POLITICS
Education, Abortion, Economy
Highlight Races for State House
40th House District
39th House District
I
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
CAMPAIGN WATCH
These stories are part of a
series highlighting races to
watch in the upcoming Au-
gust 4 primary. Next week
we will focus on the West
Bloomfield Board of
Trustees. In the coming
weeks we will bring you
stories on the Oakland
County Commission races,
a judicial race in Wayne
County and an inside look
at the race for Oakland
County prosecuting attor-
ney.
f Barbara Smith of West
Bloomfield had not en-
tered the race, the Repub-
lican primary for the
Michigan House of Represen-
tatives 39th District seat
might not be so engaging.
She is a pro-choice chal-
lenger to Rep. Barbara Dobb,
a first-term incumbent with
strong endorsements from the
abortion rights groups and
many area Republicans.
Political pundits suggest
that a pro-choice candidate is
likely to emerge as the win-
ner of this
race. This
is the first
year, howev-
er, that so
many op-
tions are a-
vailable to
the voter concerned about re-
productive choice.
The 39th District incorpo-
rates West Bloomfield, Com-
merce Township, Orchard
Lake Village, Walled Lake
and Keego Harbor.
The race provides interest-
ing twists for Jewish voters.
Ms. Smith, 35, is Jewish,
and she is supported by state
Sen. David Honigman, 36,
who also is Jewish. Sen.
Honigman, whose voting
record is anti-abortion, is run-
ning for U.S. Congress in the
11th District.
Ms. Dobb is not Jewish, but
she has been recognized by
the Jewish community for her
strong support of the Holo-
caust Memorial Center. When
funding was at risk, Ms. Dobb
was visible in her efforts to re-
tain state money for the ed-
ucational memorial.
"The Holocaust Center is in
Barbara Smith
my district," Ms. Dobb says.
"I'm representing my district.
That is my job."
As she did in the previous
House race, 11th Congres-
sional candidate and former
Circuit Court Judge Alice
Gilbert, who is Jewish, is sup-
porting Ms. Dobb, 42.
The other candidate in this
primary, Olga Meyer, who
would not state her age but
says she has grown children,
has done little campaigning.
She is a teacher who agrees
with the other candidates
that the major issues facing
Michigan are education, abor-
tion and the economy. Ms.
Meyer is anti-abortion.
The winner of the Aug. 4
primary will face Jewish De-
mocrat Kirk Nemer, 30, in the
November general election.
Mr. Nemer, an attorney in
private practice in West
Bloomfield, is a former con-
gressional legislative attor-
ney who wants to reform the
state's budget process. He is
pro-choice.
All the candidates believe
abortion — magnified further
by last month's Supreme
Court decision that essen-
tially put the controversial
abortion issue into the hands
of state government — is a
major concern of today's vot-
ers.
"I am running as a mom, a
lawyer and as a citizen," says
Ms. Smith, who has a private
law practice. "I am new to pol-
itics, but I am qualified and
capable of being effective. I
am the mother of three young
children.
"Lansing needs people who
are truly representative of
that," Ms. Smith says.
Rep. Barbara Dobb
Kirk Nemer
t's pretty clear why Patri-
cia "Pan" Godchaux en-
tered the state House race
in the 40th district.
Pro-choice forces wanted to
endorse a GOP woman in the
Pan Godchaux
ish candidate in the race.
Mr. Sitner likes the "polit-
ical game," and he says the
economy is in serious trouble.
A public works program
might be a good idea to help
Rep. John Jamian
heavily Republican area. She
fit the bill. And she makes no
apologies.
Her major concern — ed-
ucation — wasn't an issue in
entering the race. Yet educa-
tion always has been a high
priority for Ms. Godchaux, a
five-term veteran — and for-
mer president — of the Birm-
ingham Board of Education.
Like the other races for
Michigan's state legislature,
education, abortion and the
economy are among the top
priorities of candidates run-
ning in the district incorpo-
rating Birmingham, Bloom-
field Township, Bloomfield
Hills, Southfield Township
and Sylvan Lake.
In the Republican prima-
ry, Ms. Godchaux, 46, of
Birmingham, is challenging
first-term incumbent John
Jamian, 37, of Bloomfield
Hills, who came to office last
August to fill the vacancy of
Michael Bouchard, who had
won a special election for
state Senate.
Also seeking the House
seat is Vicki Dallas of Birm-
ingham, who could not be
reached for an interview. Lit-
tle is known about Ms. Dal-
las, who has done limited
campaigning.
The winner of the primary
will run against Democrat
Scott Sitner in the November
general election. Mr. Sitner,
27, an attorney from West
Bloomfield, is the only Jew-
Scott Sitner
the ailing Detroit economy,
he says. And the government
needs to reform programs
like welfare and Aid to De-
pendent Children. He is pro-
choice.
"We need to write new
laws in the state to protect re-
productive choice," he says.
Just like the 39th state
House district, the winner in
this race is expected to
emerge from the Republican
camp. Voters in the district
have historically leaned to-
ward the GOP.
The two Republicans high-
ly profiled in this race, Ms.
Godchaux and Mr. Jamian,
are at odds over the abortion
issue.
He doesn't want to make
abortion an issue. He simply
opposes it, and he will vote
that way. Ms. Godchaux dis-
agrees.
Mr. Jamian says he first
ran for office as a "classic cit-
izen who was so frustrated.
Instead of complaining, I said
I would do this."
He is a co-owner of a home
health care company, and he
believes in representative
government. Lansing, he
says, is not representative of
Michigan residents.
"We need a better mix of
people who can govern and
not stay in office forever,"
says Mr. Jamian, who is of
Armenian heritage. "We need
more women, more ethnics."
His plate of issues are the
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