Brenda Lawrence and L. Brooks Patterson at Walsh College

Last night Brenda Lawrence and L. Brooks Patterson went at it in Troy at Walsh College.

Brenda Lawrence/L. Brooks Patterson Debate

Things got pretty heated between Brenda Lawrence and L. Brooks Patterson in their first debate. Watch for yourself.

Lawrence and Patterson duke it out

Brenda Lawrence and Brooks Patterson went at it on Monday afternoon in a debate that was only open to the media. I hope to have a DVD of the debate tomorrow.

Young, McMillin focus on fix for business tax

I had the opportunity to speak to Tom McMillin briefly at the OPC candidate luncheon last week. McMcillin is a radical on social issues like gay marriage and abortion. Those issues haven't come up in debates or articles, but there is an incident that got some attention when L. Brooks Patterson kissed McMillin mocking McMillin's extreme homphobia. When I asked McMillin about the incident, he said, "He missed." meaning Patterson missed McMillin's lips when he tried to kiss him.

Patterson sat at my table during the luncheon for a few minutes and I got to ask him about his endorsing McMilling and his reply, "He's the party candidate," meaning, I have to endorse him, we're both Republicans. Hardly a ringing endorsement. McMillin also has had trouble playing with others while on the County Commission.

House candidates focus on fix for business tax
By ANNETTE KINGSBURY • ECCENTRIC Staff Writer • October 12, 2008

This is the first in a series of stories on issues in the race to represent the 45th state House District, which includes Oakland Township, Rochester and Rochester Hills Republican Tom McMillin of Rochester Hills and Democrat Randy Young of Rochester are running for the open seat.

If there's anything the two candidates for the 45th state House District agree on, it's that the Michigan Business Tax has problems.

Republican Tom McMillin is a certified public accountant; Democrat Randy Young is a college professor and vice president of a financial services firm. Both men place criticism of the MBT front and center in their campaigns.

The unpopular MBT was enacted in 2007 in the midst of a state budget crisis to replace the unpopular Single Business Tax. A 22-percent surcharge was later added to replace a tax on services.

In a televised debate and in interviews with the Eccentric, both candidates said reforming the MBT is a top priority. McMillin says Democrats, led by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, raised taxes at the worst possible time.

"We just increased taxes last year in the midst of the worst economy," McMillin said. He wants to repeal the surcharge and cut state spending. "If we freeze spending for two years, we'd be able to roll back personal taxes."

Young says finger-pointing is counterproductive and the MBT is just too complicated.

"The starting point has to be getting everyone on board with the idea that we need a tax that is less complex," he said. "This tax was put together so quickly and with a gun to everybody's head. It's really no way to legislate, especially something this important."

SLAY SURCHARGE

Both candidates point out that the MBT, as currently written, forces businesses to pay tax on sales taxes they collect for the state, which are counted as part of their gross receipts. They agree that provision should be repealed, and the state Senate has approved a bill to do just that. The Senate has also approved a bill that would phase out the surcharge over three years. Both bills would significantly reduce state revenue.

McMillin says spending cuts can be achieved by opening up the books so the budget can truly be scrutinized.

"I think we need that in Michigan," he said. "I've always had suspicion in government, and the more light we can shine on that, the better. ... Transparency in how we spend our money is critical."

McMillin said he won't budge when it comes to raising taxes.

"He says that because he knows that's what voters want to hear," Young counters. "From a philosophical perspective, I will come short of pledging not to raise taxes. That's political pandering at its worst. ... I think it's irresponsible actually for a legislator to make that pledge." Click here for the rest of the article

Patterson's campaign finance report reveals 2 interesting items

In looking through L. Brooks Patterson's campaign finance report, I found two interesting items. One, a $12,000 payment to DC Navigators, a Washington lobbying firm, presumably a payment for the services of Trent Wisecup, who is an active lobbyist. It begs the question, why is a lobbyist running the campaign? The second entry is a donation for $25,000 from the Michigan Council of Union Carpenters. In total they have donated almost $35,000 to Patterson, almost 20% of Patterson's total raised to date. What will they want in return for such big money?

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Be Afraid, Brooks Patterson, Be Very Afraid

I just ran across this article from the Eccentric newspaper.
TOM WATKINS: Be afraid, Brooks Patterson, be very afraid
July 24, 2008

After watching the speeches of Senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain on Tuesday, June 3rd, the night Senator Obama clinched the Democratic nomination, I believe that 2008 could be one of those political tsunami years that wipes out all in its path. Republicans should be very worried at the national, state and local levels.

To juxtapose the energy, focus and desire not simply between the Democratic candidates and their Republican counterparts, but between their supporters, was like the proverbial "night and day."

Senator McCain was, well, let me be kind — dreadful — while both Clinton and Obama were inspiring and uplifting. McCain appeared to be speaking at a corpse convention as if he was afraid of waking them up! If things do not catch fire on the Republican side of the ticket given the dismal poll numbers of the President and the loss of conservative brand appeal, it could spell doom for anyone with the letter "R" after their name on the ballot.

As I watched that night I thought of a friend, the long-standing Republican, Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson, could be in what we call in political parlance "deep doo doo."

No, it is not just the Obama McCain match-up that could prove to be problematic in and of itself. What is emerging may be the perfect political storm that could knock off the Republican political icon who as been a fixture in Oakland County for over three decades.

How could Brooks be knocked off his perch? Let me count the ways:

1) The excitement Senator Obama generates could push the Democratic vote surge to its highest level in the history of Oakland County. It should be noted that Oakland County, typically Republican, has been trending Democratic in the last several presidential elections.

L. Brooks Patterson Wipes out Wireless Oakland

I knew this was going to happen. Even with the recent news that Wireless Oakland is kaput, L. Brooks Patterson still had it on his web site as his #3 accomplishment of his administration.
Today though, he's changed his web site, but Wireless Oakland is still mentioned under Topics and Programs, at least for today.
Here's how the new Accomplishments page looks. Where did Wireless Oakland go?

Why would L. Brooks Patterson Hire Trent Wisecup

We all remember Trent Wisecup from Joe Knollenberg's campaign. Guess where he landed? That's right. He's now working for L. Brooks Patterson.




Then he showed up on Keith Olbermann on MSNBC

L. Brooks Patterson claims Wireless Oakland as #3 top accomplishment

Except it looks like it's never going to happen. And guess why? Too much government involvement. I don't think I'd be listing Wireless Oakland as my No. 3 accomplishment when it has been basically a failure.

Wireless Oakland faces continued challenges

Sprint and Clearwire cooperating on national wireless project.

By Charles Crumm
Journal Register News Service

Development of Oakland County's Wireless Oakland program, already on hold from a struggling economy, now has a new challenge.

An ambitious project by Sprint and Clearwire to blanket the nation with wireless Internet access includes commitments of $3.2 billion from heavyweights like Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Google.

The goal is to have wireless access available to at least half the country by 2010, and that's a lofty goal, said Oakland County Deputy Executive Phil Bertolini, who oversees Oakland County's wireless access program.

"They have to accumulate all the frequencies and then they're going to have to build the network," Bertolini said. "I think they're talking about having the company formed by 2010. I think this is several years out."

Click here to read the rest of the article.

More on Brenda Lawrence's Announcement to Challenge Brooks Patterson

Rolling out her campaign OAKLAND COUNTY

Southfield mayor to run for executive post

BY GINA DAMRON • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • May 10, 2008

Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence officially announced Friday that she plans to run against Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson for the county's top job, saying the county needs new leadership to address issues of regionalism, foreclosures, mass transit and sprawl.

"In Oakland County, the future is now," said Lawrence, who became Southfield's first black and first female mayor when she was elected in 2001.

"Today, I'm going to ask you, Oakland County, to act. It's time to change."

Lawrence said her campaign could cost upward of $1 million.

Critics have said Lawrence will have a hard time beating Patterson, who has been county executive for 16 years, is well-known throughout the county and has been successful with economic development initiatives, including Automation Alley -- a cluster of high-tech businesses created in the 1990s in Oakland that has spread to Wayne, Macomb and other counties.

Dave Woodward, chairman of the Democratic Party in Oakland County and a county commissioner, has said that Lawrence is the strongest Democrat to ever run for county executive.

He said Oakland County needs new leaders with new ideas.

Brenda Lawrence announces challenge to Brooks Patterson

Today Brenda Lawrence will announce her candidacy for Oakland County Executive against L. Brooks Patterson. Go Brenda!

Brooks Patterson is a big bag of hot air

Brooks Patterson, being the Republican that he is, just can't help himself. All Republicans ever talk about are taxes and personal responsibility, sometimes known as pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. They have no ideas, other than cutting taxes, mostly on rich people, and mostly the richest 1% of Americans. I suppose that means, that by cutting taxes to nothing, we'd be the most prosperous country in the world. Except there's one little problem with that theory of economics, there are expenses and Republicans have been borrowing money like drunken sailors. In Brooks' case that happens to be true literally, the drunk part anyway. But I digress.

This country has a problem, but it isn't taxes. In fact, Brooks is boasting about the $1 billion in new business that has moved into Oakland county recently. And guess what, they didn't move here because of the tax environment. They moved here because of the skilled work force, which is something Governor Granholm has been saying all along, except Brooks was too busy bloviating to listen, along with all his Republican cronies.

The war in Iraq is killing this country, literally, with over 4,000 soldiers killed in Iraq and economically, with costs now estimated, with all the care required for our veterans, which is being underfunded by the Bush regime, at at least $3 trillion. Now that's a problem. And we owe a lot of that money to the Chinese government. That's another problem. Every American owes over $30,000 in debt just for the war in Iraq. That is not fiscal responsibility in my book. Republicans have no right to claim any degree of fiscal responsibility and polls now show the majority of American trust Democrats to run the economy more than the Republicans and John McCain has admitted on numerous occasions, he really doesn't understand economics. Give him a good war and he's in his comfort zone. And he wants to bring the U.S. more war. John McCain loves war. The more war and carnage the better.

L. Brooks Patterson on Frank Beckmann

In this interview with Frank Beckmann, L. Brooks Patterson comes out in favor of the tax being proposed by State Senator Gilda Jacobs, to fund the Detroit Zoo.
Click here to listen to the interview. Republicans seem to be wising up to the fact that it costs money if we want to maintain our roads and keep our cultural gems open and benefiting the public.