Feb 5, 2007

Republicans try and do away with nonpartisan races

Last spring we saw the Livingston County Republican Party make a mockery of the nonpartisan school board races by endorsing candidates, and this spring they are taking the next step in their unmitigated power grab by recruiting and training candidates for school board races.

For the first time ever in Livingston County last spring the county GOP Executive Committee endorsed two members of that committee for the Howell School Board, and as a consequence of that unprecedented move we were stuck with current board member Wendy Day and the negative statewide and national PR as closed-mined book burners.

A friend of mine who is not happy with the direction his party is taking - and there are a lot of those in the county – forwarded me an e-mail from new Chair Allan Filip to all Republicans in the county urging them to run for school board.

However, it took that a step further and offered candidate training and its membership as campaign volunteers.

Miles Vieau (Treasurer of the Brighton School Board and a member of the GOP executive committee) and his team will help you with your campaigns by providing you with packets on “All the In’s and Out’s of running for School Board.” Miles and his team will also provide an overview of School Funding in Michigan, followed by questions and answers.
The Republican Party has many concerned volunteers who may be willing to volunteer for your campaign should you be interested in running for the school board. People interested should contact Miles at; kmvieau@comcast.net Thank you in advance for your interest.


The GOP in this county holds almost every partisan seat, including the Congressional seat, the state Senate seat, both state House seats all nine County Commission seats and control of all the township boards in the county, but apparently that’s not enough.

In the past, Democrats were allowed to serve the community by running for and serving on the two nonpartisan city councils and five school boards in the county because candidates were elected based on their character, qualifications, resume and community involvement and not the R after their name.

Spurred by their 50 percent success rate in the school board race they endorsed in, the Republicans tried to also make a mockery of the nonpartisan judicial races by endorsing one of their own executive committee members for District Judge. They tried to base their unprecedented endorsements for all the nonpartisan judicial races on a disgusting questioner to all candidates. These are some of the questions on it:

How much money have you donated to the Livingston County Republican events and committees in the following calendar years? What is your party affiliation? What does it mean to be a Republican? Do you personally agree with the following Republican values?

They only backed off after they were exposed by the local newspaper, the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus. Instead they announced that nine judicial candidates have "core values" consistent with the party, but stopped short of issuing an endorsement.

We need independents, progressives and liberals to run for school board to combat this naked power grab. Nominating petitions and affidavits for anyone 18 or older wishing to run for a four-year term are available at their county clerk’s office, municipal clerk’s office or school board office. The filing deadline for local, nonpartisan school board elections in May is 4 p.m. Feb. 13.
Pinckney Community Schools has three seats up for election, Brighton Area Schools has two seats – including Mr. Vieau’s seat, Howell Public Schools has two, Fowlerville Community Schools has two seats and Hartland Consolidated Schools has one seat.

2 comments:

Dan said...

We finally got sick and tired of the democrats (under the name MEA), the old boys club, and their lobbyists controlling the schools. We as a party woke up in 2005 after that push for the enhancement millage. Our party joined the concerned taxpayers group in opposing that sham.
The old boys club lost, and you people don't like it. Tough luck.

Communications guru said...

“Old Boy’s Club.” Are you serious, dan? The party that controls all of the board’s in the county is accusing Democrats of having an “old boy’s club?” That is perhaps the stupidest thing you have ever said, and you have said plenty of stupid things in the past.

Have you ever cared for the welfare of anyone else but yourself or contributed to something that benefits someone or something besides you? Do you know what it means to be part of a community? You are just sad.