INSIDE: Community Calendar 40 Mazel Toy! 42 Brickner takes on incumbent Shulman State Rep. Marc Shulman for 39th District state House seat another round in their families' political match-ups. BILL CARROLL Special to the Jewish News hile the Brickners easily defeated the Shulmans in the opener of a family political doubleheader in August, the Shulmans have the advan- tage in the second contest in November. But Democrat Stuart Brickner is waging an aggressive battle in his challenge to Republican incumbent Marc Shulman for the 39th District state House of Representatives seat. In another round of a familial political square-off, Brickner's wife, Maxine, the only Democrat running, obtained 5,000 votes to win her party's nomination for county commissioner in the 16th District. She outdistanced all four Republican candidates, including Shulman's wife, Lois, in the Aug. 6 pri- mary. The Republican hopefuls received a combined 3,500 primary votes, includ- ing 1,000 for Lois Shulman. Maxine Brickner will face Republican Greg Jamian in the Nov. 5 election. Based on better demographics for a Democratic candidate, the Brickners moved from a home in the 17th District to an apartment in the 16th District in Maxine Brickner's quest for the post, which earns $28,000 annually. Meanwhile, her husband remains opti- mistic in his own race for the state repre- sentative's job, which pays $79,650 year- ly. Stuart Brickner has hurled a barrage of charges against Marc Shulman, who deflected the criticism, and revealed he's close to securing about $1 million of state funds in a first-ever grant to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit for distribution to local Jewish agencies. Although Gov. John Engler vetoed the Federation grant under line- item veto powers, Shulman said he's still negotiating to restore it and predicts he will succeed. Shulman, 50, is seeking re-election to a third, two-year term — his last under the term-limit restriction. Brickner, 59, is now serving his second, four-year term as a West Bloomfield trustee. Shulman gave up a West Bloomfield trustee position to first get elected to the state House in 1998, defeating Maxine Brickner — in the first political match-up between the two families. He beat Ruth Fuller of West Bloomfield for a second term in 2000. In the November election, political analysts in Oakland County list the 39th congressional district as "likely GOP" based on the power of incumbency and Shulman's substantial campaign fund advantage — $90,000 vs. $4,000 as of the end of August. Brickner disagrees with the rating and cites several reasons for his optimism. He garnered 70 per- cent of the vote to beat two other candi- dates in the primary, getting 6,200 votes. Shulman, unopposed, collected 5,200. Brickner said Shulman has a substan- tial following in the Chaldean communi- ty because he's trying to arrange to get a $2 million state grant for Shenandoah Country Club to help build a Chaldean Cultural Center. "I've seen the plans for the center and it would be a small place costing about $200,000 ... so the $2 mil- lion would really be a gift," Brickner asserted. "The Chaldean community has donat- ed tens of thousands of dollars to his [Shulman's] campaign, and so have the many political action committees (PACs) around the state ... they know he'll help them get money for their communities in return," Brickner said. Martin Manna of West Bloomfield, spokesman for the cultural center, said the 100,000-square-foot facility, to be built just west of the current Shenandoah clubhouse on Walnut Lake Road in West Bloomfield, would cost $20 million. Ground for the cultural center will be broken Oct. 10. Most of the money is being raised in the Chaldean communi- ty, mainly through private corporations, with the $2 million coming from the state cultural arts budget — "if it's approved," he said. "The cultural center will have a the- ater, library, artifacts exhibits, beautiful trees and shrubs, plenty of parking, and we already have support from the Jewish community, such as the Federation and Temple Israel (across the street)," Manna said. "I don't see why any candidate would be against it." Stuart Brickner Shulman, who is chairman of the highly influential House Appropriations Committee, doesn't characterize the Shenandoah grant as going to a private club because the cultural center would be open to the general public and the pub- lic golf course there will continue. "Everyone in the community would be able to use the facilities, and the cen- ter would be especially beneficial to school children and senior residents," Shulman added. New Battle Lines Brickner said he hopes to gain about 2,000-3,000 more Democratic votes from new precincts in the 39th District by the way it was re-districted in advance of this year's election. "In the re-districting, five heavily Republican precincts were switched into Waterford," he said. "The new district now has about a 46 percent base Democratic vote, and I hope to tIN 9/20 2002 31