Terri Lynn Land Also Talks to Forum
State House and County Commission Hopefuls
Address 2006 Eastside GOP Candidates' Forum
“You are the customer and we work for you!” said Terri Lynn Land, Michigan Secretary of State, paying an impromptu visit to the Eastside Republican Club Forum, September 19, 2006.
The event, designed to provide an opportunity for voters to hear from several local candidates, was held at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial.
After being introduced by Club chairman, Marti Miller, Land briefly explained the increased efficiency of the Michigan Secretary of State operation. She said that her office processes 20 million transactions annually; 10 million of them are for one item, license plate tabs.
Land said that by offering citizens more choices, many bottlenecks have been eliminated and customer wait times reduced. Among efficiency innovations she cited were new ATM-style equipment to dispense license tabs at many Secretary of State branches, plus extended and Saturday office hours.
She also reported on the introduction of the optical scan system being implemented at polling places around the State. Land said that it not only leaves a paper trail for audit purposes, but also operates at a lower cost than the former system.
Mercier-County Commission, District 1
Daniel Mercier of Grosse Pointe Woods, candidate for the Wayne County Commission, District 1, outlined his qualifications and his passion for improving representation for Wayne County's eastside taxpayers.
Mercier said, “First, I want to work toward forming a smaller but more efficient Wayne County Government.” He said, “We in District 1 need a much better return on our Wayne County tax dollar.”
While serving as a consultant to the Wayne County Commission, he assisted in the identifying the best proposal for providing passenger rail service between the Detroit and the Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Mercier pledges, “As a commissioner I will work hard to make this passenger rail service a reality.”
He also served as constituent service representative at the Office of the Wayne County C.E.O.
Ed Gaffney-State Representative, District 1
“I'm pro-life, pro-second amendment, and in favor of local control and low taxes,” said Representative Ed Gaffney, proclaiming his stand on the key issues as he seeks a third term as State Representative, District 1.
He said, “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of the Grosse Pointes, Harper Woods, and 25,000 people in Detroit.”
He said that his support for residents of the City of Detroit was demonstrated by his sponsorship of a bill that lowered property taxes in 22 Detroit neighborhoods.
On an environmental issue, Gaffney said he intends to “make sure Lake St. Clair is clean, because it's a natural resource.” Six million people get drinking water from lake, he said.
He reminded the audience that he “took on the MEA,” by sponsoring the bill requiring public schools to delay opening their new school year until after the Labor Day holiday.
Gaffney pledged that his first order of business in the next session would be to mitigate effects of the “pop-up” real estate tax. He explained that when a homeowner tries to sell his house, he finds potential buyers faced with a big property tax increase.
This stymies real estate transactions, he said, especially for those who would like to downsize, but find they must pay higher taxes on a smaller home. Gaffney is proposing a 10% limit on the tax increase to remove one impediment to home sales.
Gaffney also announced the opening of his Eastside Campaign Office, located at 18495 Mack Ave., Detroit (corner of Opal/Cloverly).
Edith L. Floyd-State Representative, District 2
“My concern is for the children,” said Edith L. Floyd, campaigning for State Representative, District 2.
She proclaimed her support for educational accountability reform as necessary to close the achievement gap.
Floyd explained that the No Child Left Behind initiative provides qualified students with two hours of free remedial tutoring either at school or at their home each week.
Shirley Lamar-State Representative, District 3
Campaigning for State Representative, District 3, Shirley Lamar decried the deterioration of City recreational facilities, especially the parks.
Endorsed by both the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, Lamar, who lives in Detroit, announced that her platform was based on supporting economic growth in District 2. She is assistant controller of the City of Grosse Pointe Farms where she's worked for 26 years.
The Eastside Republican Club Forum is held on the third Tuesday of the month from September through June. Admission is free and the public is always welcome. For more information, contact us.
