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UM Regents 
Sat Dec 02, 2006 at 16:19:25 PM EST
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(Nicely researched. - promoted by lpackard)
"But it's not even 2007 yet!" Well, there's nothing wrong with thinking ahead. Here are the incumbents in statewide offices whose terms end in 2008.
US SENATE:
Carl Levin (D) – Elected in 1978, last re-elected in 2002; Chairman-elect of the US Senate Armed Services Committee; Foreign-relations and defense policy genius; named one of "America's 10 Best Senators" by TIME Magazine; longest-serving US Senator in Michigan history; brother of Congressman Sander Levin; all-around amazing guy
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION:
John C. Austin (D) – Elected in 2000; Senior fellow with the Brookings Institution; ran for Dem nomination for Secretary of State in 2002; possible rising star in our party?
Kathleen Strauss (D) – Elected in 1992, re-elected in 2000; President of the Board of Education since 2001; involved in numerous boards and groups
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REGENTS:
Laurence B. Deitch (D) – Elected in 1992, re-elected in 2000; attorney; former MDP treasurer
Rebecca McGowan (D) – formerly worked in offices of Senators Adlai Stevenson and Frank Church; senior staffer for VP Mondale and deputy director of his 1984 campaign
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES:
Dorothy V. Gonzales (D) – Elected in 1992, re-elected in 2000; former state House research analyst; former education policy advisor under Governor Blanchard
G. Scott Romney (R) – Appointed in August 2000, re-elected three months later; Son of former Governor George Romney; brother of Massachusetts Governor and possible 2008 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY GOVERNORS:
Paul Massaron (D) – Elected in 2000; Hyper-active with the UAW and AFL-CIO, including serving as a legislative director, Region 1-B International rep., and top aide to the UAW President
Jacqueline Washington (D) – Elected in 2000; Chairwoman of the Board of Governors; past president of Planned Parenthood of SE Michigan; Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame inductee
SUPREME COURT (officially non-partisan):
Clifford Taylor (R) – Appointed in 1997, elected to partial term in 1998, elected to full term in 2000; Chief Justice since 2005
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Mon Oct 30, 2006 at 20:54:05 PM EST
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(Cross-posted from Arblogger)
No shockers, maybe, but some points worth noting, below:
1) Virtually everyone, including Repubs David Brandon (incumbent) and Susan Brown, except the Libertarian candidate Erik Larson, opposed Proposal 2 (MCRI). However, note carefully: opposing MCRI does not mean you support affirmative action; there was no microphone where I could ask questions, but I'd have asked if everyone supported the UM aff. action program. ...See, e.g., Brandon in the 11/5/98 Freep article Incumbents lose, but state school board remains split, which mentions his opposition to aff. action. He may have converted, though; judge for yourself, in this recent article excerpt by the great Dave Gershman of the AA News.
(Brandon literally phoned in his performance today, by the way. Interesting. Like something from an off-Broadway comedy...)
2) As for the "choosing a UM president" question, they talked about consulting with the faculty, which is good (Mary Sue is infamous in some quarters for ignoring faculty input); what I'd have liked to hear more about is, first, soliciting student input, and second, making sure that the president reflected diversity in some way.
(See, e.g., the 5/20/02 MDaily on my advocacy for diversity in UM presidents, Promotions, lawsuit outcome discussed at Regents meeting.)
3) The "luxury box" question was asked, with the Repubs supporting lux-box ("surprise"), but the Dems being a little more restrained, Kathy White (incumbent) saying, I believe, that she didn't see much reason to support the boxes (and to give her credit, she had previously complained that the process of approving the boxes was too rushed; I'm not sure why she hasn't campaigned on this issue much, since she has credibility here), and Julia Darlow saying she needed more info (such as only sitting Regents might have), but she wanted more transparency on the issue.
(I would have liked the Dems to really sock it to the Repubs on this issue, as you may guess.)
4) Ed Morin, the Green candidate, mentioned that it's horrible that UM hasn't been audited by the state Auditor General in 22 years; after the forum, I talked to him, and he said he got the idea from me, and my posting on Michigan Liberal!
Now that's flattering!
...Well, that's it. Don't forget to look at previous post re David Brandon for some additional context...
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Sat Oct 28, 2006 at 16:26:24 PM EDT
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(Meet David Brandon, U-M regent and future Republican candidate for statewide office. He's more charming than Engler, Posthumus, or DeVos, but he's just as far to the right. - promoted by Hy Dudgeon)
Of course the "domino theory" was the false idea that once Vietnam fell, every Southeast Asian country would turn commie and swim the Pacific to invade USA. Hmm.
But with our ol' friend David Brandon, CEO of Domino's Pizza, currently running as a Republican candidate for U. of Michigan Regent and also being Dick DeVos' campaign manager, we can theorize from some Domino's experiences...
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Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 16:54:35 PM EDT
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(Cross-posted from Arblogger)
At the press conference this morning, mentioned in my previous post, I enjoyed hearing Fielding H. Yost III (grandson of the UM athletic director under whom the current stadium was built) lay out a new "Big House Plan" (slogan: "Bigger, Louder, Better") which fulfills the goals of revenue enhancement, renovation, more seats in the Big House, etc., but without the luxury boxes that discard Michigan tradition and literally leave in shadow thousands of Michigan football fans. (My photo of Yost did not come out, but at least I have a photo of Save the Big House's John Pollack, above.)
The plan costs only about $93 million, vs. the over $350 million the current luxury box plan runs. I'm not sure UM should really be throwing around a quarter-billion dollars at this point, which could be used to reduce tuition or what-have-you...
So it seems the plan Yost graciously and thoughtfully offers us may be better than the UM "corporate mentality" one: perhaps we need a bigger Big House (up to 117,000+ seats in the new plan), not the big and soulless luxury boxes. (Or, "More Blue, less bling", as per my "trademarked" phrase in the title...)
As well, local Democratic honcho Doug Kelley brought up during question time, that most of the UM Regents against luxury boxes are Dems, and that the 2 Dems who voted for the lux boxes could and should switch votes. --Indeed, one of the best (or only) chances for the relatively-little-known Julia Darlow, running for Regent against Repub-incumbent David "Domino's" Brandon (who has Bo Schembechler in his commercials already!), would be to use the Stadium issue as both an issue and a symbol, re fighting for the common person, equity, fiscal prudence etc. We'll see what happens.
An endorsement by Save the Big House of whatever Regent, Dem or Repub, publicly supports the more sensible and decent plan, could draw serious attention, and not just in Ann Arbor. "Go Blue! No bling!"
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Tue Sep 19, 2006 at 19:55:13 PM EDT
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(Cross-posted from Arblogger) (Normally, I might not post this, but am just trying to reiterate and/or riff on a point Jon Koller made on a previous post of mine, i.e., the
1) Stadium luxury box issue may be key to winning the
2) UM Regents' race, where Kathy White and Julia Darlow want to beat
3) Repub, David Brandon, who is
4) Dick DeVos' campaign manager. Can Brandon handle his own campaign, DeVos' campaign, and pepperoni/pineapple Domino's pizza all at once? Brandon may run "Domino's", but he may end up being knocked down in the November election like a *domino* himself if his opponents campaign aggressively...(heh) Thank you for this space!)
- - - - - - Tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the Michigan Union, room 2105-B (I hear), John Latus and the Save the Big House group will be having a press conference/rally in service of saving Michigan Stadium from costly, unnecessary, and tradition-destroying luxury boxes. Hope to see you all there. "Go Blue!!"
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Sun Aug 27, 2006 at 15:18:26 PM EDT
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Nominated by the 2006 Democratic State Convention
Campaign website
Biography:
My priorities are:
· Affirmative Action - to ensure diversity and equal opportunity
· Affordable Undergraduate Education - to enable students to reach their full potential
· Economic
Development - to leverage the Univerisity of Michigan's cutting edge
research programs and world class health care system to create good,
secure jobs
Justice System
· First woman President of the State Bar of Michigan
(1986-1987). My agenda focused on improving diversity and eliminating
bias in the legal profession and the judiciary; reform of guardianship
laws; legal services for seniors; mandatory continuing education for
lawyers; and alternative dispute resolution.
· Merit Selection Committees for Federal Judges for
Eastern District of Michigan Federal Court (1978-1979), appointed by
Senator Donald J. Riegle, Jr. Our committee recommendations led to an
historic increase in African Americans and women on the Court.
(More below the fold...)
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Sun Aug 27, 2006 at 15:11:17 PM EDT
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Nominated by the 2006 Democratic State Convention, 8/27/06
Campaign Website
Biography:
Regent White, a Democrat from Ann Arbor, received a B.S.E. degree from Princeton University in 1988, a J.D. degree from the University of Washington in 1991, and a LL.M. degree from the George Washington University National Law Center in 1996. From 1995-1996, she was a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Randall R. Rader, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. From 2000-2002, she was appointed by the Secretary of Commerce to serve on the United States Patent and Trademark Office Patent Public Advisory Committee. She is currently a law professor at the Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. She also serves as a Major in the U.S. Army reserves.
She is currently assigned to the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School (JAG) at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. In addition, she is a Fulbright Senior Scholar, a White House Fellow 2001-2002, and a registered patent attorney.
She was elected to the Board of Regents in 1998.
(Source: official U-M website)
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Thu Aug 24, 2006 at 21:29:35 PM EDT
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(Attorney General might not be the only contested race at this weekend's state convention. Right now, four candidates are seeking the nomination for two spots on the University of Michigan Board of Regents. - promoted by Hy Dudgeon)
The shocker title is actually to note that I care, though the race has gotten about zero publicity.
None of the 4 Democratic candidates running for U. of Michigan Board of Regents may be terrible, though incumbent Dem regent Kathy White, see http://www.friendsof... , deserves a call-out for the most content-free campaign website I have ever seen. (Not to mention that it starts "State of Michigan is transforming from a traditional manufacturing economy to a knowledge-based economy", leaving out the beginning "The"; so much for education...)
But see the site for yourself, it says virtually nothing, not even about her own support for affirmative action. Ouch. Some issues I would like to see some of the 4 Dem candidates I know of (Julia Darlow, Denise Ilitch, Casandra Ulbrich, Kathy White, in alphabetical order) focus on, besides the obvious one of affirmative action, are that
1) UM-Ann Arbor has not been audited by the state auditor general in 22 years or so, I hear. This is an atrocity, and anyone mentioning that she believes UM should be audited, could look like a friend of transparency and a fiscal hawk, all of which is good. (Not to mention the obscene executive compensation at UM, e.g., the 41% salary increase given to UM CFO Timothy Slottow. With the state in the shape it's in, that's not right.)
2) One sticking point at the UM Regents' meetings (which I attend frequently) is that transgender activists keep asking for full transgender rights, and the Regents just ignore it. Well, interracial marriage was once considered politically risky too, but it's good to put principle above what cowards and bigots might think.
A progressive stance on this issue might help a UM Regent candidate to put herself ahead of primary competitors. As for the broader impact of the race: any Dem candidate will also have to defeat current UM Regent David "Domino's" Brandon, who's running for re-election. This is not likely to be easy. He is famous ("The Apprentice"), very wealthy, and even a football player (heh)! How can one beat him, given his advantages?
One way is to run on some of the issues I mentioned above. If he can be made to look like an unaccountable, wealthy bully (and homophobe? he not only hasn't supported full transgender rights, doesn't Domino's also deny same-sex benefits to workers?), all his chumming with Donald Trump on TV may not save him at all.
I also note that Brandon styles himself as Dick DeVos' campaign manager, so keeping him very busy may cause him to be less effective as Tricky Dick's campaign man, of course! He may even lose his OWN race if he has to work too hard for DeVos! (Just like in chess, where someone may have to lose either one rook or the other if the opponent's queen is in a good position to take both...)
Therefore, the Dem UM Regent candidates could have a crucial role to play in the Dem campaign as a whole, not just their own Regent race. Interesting? Well, I thought someone should focus on this race a little. Hope to hear comments...
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