By Ryan J. Stanton/Ann Arbor.com
Leaders of the nonprofit group Michigan Forward and the Committee to Recall Rick Snyder announced today they're officially joining forces as they continue to push for the recallof the first-term Republican governor and try to repeal of one of his most controversial laws.
The recall committee has an estimated 5,000-plus volunteers, many of whom have informally carried petitions for both the recall and repeal campaigns.
They'll now be working in full cooperation with Michigan Forward, which says it has thousands of volunteers of its own who have been working across the state to build support for the repeal of Public Act 4, Michigan's emergency manager law.
“It makes sense for these two forces to team up and forge a strong relationship that we believe will serve the citizens of Michigan well," the committee's leadership team said in a statement.
Michigan Forward wants to place the repeal question on the November 2012 ballot. It will take nearly 162,000 signatures to make that happen.
“The passage of Public Act 4 is one of the most egregious pieces of legislation crafted in Michigan's history," Brandon Jessup, chairman of Michigan Forward and Stand Up for Democracy, said in a written statement. "Having CRRS partnering with us to repeal this legislation turns this from a campaign to a movement.”
The Committee to Recall Rick Snyder says it has distributed more than 240,000 petitions in an effort to recall Snyder and has assisted in the recall campaigns of numerous state lawmakers.
The committee needs to collect about 807,000 valid signatures by Aug. 5 to put the question of recalling Snyder to voters in November. However, it appears the group may not collect enough signatures in time, but it could still make the February 2012 ballot.
Jan BenDor, Washtenaw County captain for the Snyder recall campaign, said she's glad to see the campaign more formally collaborating with Michigan Forward now.
"We're excited about it because that group has a long view of what our state needs and rebuilding democracy is one of the linchpins," she said. "Up until now, the joint collaboration has been primarily informal by the circulators on the ground, so we're much more structured now."
BenDor said the group has plans for ramped-up petition signing events in more visible places, including the sides of roads throughout the state.
"It's going to be very difficult to make the November ballot. I think everybody realizes that," BenDor said, acknowledging the recall campaign got off to a slow start. "I've been fully prepared all along to really aim at the February election and I think personally it's a better one. It just happens to coincide with the Republican presidential primary."
Jessup said the repeal campaign has distributed 70,000 petitions to volunteers across Michigan during the first full month of operations.
Michigan Forward calls P.A. 4 a "naked power grab by the Legislature in Lansing." The group complains the law gives state-appointment emergency managers the ability to go into a school district or municipality and seize and sell public assets, strip elected officials of their duties, and dissolve or merge cities, townships and school districts without a popular vote.
The group also complains emergency managers now can break binding contracts and eliminate collective bargaining rights at will, shut down vital public services without a public hearing, and outsource public services and enter into contracts without legislative oversight.
Snyder and other Republican supporters argue the law is needed to allow earlier intervention by the state before local governments in financial trouble reach a crisis level.
Sara Wurfel, a spokeswoman for the governor, told AnnArbor.com last week that Snyder still stands behind his decisions to reform state government.
"With our high unemployment rate, budget deficit and the only state in the union to lose population in the last decade, the governor knew full well the path ahead wasn’t going to be easy or popular," she said. "He remains fully committed to making the tough decisions that ensure Michigan turns the corner and sees brighter, stronger days for all."
Motor City Liberal Comment:Hey Sara either your guy is recall or not maybe you should still work on that resume because if he's not recalled your guy won't get a second term when he's on the ballot.
No comments:
Post a Comment