The United States general election is right around the corner. Every state in this country will be holding an election of some sort; thirty-six gubernatorial seats, thirty-four senate seats, and every single seat in the U.S House of Representatives will be up for election on November 2, not to mention countless state and local congressional, executive, and judicial races.

In Michigan, and in the city of Dearborn, many of these elections will be fresh match-ups: due to term limit legislation, Governor Granholm, among others, cannot run for another term. The same goes for Representative Gino Polidori, who represents the 15th district. Along with that, there will be a very special initiative on the ballot, one that only occurs every sixteen years; one that literally affects the constitution of our state.

The Governor's Race

The race on everyone's mind in the state of Michigan is for the title of Governor. Michigan is currently plagued by multiple problems, namely a lack of jobs, a floundering automotive sector, and an educational system in need of repair. Going into November, five people will be battling it out to see who gets to attempt to fix our state.

One of the contenders in this race is the sitting mayor of Lansing, the Democratic candidate for Governor, Virg Bernero. Known as the “Angry Mayor” for his aggressive defense of the auto companies during the Big Three bailout debate last year, Bernero's passion has been a major contributor to his popularity. His catchphrase of the race has been “if you want to see what someone's going to do, look at what they've already done,” touting Lansing's balanced and reduced budget, as well as the creation of the Ingham Health Plan that covers those without health insurance; as governor, he intends to fight for fair trade, standing in opposition with the free trade he believes has resulted in the loss of jobs, money, and people from Michigan.

Quite the contrary, businessman Rick Snyder has given himself a much different image from not only his opponent, but others of both parties throughout the country. Touting himself as a “One Tough Nerd,” the former president and COO of Gateway, Snyder is running as a Republican moderate, a position that has proven effective; allowing him to defeat conservative favorites for governor, Representative Pete Hoekstra and Attorney General Mike Cox. If elected, Snyder intends to scrap the Michigan Business Tax, funding programs for transportation and infrastructure, as well as cut programs he considers wasteful; one of the most publicized cuts being tax incentives for companies in the film industry to make movies in Michigan. Both Snyder and Bernero have talked about many of these issues on HFCC's own public affairs radio program, The New WHFR Journal, hosted by Jay Korinek, with contribution from Dennis Rymarz and Amy Powers of the Mirror News.

There are also several high profile third party candidates. Libertarian candidate Kenneth Proctor, a Vietnam War veteran, is quite familiar with the public political scene, having run in 1996 for the US Senate against Democrat Carl Levin, and in 2002 against Republican Nick Smith for the House. Proctor has also been an outspoken opponent of the Iraq war, contrary to both of his opponents, including Republican incumbent Smith. Proctor promises to repeal the Michigan Business Tax, cut state spending, along with tax incentives for companies to do business in Michigan, and to usher in a state Fair Tax, a move that has been endorsed both statewide and across the nation by republicans and libertarians.

There is also Harvey Mikkelson, the Green Party candidate for governor; Mikkelson was a guest on The New WHFR Journal, as well. The Green Party candidate intends to keep businesses in the cities and tackle environmental concerns, telling Korinek that “we need to bring the green back into the Green Party,” referring to energy conservation and green jobs being put on the back-burner in favor of front page issues, like the wars overseas. He also shares Bernero's concern regarding education, as well as a single payer stance on healthcare, a stance consistent with many Green party members.

One of the unique things about this year’s races is the presence of a third party that is not as much new as it has been given new life. This is the U.S. Taxpayer's Party, partly fueled by the Tea Party Movement that has grown to national prominence. Many Taxpayer Party members are on the ballot this year, including relative newcomer Stacey L. Mathia. Little is known about Mathia outside of her hometown of Alpena, where she held a position on the Village Council, as well as being a part of the Fife Lake Planning Commission as secretary and president.

Polidori's Seat

The two major candidates for representative this year are Democrat George Darany and Republican Susan Sareini. Both names should sound familiar; both have been members of Dearborn City Council, Darany for the past three years and Sareini for 20 years. Darany is the founder of the Classic Trolley Company, as well as a former realtor for RE/MAX. If elected, he intends to focus on education, moving the deadline for budget completion to July. He will also cut lifetime health coverage for future lawmakers in the state of Michigan, and protect public safety and law enforcement jobs.

Sareini was also a board member for the ATA Ford Partnership, best known as FordPAS, under the Business and Education Advisory Council, and served on the ACCESS Board for Domestic Violence. Her issues cover a somewhat broad spectrum, but are clear: cutting taxes for businesses, education reform, and job creation. There is also Daryl Smith, a former reserve sheriff's deputy for Wayne County, as well as fellow Taxpayer's Party candidate, along with Mathia. Much like Mathia, Smith is quite new to the political scene, with most of his issues being outlined on his website—so far he has had little interaction with the media.

Ballot Initiatives

There will also be two ballot proposals up for consideration. The major one is Proposal 1, an automatic ballot referral activated every 16 years that calls for a constitutional convention in the state of Michigan. The convention is called to decide what changes to make to the state constitution, something that has only been done six times since Michigan became a state, the last time being 48 years ago in 1962.

Proposal 2 would bar anyone convicted of a felony that breaches public trust, namely fraud, from holding or running for public office for 20 years. The bill has garnered support from many still reeling from the many political scandals that have taken place in Michigan or nearby, namely the corruption under the Kilpatrick administration. Kwame Kilpatrick, the former Mayor of Detroit, is currently serving time for eight felony counts, including fraud and perjury.

Closing Thoughts

But all of this information, as thorough as it is, means nothing if you don't vote. Regardless of party or purpose—whether it's jobs, law enforcement, or the environment—your vote counts. This year we elect Michigan's chief executive for the next four years and Dearborn's representative to the Michigan House for the next two years. We will also be deciding whether or not to change the constitution of this state, a decision that only comes once every 16 years. So make your voice heard!

Vote November 2nd!