Friday, May 9, 2008

State GOP Puts the 'Partisan' into 'Non-Partisan' School Board Race

School board races in Michigan are supposed to be non-partisan -- and for good reason. Michigan residents think the education of their children should not be subject to political machinations.

But the Michigan Republican Party is bragging about undermining that tradition in last week's Brighton school board election, in which Cheryl Leach and Jonathan Krause, who ran as team, defeated Winnie Garrett for the two open seats on the board.

In his regular email message (forwarded to me by a friend who doesn't wish to be named, for obvious reasons), Michigan Republican Party Chair Saul Anuzis brags:

"LIVINGSTON COUNTY GOP WIN SCHOOL BOARD RACES as Republicans and taxpayers groups teamed up to challenge the MEA backed candidate for the Brighton School Board, both non-MEA, non-partisan, candidates defeated the MEA, union backed candidate. Yes they used Voter Vault walking lists!!! Congratulations."

In other words, Leach and Krause used state Republican Party resources (that's what voter vault working lists are) in a non-partisan election.

That's not illegal, since no doubt those lists are used in other non-partisan races such as judicial contests. But it is a break with the past.

For example, when Joe Carney, former chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party, ran for the school board two years ago, he received no help from the party -- state or local. He did not use party lists, but purchased his own voter list.

So the question now is, who are Leach and Krause responsible to -- local residents or the Michigan Republican Party, which helped elect them?

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