Our recommendations for the August ballot

V­­­­­oters in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills will be determining the fate of primary candidates and a few ballot issues in the Tuesday, August 4, election, either at the polls or through absentee ballots which are now being mailed out by municipal clerks. Reflected on voters’ ballots this year will be the standard bearers for November for U.S. Senate, governor, state Senate and House, and Congress.

Renewals for two public safety and road millages will face Bloomfield Township voters, and voters throughout Oakland County are being asked to support a county-wide school enhancement millage.

This is a primary election in which you will be deciding who best can represent your party in the November general election, so you must vote on candidates in just one political party.

We sent questionnaires to candidates in contested primary races other than U.S. Senate, the answers to which can be found in the special Voter Guide inside this edition or online at downtownpublications.com. Only those candidates who returned questionnaires were considered for endorsement.

U.S. Senate - Democrat

This is one of the most hard-fought, expensive and contentious campaigns in the country, with three Democrats battling to take on Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers in November to fill a seat now held by Gary Peters who is retiring from the Senate. Our opinion in this race is formed by our familiarity with the three Democrat candidates, all of whom have local connections, have run for office in the past, along with our monitoring of debate sessions and policy positions each candidate has taken. And we used as our guiding principles the following: a primary election is intended to select the best person to carry the party banner against a general election opponent from the other party. As a result, we dismissed from consideration Abdul El-Sayed, whose rising popularity among younger voters does not mean the larger portion of Democratic primary voters, an older set that consistently shows up in larger numbers to vote, will buy into his left-wing progressive platform. We also find as very troublesome his views and campaign activities relative to Israel, some say bordering on antisemitic, which leaves him even more vulnerable for the November race. Our second guiding principle has to do with recommending someone who can best hit the ground running if they were ultimately elected in November. So while we appreciate state Senator Mallory McMorrow, we think current Congresswoman HALEY STEVENS takes the lead on this issue. Stevens is a proven workhorse who has been in the U.S. House for four terms. We have seen Stevens work effectively on the key concerns for Michigan – education and manufacturing. Her “Manufacturing Mondays” have become her signature, returning to her district to learn and highlight manufacturing businesses and encourage women and girls in STEM education. Stevens has introduced and successfully steered a number of bills to signing, including the much-needed CHIPS package. Her resume also includes, before her first election to Congress, her critical work with the Obama administration that helped save the auto industry in this state. While not as charismatic or digitally savvy as her fellow candidates, she is a nose-to-the-grindstone worker who gets the job done and has the skills and experience to represent the party in the general election. As a side note, we find it a bit less than honest that her two opponents are making an issue of her funding support from AIPAC, which bundles donations to candidates who support Israel and has been made into the convenient whipping boy in this race. This is a big-money contest where untold outside forces will weigh in financially to determine who will represent Michigan in the Senate, as her two opponents know well, having just picked up in just two recent incidents $747,000 (El-Sayed) and $6 million (McMorrow) in outside PAC support.

U.S. House / District 11 / Democrat

(Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, most of Oakland County)

We are hard pressed to name a candidate more qualified to represent the Democratic party and possibly take over this district in Congress than JEREMY MOSS, who currently serves in the Michigan Senate following time in the state House and his early tenure on the city council in Southfield. He has innate leadership skills and has been a main driver on critical issues that have included women’s health care rights, LGBTQ+ rights, gun control, expanded voting, as examples. Moss has done this in many cases by working across the aisle. A good campaigner, he is Democrats’ best bet to be the party contender in November.

Michigan Senate / District 7 / Democrat

(Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfied Hills)

This is one of the tougher decisions to make in this primary election. Three Democrats with well-thought out positions on critical issues, and the wherewithal to run a campaign in November if they survive the primary. One of the three, JASON HOSKINS, holds a definite edge, however, thanks to his years of service in the government trenches starting with the Southfield City Council, 10 years as a legislative aide in Lansing and his current House position. We think he would be the strongest standard bearer for the party. And if he were to win come the general election, he brings with him a track record on civil rights, including for the LGBT+ community, voting rights, reproductive rights and concerns for the small business community. We also feel confident in saying he would likely break with the powers that be if he felt potential legislation would not be in the best interests of constituents. Hoskins should be voters first consideration.

Michigan House / District 6 / Democrat

(Most of Birmingham, part of Bloomfield Township)

We think MELANIE MACEY should be voters’ first choice in this primary contest. Years of community service including on the Royal Oak City Commission, library board and time on a school district panel devoted to equity and diversity concerns.

Michigan House / District 19 / Democrat

(Part of Birmingham and Bloomfield Township)

There’s no doubt that incumbent state Representative SAMANTHA STECKLOFF should be the Democrat candidate heading into the general election. Her time on the Farmington Hills City Council and in the State House give her a solid understanding of the issues. She is a tried and proven member of the House and best equipped to represent the party in the contest for this district.

Michigan House / District 20 / Republican

(Small portion of Bloomfield Township)

In this contest, only one Republican, Herman Barbe, returned answers to our issue questions. And in his case, he refused to accept the proven results of the 2020 presidential election, and we refuse to promote that cloudy line of thinking to any elected position of authority.

Michigan House / District 54 / Republican

(Bloomfield Hills and art of Bloomfield Township)

ROMAN GASKEY was the only Republican to respond to our questions, so it makes it difficult, but not impossible, for us to issue an endorsement in this contest. We will admit that he seems knowledgeable. We will accept his artfully dodging of our question about the validity of 2020 vote returns.

TAXES ON THE BALLOT

Bloomfield Township

Voters in Bloomfield Township are being asked to renew a public safety millage and a millage for road maintenance, both for 10 years. If approved, the police/fire millage would authorize up to 1.8428 mills. The road maintenance question would authorize up to .6575 of a mill. Both millage questions were last approved in 2016 and expire this year. We urge voters to approve them both.

County-wide school tax

All voters in Oakland County will decide the fate of a regional school enhancement tax of 1.5 mills for six years. State-wide voter approved Proposal A in 1994 allowed school districts to request added local taxes of up to three mills but only if all districts in a county agreed to put the same issue on the ballot and share equally on a per pupil basis the money generated by the tax. Eight counties in the state have a regional school tax, including Wayne and Macomb counties. If approved, all public schools and eligible public academies in Oakland County would receive about $788 per pupil each year. This regional approach would mean that some school communities, like Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills districts, would contribute more in taxes than they receive in return. In the Birmingham Public Schools, taxpayers would contribute about $11 million but only receive $6 million when the regional haul is shared with all districts. In the Bloomfield Hills School District, officials estimate their return as only about 47 percent of what local taxpayers would kick in each year. On the taxable value of $700,000 house, the cost would be $525 each year. The enhancement millage would first be collected this December. In a perfect world we would like to be magnanimous but we thought back in 1994 that this approach was flawed and our opinion has not changed. We urge a NO vote on this regional tax.