu Oct 06, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT

Troy Mayor Janice Daniels shows how to be vulnerable to a scandal

by: Neon Vincent

Thu Jan 05, 2012 at 19:54:28 PM EST

In my previous post about Troy on Crazy Eddie's Motie News, I discussed the rejection of federal funding for the Transit Center.  There was something else in the report from the New York Times I quoted.

The transit fight is not Mayor Daniels's first brush with controversy. Earlier this month, it was revealed that she posted a message to her Facebook page last June, after New York State approved same-sex marriage, stating, "I think I am going to throw away my I Love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married there." In an interview, she said she regretted the online comment.

Welday endorser is consumer predator

by: TJarrell

Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 02:55:03 AM EDT

You may have heard about J.D. Hayworth, the former Congressman and conservative challenger to John McCain, and his recent troubles involving a 2007 stint as an infomercial spokesperson. The company he filmed the infomercial for was called National Grants Conferences (NGC). This infomercial was the kind that explains if you simply purchase a ticket ($500-1,000 each) to their seminar, they will show you how to get thousands of dollars in free money grants from the government (and this will pretty much solve all of your problems).

What NGA didn’t explain, was that the information they give to you at the seminar is available on the Internet and at your local library for free. This is the kind of thing that 99% of the people see and recognize is a scam right away. Still, because NGA had a former U.S. Congressman say, “this is for real!” there is always that 1% that fall for their scheme and pay the high fees for free information.

The truth is, individual citizens are not even eligible for the vast majority of federal government grants. Also, grants that individual citizens may qualify for are very restricted in how and what they can be spent on. All U.S. Congress members are well aware of this.

What does this have to do with Michigan's 9th Congressional district?

J.C. Watts recently visited Oakland County to give an endorsement to the campaign of Paul Welday, a Republican who hopes to defeat Rep. Gary Peters in November. Do you remember J.C. Watts? He, like J.D. Hayworth, is a former Republican Congressman and also once served as a spokesperson in one of NGC’s infomercials. In fact, he was the one that informed Hayworth about the fantastic NGC opportunity. A quick and easy way to make a few bucks from unsuspecting consumers that are fooled into paying NGC lots of their hard earned money for information available at the local library.

How shady is National Grants Conferences? In addition to having a F-rating from the Better Business Bureau, 34 state attorney generals, including Attorney General Mike Cox, jointly filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. In 2006 the state of Vermont sued NGC in a consumer fraud lawsuit, which ended up with a settlement of over $350,000 in fines paid by NGC. All of this was known before J.C. Watts recommended this opportunity to his friend J.D. Hayworth.

What does Republican Paul Welday have to say about consumer predator and NGC promoter J.C. Watts? Welday said, “I am humbled and honored to have the support of JC Watts. I have known and admired him for years.”

I wonder if Welday saw one of J.C. Watts' infomercials and bought a ticket, which led to a lot of free money, which led to his admiration of Watts?

Here is the NGC infomercial staring former Congressman J.D. Hayworth.

"Rocky V" was better than this

by: Bootsy

Fri Jan 15, 2010 at 09:03:54 AM EST

On topics ranging from international trade and immigration to jobs and taxes, the trio of GOP candidates didn't differ much.

The issue they all agreed on most of all, though, was that they badly want to oust first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Gary Peters.

"We definitely need to get Gary Peters the heck out of here," Goodman said.

"I look forward to being your candidate - to wipe the snot out of Gary Peters," Raczkowski said.

Submitted without comment.

Gen. Wesley Clark to host roundtable & fundraiser with Rep. Peters

by: TJarrell

Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 20:14:48 PM EDT

FYI 

MONDAY, JULY 6

1:30-2:30p
MEETING WITH LOCAL VETERANS AND GENERAL CLARK

American Legion Post 346
2079 12 Mile Rd,
Berkley, MI 48072

The American Legion is bringing together a group of veterans (including recently returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans) for a roundtable discussion with General Clark and Congressman Peters.

4:00-6:30p
Fundraiser for Congressman Gary Peters with General Wesley Clark

Contact Congressman Gary Peter's campaign for information about attending this fundraiser at http://www.petersforcongress.com

7:30-9:00p
Fundraiser for Congressman Gary Peters with General Wesley Clark

MI-09: Gary Peters proposes child-care tax credit increase

by: Brainwrap

Sat Mar 14, 2009 at 00:38:44 AM EDT

My wife and I are both self-employed (myself for 10 years as a website developer; her for the past year as a professional coach/consultant). We share a home office (not easy to do with your spouse, but we've pulled it off so far!), and our son is in daycare 4 days a week (we alternate taking care of him one day a week, which is why I was able to bring him with me today).

Needless to say, the $600+ or so per month is quite a hit to our pocketbooks, only beaten out by our mortgage and health insurance premiums.

Since child care is rightly considered a legitimate business expense (paying someone to watch your kids frees you up to actually make a living), there's a federal child care deduction. In 1981, the Dependent Care Tax Credit (DCTC) was set at 20% of a maximum of up to $3,000 for one child an $6,000 for 2 or more children.

On the campaign trail ... CD07, CD09

by: Eric B.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 21:18:04 PM EDT

You can tell we're two weeks outside a major election ... my Inboxes are filling up, by the hour, with stuff that's going on.  So, let's break it down to highlights...

CD07 -- According to a press release from the Schauer campaign, the Democrat raised $226,000 in the first two weeks of October, compared to $157,000 raised by Tim Walberg. The Schauer campaign reports having $735,000 on hand entering the last two weeks of the campaign, while the Walberg campaign either has $691,000 on hand if you believe a Schauer campaign press release or $412,000 if you believe Deb Price of The Detroit News.

*--Responding to threats by the Walberg campaign over an ad that it is running in the 7th District, Health Care for America Now has responded by pouring more money into the district in adverstising. Walberg threatened to sue HCAN over this ad, and in response the group purchased more air time. Also, the group purchased space in the weekly newspaper The Tecumseh Herald for this full-page ad.

*-- Update! ... An internal poll from a DCCC firm finds that Schauer has an 8 point lead.

CD09 -- In a new internal poll, commissioned by the DCCC, Grove Insight found that Gary Peters had opened up a double digit lead over Joe Knollenberg.  According to a press release, when 400 residents of the 9th District were polled, 46 of them said they plan to vote for Gary Peters.  Thirty six percent said they would back Joe Knollenberg. Jack Kevorkian received 2 percent of the vote.

CD09: Peters outraises Knollenberg in third quarter

by: Eric B.

Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 19:07:08 PM EDT

Huge news out of the 9th District, where the Peters campaign says campaign finance data has them outraising Joe Knollenberg in the third district ... by more than $125,000.

Gary Peters filed his 3rd Quarter report today with $650,572.18
Rep. Joe Knollenberg filed later today with $524,308.03

That's via Peters' campaign press release.  Here is the FEC sheet for Peters.  Here is the FEC sheet for Knollenberg.

This is ... beyond huge.  Going into the final stretch of this race, all of the momentum is in Peters' favor.  He's up in (internal) polls, his race is better rated by Cook, and now he's outraised Knollenberg in money.

CD09: Knollenberg declines Lessenberry interview

by: Eric B.

Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 18:28:25 PM EDT

I've listened to dozens of interviews Jack Lessenberry has conducted with people from across the political spectrum.  Whatever he writes elsewhere, he's always a respectful interviewer, asks questions and just lets the person answer without trying to shout them down or trip them up in order to publicly embarrass them (he's not like Frank Beckmann, who actually used clearly edited clips to make the governor look bad on taxes last year).  So, I can discern no explanation for this...

We had hoped to speak with both candidates however, Congressman Knollenberg declined to be interviewed for this program.

Peters gets time to talk about something he talks about and understands well, which is a forward-thinking energy policy.

Update! ... Oh, Knollenberg isn't the only person who turned down an invite by Lessenberry.  Last week, Tim Walberg did, too.

9th Congressional District: What to Watch

by: pbratt

Tue Oct 14, 2008 at 15:18:24 PM EDT

Jobs For Justice rally at McCain HQ in Farmington Hills today

by: SiegristRocks

Fri Sep 12, 2008 at 01:56:58 AM EDT

For those of you who have followed the Michigan Messenger article about Macomb County Republican's attempts to challenge voters using foreclosure lists, I suggest you pass this along: 

Jobs with Justice, a Detroit-based workers' rights organization, issued a release Thursday saying it will converge on the Farmington Hills campaign headquarters of Republican presidential candidate John McCain today at noon to pressure the party to abandon any plans to use foreclosure information against voters.

Says the Detroit News 

According to the Michigan Messenger article:

The Macomb GOP’s plans are another indication of how John McCain’s campaign stands to benefit from the burgeoning number of foreclosures in the state. McCain’s regional headquarters are housed in the office building of foreclosure specialists Trott & Trott. The firm’s founder, David A. Trott, has raised between $100,000 and $250,000 for the Republican nominee.

The Trott Financial Center is located at 31440 Northwestern Highway, Suite 100, Farmington Hills, just south of 12 mile rd. Might be a good idea to stop by.

EPIC-MRA poll: Walberg 43, Schauer 40 (CD09: Knollenberg up)

by: Eric B.

Tue Aug 26, 2008 at 09:45:17 AM EDT

The last time EPIC-MRA polled people in the 7th, Walberg led 51-40 ... except after a brief biography was read to them. After that happened, Schauer had the slimmest of leads.

EPIC-MIRA's polling shows the race today stands in a statistical dead heat, with Wallberg up by three. This, despite a steady drumbeat of press coverage that has offered him an uncritical forum from which to endorse drilling as the way to bring down the price of gasoline.

Incidentally, both campaigns released internal polling earlier this month.  Schauer's poll had a 3-point statistical dead heat; while Wallberg's read like something out of Pravda.

The same EPIC-MRA poll had Joe Knollenberg over Gary Peters by seven double digits. Again, when a brief biography was read to potential voters, Peters was in the lead. Some of that is no doubt based on the high negatives Knollenberg has in his own district (47 percent unfavorable), but if the Schauer race is any indication, it's a matter of name recognition.  I understand that the Peters campaign started airing ads last night.

CD09: Peters back in ActBlue Top Ten

by: Eric B.

Tue Aug 12, 2008 at 15:16:39 PM EDT

For the fourth time, Gary Peters has cracked the weekly top 10 fund raisiers through ActBlue.  This week, he hits number eight.

This week is Peters's fourth appearance on the Campaign Newswire. The former Michigan state Senator has been the beneficiary of big name fundraisers on ActBlue, including Michigan Senator Carl Levin, the DCCC, and Blue America. His weekly total reflects the efforts of his campaign and the commitment of his donors, many of whom have pledged to make recurring contributions to his campaign until the November election.

Peters raised $10,860 through ActBlue last week. 

CD07, CD09 crack ActBlue top tenCD

by: Eric B.

Tue Jul 22, 2008 at 12:30:00 PM EDT

Last week, Gary Peters' campaign cracked the top ten fund-raising efforts through ActBlue.  This week, Peters moves up to number four, and Mark Schauer's campaign comes in at number 10.

Peters' campaign raised $15,000 last week through ActBlue, according to an ActBlue e-mail, and Schauer's campaign raised $8,645.

Here is what the e-mail had to say about the Peters campaign.

After debuting in the eighth spot on our Top 10 list last week, Peters has pushed his way into the Top 5 this week. This past weekend, the Peters campaign launched its new "Take Action Now" initiative, in which Gary Peters and supporters will take time off from the campaign trail to volunteer with community service programs across Oakland County. The first volunteer event was the Stogdill Pancake Breakfast in Pontiac, Michigan, and the campaign intends to volunteer with community service programs across Oakland county. This isn't the first time Peters has mobilized volunteers to help his community: in 1997, Peters formed "NetDay Michigan," a grassroots organization that "installed donated wiring and computers in twenty-two schools, libraries, and recreation centers."

And about the Schauer campaign.

Schauer, who built a career in community services, has recently attracted donations through an ActBlue page acknowledging Schauer's reliability as an advocate for children. The Schauer example highlights an important feature of ActBlue: by being explicit about the issue that drives a community to support a given candidate, the candidate can better understand what matters to his supporters.

You can find Peters' ActBlue page here, and Schauer's here.

CD09: Peters cracks top 10 ActBlue for week

by: Eric B.

Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 10:02:26 AM EDT

According to an ActBlue weekly digest e-mail, Gary Peters cracked the top 10 in fund raising last week.  Of all campaigns, his raised the eighth most cash nationwide with $8,587.75.  The e-mail noted that some of his donors included the DCCC and Sen. Carl Levin.

This, from the e-mail:

This week is Peters's Campaign Newswire debut, and the former Michigan state senator has been the beneficiary of big name fundraisers on ActBlue, including Michigan Senator Carl Levin, the DCCC, and Blue America. His weekly total reflects the efforts of his campaign and the commitment of his donors, many of whom have pledged to make recurring contributions to his campaign until the November election.

... 

DCCC to plunk down $2.6 million on Michigan races

by: Eric B.

Fri Jul 11, 2008 at 13:58:38 PM EDT

CD09: Peters hits ActBlue's top 10 donation list

by: Eric B.

Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 18:11:36 PM EDT

With donations totalling $135,805.99, Gary Peters hit number nine on ActBlue's second quarter fund raising list.

Top candidates for the quarter on ActBlue by dollars raised include Senate candidates Rick Noriega of Texas, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mark Warner of Virginia, and Scott Kleeb of Nebraska; Congressional candidates Dan Seals of Illinois, Chellie Pingree of the Maine, Joseph Sestak, Jr., of Pennsylvania, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Gary Peters of Michigan; and presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.

The above was copied and pasted from an e-mail. According to the same e-mail, the results will be officially posted on the ActBlue blog some time this week.

CD07, CD09: Knollenberg, Walberg vote against drilling

by: Eric B.

Mon Jun 30, 2008 at 11:35:11 AM EDT

When Tim Walberg has been shouting "Drill! ... Drill! ... DRILL!," little did we know that it was highly conditional.  He, and Joe Knollenberg (another guy whose chief strategy to bring down gas prices is to explore and drill for oil that won't hit the market for a decade, two decades at peak production), among other Republican representatives from Michigan, voted against requiring oil companies who want additional oil and gas leases on public property to put up or shut up.  Here is the text of the act.  Please note that the legislation would oil companies to relinquish their leases, if they just don't think the place would pay off.

In short, what the act says is that if you hold oil and gas leases on public land, you either need to be developing them or show some kind of plan for developing them, or else you can't have new public land leases.  This means Tim Walberg and Joe Knollenberg (not to mention other Republicans in less competitive districts) want to lease out public property to people who already hold leases on land where there is potentially a lot of oil, but who aren't doing anything with it.

Wes Clark, Blue America, and a Visit from President Bush

by: Gary Peters

Tue Jun 24, 2008 at 10:44:06 AM EDT

Today, I am proud to announce that our campaign has just received the endorsement of General Wesley Clark.

Gary Peters is a uniquely qualified leader with the experience, character, and judgment that we need in Washington right now. From the Navy Reserve to the state Senate, Gary Peters has made a career out of taking action to solve problems, and that's what he'll do as the Congressman from the 9th District.