Bloggin’ on the Edge

Posted by Scott Spielman at 3:00 AM | Comments

It’s hard to put much stock into a mailing sent out recently by the Wayne 11th Congressional District Republican Committee.

This piece of campaign literature weighs in—sort of—on school board races in Plymouth-Canton, Northville and Schoolcraft Community College.

It talks about partisan ambition and warns voters about the Democratic Party and union-endorsed candidates who are using the school election as a platform to seek higher office. It cites Kurt Heise in Plymouth-Canton, Carol Grimmer in Northville and James Fausone, Mary Breen and Brian Borderick as candidates who will make responsible choices—placing the welfare of our children before this so-called partisan ambition and union pressure.

Well, there are a few mixed messages here, and some hidden political undercurrents, too.

It’s strange to me that a Republican organization would want to weigh in on school board races—which are essentially non-partisan—and then warn voters about partisan ambition.

It also seems strange that the group would endorse in these races without talking to every candidate. I know they didn’t do that—I’ve talked to candidates who weren’t called or interviewed and they said they didn’t even know such an endorsement was available.

Perhaps that is just a result of them not doing their homework, or of being politically naïve enough to think that Republicans won’t be plotting their next moves when state offices come up in a few years.

I talked to members of the Wayne 11th Congressional District Republican Committee, too, to see how they picked their candidates. They were a little vague on that, mentioning a committee that interviewed perspective endorsees. The candidates have to initiate the contact, though, according to what they said. The questions they then ask must not be too in depth, either.
You have to wonder what the real purpose behind the mailing is. To me it sounded like something designed to take a few subtle swipes at Mark Slavens, an incumbent seeking re-election in the Plymouth-Canton school board race. Slavens has sought state office before—last year he ran against State Sen. Bruce Patterson (R-Canton). Even so, he’s quoted in our interview—and in other news outlets—as saying he’s not using the school board as a stepping stone. OK, sure.

The mailing mentioned other candidates in other races to give it a wider illusion of legitimacy.

Well, if that was their strategy, it didn’t work because Slavens was appointed judge on Monday.

There are lessons for everyone here. Voters should pay as much attention to the letterhead campaign literature appears on and candidates—even for something as relatively low key as a school board seat—shouldn’t be surprised by underhanded tactics.

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