Posted on 04/18/2003 10:26:43 AM PDT by Dan from Michigan
Friday, April 18, 2003
By Brian Wheeler
Staff Writer
A former state representative and county clerk. A county commissioner and police official for more than two decades. A successful business owner Even Ray T. Kuzminski, a Columbia Township trustee and the fourth member of an impressive Republican quartet running for state House, has to admit voters can't make a bad choice when they go to the polls for a special primary Tuesday.
"They're all formidable candidates," the Brooklyn resident said. "There's not a bad apple in the bunch."
Kuzminski joins a Republican field that includes David K. Elwell, Mickey Mortimer and Robert James Sutherby in a race made necessary by January's sudden death of Rep. Jerry Kratz. The 65th District seat that he held spans 11 Jackson County townships, plus slivers of Lenawee and Eaton counties.
Kratz's son, Kent Kratz, also will appear on Tuesday's ballot as the sole Democrat running for the seat. He -- along with Green Party candidate Richard Wunsch -- will face the winner of the Republican primary May 20.
Voters next week face a difficult choice in some ways. Each candidate boasts experience they say is relevant to the Legislature, and each subscribes to a politically conservative, no-frills outlook on government.
So, think of this race as a local version of Mr. Personality, one where each candidate hopes to stand out thanks to a few wrinkles.
Mortimer, the former representative and county clerk, touts his experience.
Elwell, who works as a Blackman Township detective sergeant, and Kuzminski stress their man-on-the-street credentials and promise to make connections with voters.
Sutherby, meanwhile, vows to return one quarter of his legislative salary to the district's 14 townships, Eaton Rapids and his church.
"There's only one candidate in the field who's dollar-conscious to the point that he's willing to give $20,000 back," said Sutherby, who co-owns the Country Corner Store in Waterloo Township. "If you're going to try to fix the problem and the problem's the budget, you have to give money back. Otherwise, you're part of the problem."
If that sounds like a dig at Mortimer, a House member who benefited from the Legislature's controversial 40 percent pay raise in 2001, it wouldn't be the only one. Term limits, his opponents say, make him a lame duck in waiting.
Mortimer can do no more than serve out the rest of the term through next year if he's elected.
After that, a set of fresh faces would have to run.
"The term limit thing is huge when people recognize it," Elwell said. "It makes more sense now to get someone (who can run again) elected, rather than have two new people in 18 months."
Mortimer, who has collected endorsements from such groups as Right to Life of Michigan, the county Farm Bureau and the Fraternal Order of Police, said the criticism misses the mark. He's best positioned to jump into the Legislature in mid-session, tapping years of experience and alliances that will be particularly important as lawmakers wrestle with a bare-bones budget.
"You have someone who has the experience, who doesn't need to go through a learning curve for six months," Mortimer said.
I didn't know much about Jerry Kratz either. I never met him.
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