Cover Story
Jim Blanchard
BORN: Aug. 8, 1942, in Detroit
RESIDENCE: Beverly Hills
FAMILY: Wife Janet and one son, Jay, 31
EDUCATION: Michigan State University,
master's in business administration;
University of Minnesota, law degree
PUBLIC SERVICE: Michigan assistant attorney
general, 1969-1974; U.S. Congressman, 1974-1982;
Michigan governor, 1982-1990; U.S. ambassador
to Canada, 1993-1996
WEB SITE: www.blanchardforgovernor.com
ubernatorial candidate Jim Blanchard, a
former Michigan governor, said he owes
his public service career as a U.S. congress-
man to the overwhelming support he
received from the Jewish community in 1974.
As his congressional career developed, Blanchard
showed so much support for Jewish causes that
President Jimmy Carter nominated him as the only
Michigan member of the President's Commission on
the Holocaust, and Blanchard became one of the first
permanent members of the Council on the Holocaust.
When Jewish members of Congress caucused,
only two non-Jews — he and Rep. Jack Kemp of
New York — were invited, Blanchard said.
Now seeking the office he lost in a low-turnout
election in 1990, Blanchard admits that some Jewish
leaders "at least temporarily or at least superficially"
are throwing their support toward one of his
Democratic rivals — Michigan Attorney General
Jennifer Granholm — but he's hoping they will be
in his camp by Election Day.
"When the records are examined and people think
about loyalty, stability, reliability in leadership, we will
win a decisive victory," Blanchard said. "The Jewish
community has a longer memory, and a greater con-
sistency on accountability and honesty than anyone,
because you can't afford to make a mistake."
Blanchard wants to remind Jewish voters that
when he was governor, Michigan was the first state
to buy State of Israel Bonds — "a wise investment
choice, but something I'm still being criticized for in
the Detroit Arab community."
He said he would invest in more Israel bonds
today, especially now, and recently wrote a letter to
Michigan Governor John Engler, urging him to
invest in Israel.
Blanchard said he knows his pro-Israel stance
would turn off some in the Arab community.
"There's no question that I would be criticized,
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but I've been around too long to think that I could
play both sides of an issue," he said. "It's a statement
that comes at a very important time. This is the
time to do it. I think things are much more tense.
It's not just about treaties, it's about terrorism in its
rawest form.
"There's never a time when there isn't some sort of
crisis in the Middle East," Blanchard continued. "And
this is about as critical a time as I've seen for years."
Doreen Hermelin of Bingham Farms, a long-time
Blanchard supporter, said Blanchard has been a con-
stant supporter of Israel, and his domestic policy
matches well with Jewish supporters.
"His track record has been outstanding," she said.
"And I think he can hit the ground running because
he has so much experience."
Outlining The Issues
Education
Blanchard said he led the anti-tuition-voucher cam-
paign in the last election.
"I have no problems with private or religious
schools," he said. "My focus is to strengthen public
education, not to allow public funds to be diverted
to private schools of any kind. I believe in a solid
wall between church and state, but there's never any
perfect wall. My whole life has been supporting
public education."
Blanchard said he wants to dramatically expand
financial assistance and put health clinics in schools.
He also wants to strengthen the university system.
"We gave an average of 8 percent increase to our
universities, but Engler has dropped it to 4 percent,"
Blanchard said. "Tuition in a Michigan university is
50 percent above the national average. It is more
expensive to go to Ferris State than Indiana or
Purdue or Iowa. I think that's abominable."
The candidate favors a tuition freeze.
Affirmative Action
Blanchard has voted against quotas his whole career,
he said, but supports affirmative action.
"Affirmatively recruiting people to have a healthier
mix is appropriate, and that's part of school and part
of life," he said. "I know enough people that I've
helped.get into the University of Michigan that it's
perfectly appropriate to look out and try to find
otherwise qualified people who represent other
points of view.
"But no group has had more quotas used against
them than the Jewish people, so I'm sensitive to
that," he said. "It's a civil rights issue."
Comprehensive training dealing with racial and
ethnic issues for police and cameras in all police cars
will help with the issue of racial profiling, he said.
Fighting Terrorism
As far as the threat of terrorism, homeland security and
civil liberties, Blanchard said, there's no perfect solution.
"We need a North American perimeter on immi-
gration, synchronized law enforcement, which we're
working toward now," he said.
"It's appropriate for U.S. officials to interview
immigrants and people here on visas. If it's handled
properly, they should want to be helpful. They all
profess, no sympathy for terrorism."
High Technology
According to Blanchard, Michigan has the brain-
power to become a leading high-tech state. He said
he would abolish the single business tax, which is
weighted against high tech, because of its emphasis
on taxing payroll. He would replace it with an equi-
table alternative.
Blanchard said he is looking at the job of governor
with a fresh perspective and is eager to tackle the
challenges — whether it's fixing Michigan's ailing
infrastructure, improving schools, closing the tech-
nology gap in our state or restoring a sense of com-
passion in our institutions.
"I don't want a third term, 1 want a new term," he
said. "It's a new day and 1 believe we need a new
spirit in this state, a spirit of experience, cooperation,
compassion and innovation. A spirit that says, were
all in this together, we're all one community."
Staff photo by I'.rista Husa