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AMIMMIIII•111.112!

ELECTION

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ELEC

TION

Age,
Abortion
Rights
Highlight
Local
Primaries

t 21, Deb-
bie Schlussel is the youngest
candidate on the ballot of
Michigan's Republican and
Democratic Aug. 7 primaries.
Schlussel, who is Or-
thodox, is making a pitch for
the 24th state represent-
ative district nomination for
the Republican Party seat
being vacated by Rep. David
Honigman, currently the
state's only Republican Jew-
ish legislator and one of six
Jewish members of the state
legislature. Honigman is
bidding for the 17th district
state senate seat.
A May graduate of the
University of Michigan in
Ann Arbor, Schlussel moved
into an apartment in West
Bloomfield and immediately
bounced into the political
arena. A Southfield native,
she has been politically ac-
tive since 1985, when she
served on the Southfield
City Commission.
Her involvement hasn't let
up. Schlussel has since serv-
ed as a staff member to three

U.S. congressmen, was nam-
ed an outstanding U.S. teen
Republican, was a national
youth vice-chair for the
Bush-Quayle campaign and
was the youth chair for the
1989 U.S. presidential inau-
guration.
Political observers say the
winner of the primary is ex-
pected to secure the seat in
the predominantly Repub-
lican district. The Repub-
lican victor in November
must face Jewish Democrat
Marcia Flignian, a teacher
at Hillel Day School.
Also competing for the seat
is one other Jewish Repub-
lican candidate, Henry
Leeds of West Bloomfield.
Others seeking the party
nomination are Orchard
Lake Mayor Jerry Kosmen-
sky, Nancy Dingelday of
Wixom, Barbara Dobbs of
Union Lake, Donald Eby of
West Bloomfield and Olga
Meyer of West Bloomfield.
If Schlussel wins, she will
be the youngest state legis-
lator in the country. Patrick
Kennedy, 22, of Rhode
Island, son of Mass. Sen. Ted
Kennedy, now is the

DEBBIE SCHLUSSEL

It is imperative that
the Jewish community
has friends in both
parties at all levels of
government.

youngest state legislator. In
addition, she would be the
only observant Jew in the
state legislature.
"All politics is local and it
is therefore imperative that
the Jewish community has
friends in both parties at all
levels of government, espe-
cially at the state level,"

KIMBERLY LIFTON

Staff Writer

C3

Photo by S. Haines, The D

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Go

22

FRIDAY, JU,LY 27, 1990

LimAdm loo A group of pro-choice demonstrators rallied last September at the State Capitol.