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Steve Kaplan moves on after a disheartening loss in the prosecutor's race.

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ap ointment.

judicial

seeking a considers Steve Kaplan

A Five-Hour Victory

JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER

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"We spent some time talking
about the nuts and bolts of the
campaign and what would hap-
pen next. I had a job offer at 9:30
that morning. By 10:30 a.m., it dis-
appeared."
By mid-morning, Lynn Allen,
the Oakland County clerk and a
longtime acquaintance of Mr. Ka-
plan, called with bad news.
The clerk's office made an
18,000-vote mistake when the
Troy ballots were calculated.
Tye known Lynn for 17 years,
so at first I didn't think the call
was unusual," Mr. Kaplan said.
"I'm disappointed with the
results, but at the same
time I'm proud of our
efforts."
Mr. Kaplan attrib-
utes his loss to the in-
ability of the
Democratic Party to
promote voting in the
heavily Democratic
cities of Pontiac, Ferndale
and Hazel Park. Voter turnout
was lowest in these areas of Oak-
land County.
He said he will not ask for a re-

count because it would be "fruit-
less and expensive." The county
charges $10 per precinct. With 549
precincts, Mr. Kaplan would be
left with a $5,490 bill. Supporters
offered to cover the costs, but Mr.
Kaplan politely declined.

A recount would be
"fruitless and
expensive."

"If I felt there was a reasonable
chance, I'd seek it," he said. "A re-
count would force a delay in the
certification of the election, it
would mean hundreds of hours of
work at the clerks office and, most
important, it would cast me in the
image of a poor loser. It's not as
though Pm going away. So I would
rather be viewed as a good loser."
Like any savvy politician, Mr.
Kaplan did not rule out another
bid for office. Right now, though,
he is not even thinking about the
possibilities. He may apply for a
vacancy on the U.S. District

PHOTO BY GLENN TRIEST

teve Kaplan couldn't help
but feel just a little embar-
rassed.
It wasn't his fault there
was a vote miscalculation which
would make Republican David
Gorcyca the winner in the Oak-
land County prosecutor's race. Af-
ter a long night of waiting for the
returns, Mr. Kaplan spent the
morning after election day ac-
cepting calls of congratulations
and talking to a number of re-
porters.
At 5:30 a.m., he was declared
the winner in one of the state's
most watched races.
t1:
Ecstatic, Mr. Kaplan
4....' .
and his core group of
volunteers celebrat-
— ,, m I
ed with a victory
breakfast.
/
"He was actually very
humble," said Stephen
Steinhardt, Mr. Kaplan's
finance director. "We start-
ed to go around the [breakfast]
table offering a toast to Steve, but
after a few people spoke he quiet-
ed us down. There was a real
sense of excitement at the table.

Court. The application process
begins in January, and Mr. Ka-
plan said he is "very seriously
considering it."
Now that there isn't a cam-
paign to run, Mr. Kaplan has
more time for his family and to

ange

devote to his job as an assistant
prosecutor in Macomb County.
He would also like to teach law
school classes on a part-time ba-
sis and plans to do so either in
Lansing or Detroit beginning it
January. 0

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