GOP
Dominates
State Race

West Bloomfield's electorate
is changing,.
several candidates
hope not too much.

only non-Jewish candidate in the
House race.
"Once it gets to the general elec-
tion, there is only one Democrat and
one Republican, and while the district
is changing tremendously, it is still a
Republican district," said Schlussel,
who is making her sec-
ond attempt for state
office.
All of the Republican
candidates_seem to be
carving out their own
political paths in the
race.
Leeds, 74, made two
unsuccessful bids for
state office when he lived
in Southfield in the early 1980s. He is
pro-choice on the abortion issue and
pro-environment. The retired engineer
said he's against tax breaks for private
businesses, citing the state financial
contributions to the City of Detroit

JULIE EDGAR
News Editor

A

lthough there are
signs that West
Bloomfield and envi-
rons are no longer a
bulwark of Republicanism, five
of the six candidates vying to
represent the district in the
State House this year are run-
ning as Republicans.
The 39th District race is
important to the GOP, which
needs to hold onto the seat and
gain at least eight more to regain
a majority in the House.
"West Bloomfield is an area
that has changed demographical-
ly and is an area you have to be
concerned about as a
Republican," said Jim Alexander,
former chairman of the
Republican Committee of
Oakland County.
Democrat Maxine Brickner
and Republicans Henry Leeds,
Debbie Schlussel, Mark
Shulman, Ron Wolf and
Margaret Scott hope to succeed
Barbara Dobb, a Republican who has
been term-limited. Dobb plans to
run for a state Senate seat against
incumbent Willis Bullard. Scott is the

5/22
1998

16

Above: Maxine Brickner, the only Democrat in the race.

Above right: Ron Wolf wants to draw attention to issues he thinks are overlooked.

Right: Henry Leeds is seeking public office for the third time.

for two new downtown stadiums, but
he supports public funding of the arts.
Leeds also supports lowering the
sales tax and giving people, particular-
ly senior citizens, a break in their
property taxes.
Wolf, who lost a bid for a trustee-
ship on the West
Bloomfield Parks and
Recreation
Commission two
years ago, is pro-
choice, pro-environ-
ment and pro-educa-
tion. And he'd like to
see managed care
"strongly regulated."
The former school-
teacher and business owner, however,
plans to spend only $1,000 on his cam-
paign. His reason for running is to
"draw attention" to issues he believes
have been overlooked.
Schlussel and Shulman, a West
Bloomfield Township trustee since
1992, sound most like GOP partisans.
Both are against abortion and both
sound the drum for lower taxation.
"We have a lot of small businesses
in our district and they should be
allowed to grow and prosper. The sin-
gle business tax is too high," Shulman
said. "Reducing the income tax also
needs to be looked at. Oakland
County families and businesses are
taxed too much and our families have
to be allowed to keep more of what
they earn."
Shulman, an attorney and member
of Beth Abraham Hillel Moses, is
opposed to physician-assisted suicide
and supports schools of choice. He
wants to reduce government regula-
tion of business, but he is concerned
that citizens' health care options are
being limited by managed care orga-
nizations.
Schlussel, 29, moved back to the
Detroit area from Wisconsin over a
year ago after earning a degree in law.
Eight years ago, she went head to
head with Dobb after losing in the
primary election by one vote. The
matter ended up in an Oakland
County courtroom, where a judge
affirmed the election commission's
count.
Schlussel supports a part-time leg-
islature — as part of her less-govern-
ment platform.
"Right now, [legislators] work part-
time and get paid a Rill-time salary. I
believe in cutting taxes, waste and
welfare benefits, but we can't cut from
the poor and have these legislators
working 2 1/2 days a week who make

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