ROMULUS – Knocking on doors in near 90 degree weather for almost five hours is not my idea of a fun way to spend a day off, but keeping a Democratic majority in the Michigan House of Representatives and putting the best Democrat there is worth it.
I walked for Jill Brandana , one of the Democratic candidates for the open seat in the 22nd District that represents the Downriver cites of Romolus and Taylor. She is a solid Democrat who will represent the district well.
She holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Michigan, and she is currently serving as the Chairwoman Pro-Tem of the Taylor City Council. She is running against fellow Taylor City Councilman Doug Geiss for the Democratic nomination. Now, Geiss seems to have all of the qualifications for the job, but I believe Brandana is the best candidate. A recent statement he made regarding the controversial new runway proposed for Detroit Metropolitan Airport makes my decision easier.
It’s obviously a hot issue for Romulus residents, as well as Taylor residents, but a master improvement plan that includes a 10,000-foot landing strip will displace business, schools and up to 800 homes in Romulus.
There have been numerous town hall meetings on the issue, and at a meeting in Romulus on March 3, in response to a question from a Romulus on whether Taylor would provide financial help to fight the expansion, Geiss said yes, to loud applause from the crowd.
Just a month later at a Taylor City Council meeting, a resident objected to Taylor tax dollars being spent in Romulus, and Geiss said that would not happen and then said that he never made the remark on March 3.
The Brandana campaign has put an excellent ad together on it that can be seen on Youtube. Some might call this a negative ad, but I find it hard to call pointing out someone’s own inconstancies to them a negative ad. Now, if you were to compare Geiss to Brittany Spears or Paris Hilton, that’s another story.
Vote for Jill Brandana on Tuesday and in November.
24 comments:
I love blondes, even liberal blondes. Especially if they aren't as smart as Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears. There's always hope for liberals though. Someday, they may be as smart as Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton. It's not a high bar to aspire to achieve.
Brett
conservativelifestyle.blogspot.com
I happen to think Michigan’s colleges and universities are among the best in the country. The University of Michigan is internationally renowned for its academics. In fact, the National Research Council ranked Michigan third in the United States in a study that aggregated evaluations of 41 graduate disciplines. It is considered as one of the original eight Public Ivy League schools. Jill Brandana holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan. For all of their money, neither of the right's favorite celebrities could even get admitted to Michigan.
It's never a negative ad when you're the one supporting/running it.
Welcome and thanks for commenting. That may be true, but I have less problem with it when it’s true.
What a Joke! Of course this is a negative attack ad - and it's blatantly untrue.
Geiss told the residents of Romulus the truth - Taylor would assist in stopping the unneccessary airport expansion. And guess what - Taylor, Romulus and its consortium partners Inkster, Dearborn and Dearborn Heights pooled resources to stop the expansion. Moreover the expansion clearly impacts TAYLOR residents too! What Taylor can't do is send its tax dollars to Romulus - what it can do and did is spend its money in a cooperative effort with other cities to keep airport traffic from over our heads.
Also Geiss is the candidate who holds bachelor's and master's degrees from THE University of Michigan - in ANN ARBOR!
Gee, the writer of this blog must have been "mistaken" again. Geiss was not only valedictoria, but got a degree in engineering from the University of Michigan but also a Bachelors degree in Business Administration.
The writer certainly must not have meant to LIE when he said that Geiss couldn't even get admitted to Michigan.
Brett
conservativelifestyle.blogspot.com
Sorry, you are again so quick to jump on me you forgot what you wrote. He said Jill Brandana was not as smart as Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears, and I replied Ms. Brandana’s educational qualifications make your attempted insult ridiculous. No one said anything about Mr. Geiss.
Thank you for your input, TruthinPolitics, but I must disagree. What is untrue about it?
The question from a Romulus resident on March 3 was would Taylor help with money. Mr. Geiss’s response was yes. When asked about that statement by a Taylor resident he denied making it, and he told him he didn’t care if he had it on tape. That seems pretty clear to me that he was less than truthful. I’m not sure what resources the municipalities are pooling. Also, Jill Brandana is part of that effort to stop the expansion, but she never made a promise she knows she can’t keep.
Ms. Brandana also holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan like Mr. Geiss. The simple fact is Mr. Geiss is an excellent candidate, but he’s not the best candidate. Jill Brandana is. Once in Lansing, she will not make promises she knows she cannot keep just to be popular.
From your post at 2:11 pm:
"For all of their money, neither of the right's favorite celebrities could even get admitted to Michigan."
2:11 PM
No one said anything about Mr. Geiss? Just another "mistake"?
Brett
conservativelifestyle.blogspot.com
The right's favorite celebrities are, apparently, Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton. No one said anything about Mr. Geiss’s educational qualifications or his intelligence. No mistake on my part. He’s an excellent candidate. Not as good as Jill Brandana, but much better than Don Lingerfelt and Darrell McNeill.
Ok, then for the first time, I do owe you an apology. Although Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears are not the right's favorite celebrities.
Appaently, you miss the point behind using Spears and Hilton.
Brett
conservativelifestyle.blogspot.com
Thank you. However, I didn’t miss the point of the ad.
Here's what is untrue about it --
Point 1:
When asked whether Taylor would help monetarily - he said yes.
Truth:
Did Taylor help monetarily - yes! It pooled its resources (i.e. tax dollars - there are no other) with Inkster, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Romulus to lay out logical arguments why the Authority's plan no sense.
Point 2:
When Geiss was questioned about spending Taylor tax dollars in Romulus - he said no.
Truth:
Did Taylor use or spend tax dollars in Romulus? NO!
Taylor used its money to protect its residents that live directly east and southeast of the Airport. Did it help Romulus? Of course it did.
The problem with the video is that it doesn't cover what was actually said and takes Geiss' comment out of context. Geiss didn't deny making the comment - he said that the words the resident was portraying were not accurate.
Point 3 -
Geiss has been leading the charge to stop the unnecessary expansion - where has Brandana been? NO WHERE.
She hasn't participated in any of the discussions.
Moreover she hasn't done anything on the City Council. SHE HAS NOT PROPOSED ONE RESOLUTION OR ORDINANCE IN THE THREE YEARS SHE HAS BEEN ON THERE!
On the other hand, it was Geiss who lead the charge to get Cable Meetings telecasted (over Brandana's objection), an Ethics Ordinance passed (Geiss drafted the ordinance and it took him 7 years to get it passed - once again over Brandana's objection (voting yes after it is a foregone conclusion is not leadership) and a Living Wage Ordinance passed (once again Geiss drafted it).
Finally, you keep bringing up the point that Brandana has two degrees from U of M. You (like her) conveniently fail to mention that these degrees are from U of M - Dearborn. Although Dearborn is a fine institution the post you made about how great U of M is, is based on its elite institution in Ann Arbor. That's where Geiss went. It took Brandana 20 years to get an associate's degree from Henry Ford and five more years to get a bachelor's from Dearborn.
Does Brandana use her degrees? No. She is a legal secretary for the Fieger firm. I give credit to Geiss since he has not stooped to negative campaigning like Brandana. He could have pointed out that BRANDANA signed an immunity from prosecution agreement with the US Dept. of Justice since she was caught being reimbursed by Fieger and his firm for contributions she made to the John Edwards for President campaign in 2004.
Although I completely agree with you that Geiss is a well qualified candidate, I don't think Brandana is at all. She most certainly is not the best candidate. Here's her resume:
1981 - graduates from high school.
1981 - 2008 - works as a legal secretary.
2001 - obtains associates degree from Henry Ford Comm. College.
2003- runs for Taylor School Board - loses.
2005 - runs for Taylor School Board - loses.
2005 - bachelor’s degree from Dearborn
2006 - master's in public administration from Dearborn
In comparison-
1988 - Geiss valedictorian of his high school class.
1993 - bachelor’s degree in ENGINEERING from one of the best engineering schools in the country.
1992- 93 - part of the U of M Solar Car Team (green technology!)
1993 - hired by Ford Motor
1993 - 1998 - rises up quickly into management at Ford (six sigma expert, leads capacity planning for BILLIONS of dollars in products)
2001 - gets his MBA in Ann Arbor.
2001 - elected to Taylor City Council. Shows his intelligence and independence by stopping illegal and out-of-control spending.
2005 - re-elected (TOP VOTE GETTER BY NEARLY 1000 VOTES)
Enough said!
That’s playing word games and spin. He told a Romulus resident he would spend Taylor tax dollars in Romulus. A few weeks later, he told a Taylor resident he would not spend Taylor tax dollars in Romulus. When pressed on it, he stuck to it. He was offered a chance to come clean because he was told it was on tape. I don’t know how you can spin it any other way than he was less than truthful. There is nothing taken out of context because he refused to let the guy in the video say any more. It’s pretty cut and dry.
Brandana had been involved in the airport process, despite attempts to keep her out of the process by the mayor in favor of his hand-picked candidate. As for resolutions she introduced, all I have is your campaign’s word on that, and after the video, I am a little skeptical.
I don’t know what campus she got her degrees from, and I don’t think it even matters,. The only reason I brought it up is because a rightwing tool was comparing her to two celebatarts because they are all three blond. I personally do not care if it took her a 100 years to get a degree. I didn’t go to college until I was in my 30’s because I was working and deployed right out of high school. I don’t consider pointing out your inconstancies “going negative.” I don’t want someone in Lansing that will tell people what they want to hear. If that scenarios plays out in Lansing, he will tell, for example, the environmentalists he will support their bill, then tell the business lobby he will oppose it.
Talk about negative, what do you call the Fieger stuff? A very high profile Democrat is singled out by a very politicized U.S. Justice Department. This is the very same Justice Department that fired U.S. attorneys for not going after Democrats. Bush has used the Justice Department like Nixon used the IRS. Then, Fieger was acquitted. So why would this reflect negatively on Brandana?
I think their resumes are comparable. I think you should also remember this is a Democratic primary, and if you look at her endorsements, its clear Brandana is the best Democrat, hence the best candidate, in the race.
Who's campaign are you working on?
You clearly know a lot about Brandana allegedly being blocked out by the mayor - you can't block out someone who doesn't have the ability to work at this level.
Word games and spin? Did you attend the meeting in Romulus? Did you attend the council meeting in Taylor? I thought so.
HE NEVER SAID THAT HE WOULD SPEND TAYLOR TAX DOLLARS IN ROMULUS. He said that Taylor would help monetarily! Read the State Constitution - Taylor can't spend its money "IN" Romulus - it can spend it to defend the interests of Taylor residents - which are the common interests of Romulus.
Of course this whole commercial is word games and spin. That's why it is a one minute commerical - truth be damn.
Of course you don't know where she got her degrees from because she wants to try and cancel out clearly someone who has not only a better education but someone who has common sense and a work record to boot.
I don't want someone (like Brandana) who will be a puppet for special interst groups (like the police, fire, business groups, etc.). That's what you will get from her. There is nothing in her record that would indicate that she knows tax policy, manufacturing issues, criminal justice, etc., etc.
As for your claim about talking negative - THE FACT is that she signed an immunity from prosecution agreement. Why? Because the law is clear that you cannot be a "straw" contributor. Yes, Fieger was "acquitted" but that was based on a strained view that he didn't "knowingly" violate the law. Just this week the US Dept. of Justice filed a lawsuit against a Republican in Calfornia for the same offense.
As for the resumes - I see you have no defense since you couldn't counter any of my points. As for endorsements - so what? He has the endorsement of the 15th District Democrats, SEIU Local 26M, Operating Engineers Local 324, Letter Carriers, etc. I think these are all progrssive, Democratic leaning organizations. She has others.
As for who is the best Democrat - that's not based on who has the most endorsements, it should be based on a candidate's positions on the issues and their track record. Does Brandana's commercial help you make this decision? I don't it - since it doesn't contain anything of substance other than she is the candidate of "Real Change" whatever that means.
If you read the original post you would know I’m volunteering for Jill Brandana. Please tell me how you can spin his, or your own, words? He, or you, told one person one thing and told another person the exact opposite. I don’t need to attend the Taylor or Romulus meetings. It’s right there for all to see.
The woman said you, Taylor City Council, passed a resolution in opposition to the expansion, but will you help us with money, meaning the City of Taylor? His answer was yes. A few weeks later we was asked about that response, and he denied it. The fact is your spending tax dollars to effect change in Romulus. I don’t believe the airport expansion will ever be in front of the Taylor Planning Commission or City Council. What you are doing is called spin.
She got her degrees from the University of Michigan. The same puppet remark can be made in regard to Ms. Brandana’s opponent, but I don’t believe it applies to either candidate. I would not consider public safety a special interest group. There also nothing in Ms. Brandana’s opponents record that would indicate that he knows tax policy, manufacturing issues, criminal justice, etc.
There is nothing there in regard to the Feigfer case. I don’t need to counter any of your “resume points.” Ms. Brandana is just as qualified as her opponent, if not more. Mr. Geiss is a good candidate, but he is the second best. If Ms. Brandana does not win the nomination I would gladly support him, but again, he’s the second best candidate. I originally supported John Edwards for the presidential nomination, but after he dropped out I was a Barack Obama supporter. I see this as no different.
She has the endorsement of the Michigan Education Association (MEA), AFCSME Council 25, Detroit Metropolitan AFL-CIO, Michigan AFL-CIO, Police Officers Association of Michigan15th District Democrats and many more. I think these are all progressive, Democratic leaning organizations as well. Endorsements do matter, especially in a primary where the candidate’s positions are not all that different. In a close race with quality candidates everything matters.
I had already made up my mind well before the commercial, but this makes me much more confident of my decision. There is plenty of substance in such a short commercial.
But who are you really working for?
You live in Howell. I live in Taylor. This is my community and I care about who represents me. This district will be a Democratic district no matter who wins but I don't want someone representing me who has done nothing in her life.
Are you saying Taylor doesn't have any interest in what happens at the airport?
All of the groups you mentioned are special interests groups - so are the police unions, fire unions, realtors,right to life, etc. Why do you think the police and fire unions are supporting Brandana? Do you think it's because of her "position" on issues? Or would you rather have someone with character, someone who has a clear record fighting for the people? I know who I am voting for on Tuesday. Hopefully you'll be voting for a Democrat to represent Howell for a change.
This is a negative ad.
Its clever, because it "shows the events"
I have seen the tape of that city council meeting. The reason Mr. Geiss is so dismissive is because, as he tells the citizen, politics should not be dragged into the council chambers. He then offers to speak with the man after the meeting in private about the issue.
I was at that meeting in Romulus. The woman asked if Taylor would help monetarily, and Geiss said yes. When he said yes, I didn't think they would be sending us a check. I figured they they would pool resources, representing SEVERAL downriver cities, and hopefully splitting the cost of that big shot lawyer Romulus hired. The point is that this is cheap, and WILL NOT change the fact that Mr. Geiss will do a better job in Lansing than Ms. Brandana. No one is pure, we all have little faults, Brandana included. I want someone with plans.
Upping the dropout age to 18, supporting the 21st century jobs fund, these are SPECIFIC plans that Geiss has said he is in support of.
Thats a lot better than saying "Jobs and education are important" which is what I believe all Brandana has said...
It’s irrelevant who I work for. I have volunteered for candidates all over southeast Michigan. In this cycle, I have volunteered, so far, for Jill Brandana, Kathy Angerer, Martha Scott , Bob Alexander, Mark Schauer and Barack Obama.
I work in Lansing and care about my state, and I want the best House Democratic Caucus possible. I don’t want someone who will tell one group one thing to curry favor and tell another group something different in the caucus. To say Brandana “has done nothing in her life” is untrue and certainly not supported by the facts.
No, I’m not saying Taylor doesn’t have an interest in the airport. But so does all of southeast and central Michigan , but not nearly as much as to Romulus residents.
And all of the groups you mentioned are special interest groups. Why do you think the 15th District Democrats, SEIU Local 26M, Operating Engineers Local 324, Letter Carriers, etc. are supporting you or your candidate? The truth is, yes it’s because of the issues, but some issues are more important to labor than to, say, the chamber of commerce. Those are issues Democrats share.
I didn’t see much character in that video. I’m a Democrat, why would I vote for a Republican, no matter where I live or work? I will volunteer where I can effect change.
I’ll concede it was negative and clever like you say, but it is also factual and true. To say politics should not be “dragged into the council chambers” at a meeting of elected officials makes no sense. A citizen asked a question, and your candidate answers it but not to the citizen’s satisfaction. He told people in Romulus the City of Taylor would help them with money. First, he doesn’t speak for the City of Taylor. If your spin is true, then why didn’t he explain what he meant in Romulus? The fact is he was campaigning in Romulus.
I agree with you that no one is perfect and has faults, but basic honesty is a minimum qualification for the job in Lansing. Brandana has specific plans, such as investing in early childhood education. The bill that increases the dropout age to 18 was introduced by Democrats way back when the session opened in January 2006 in both the House and Senate, and both are stuck in the respective Education Committees. Brandana recognizes the importance of investing in education at an early age when it counts most.
The bottom line is both are good candidates. You support who you think is best, and I will support who I think is best.
Guru-
You say that you want someone who tells the truth to represent you in the Mi House...
Please tell me then, why are you volunteering for Brandana, when she won't tell the constituents of the 22nd district where she stands on REAL issues?
Having actual knowledge of the district, Brandana is NOT the best candidate for the 22nd.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. She has been clear on the issues.
Awwww. 86 more votes and she could have had a great 6 years in the HOB. too bad! It seems that 'a woman has never had this seat' isn't enough of a campaign platform to win... hmmm WHY does that sound so familiar??
I had no idea gender was an issue in the campaign. The important thing is we have a Democrat in the seat to maintain our control of the House, and that will happen. I have no idea why that sounds familiar.
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