Lansing Bound
Peterman, Brown square off in "toss-up" House district.
Bill Carroll
Special to the Jewish News
T
wo Jewish women, both West
Bloomfield residents, with
similar backgrounds and phi-
losophies, who really had no intention of
entering politics but were unhappy and
frustrated with the way
things were going in
Lansing, are vying for
the right to go to the
state Legislature and do
something about it.
Democrat Lisa Brown,
41, a divorced mother of
three, and Republican
Lisa Brown
Amy Peterman, 45,
married and a mother
of four, are competing for about 75,000
registered voters in the 39th District of
Michigan's House of Representatives,
which covers West Bloomfield, Commerce
and Wolverine Lake. They're seeking to
replace state Rep. David Law in the Nov. 4
election for a two-year term; he's running
for Oakland County prosecutor.
Brown challenged Law in 2004 and lost
by 177 votes, then defeated John Kuriakuz
in the August Democratic primary by
1,279 votes. Peterman topped David
Wolkinson by 987 votes in a sometimes
bitter primary campaign that resulted in a
flurry of negative mailers toward the end.
Democrats have been making in-
roads in the 39th District in recent elec-
tions, with Oakland County itself going
Democratic in the last three presidential
elections. Veteran Oakland political
observers consider the Brown-Peterman
race a "toss-up West Bloomfield has the
largest Jewish population in the Detroit
area — about 25,000 Jews out of 65,000
residents.
Both Brown and Peterman attended
Bloomfield Hills Andover High School.
Brown was bat mitzvah at Congregation
Beth Shalom in Oak Park and now belongs
to Adat Shalom Synagogue, Farmington
Hills. Peterman was bat mitzvah at Temple
Emanu-El in Oak Park and now is affili-
ated with Temple Israel, West Bloomfield.
Both obtained undergraduate degrees in
psychology — Brown at Michigan State
University and Peterman at a combination
of MSU and the University of Michigan.
A26
October 2 • 2008
Brown graduated from the Detroit College
of Law and Peterman from Wayne State
University's law school in Detroit. Brown
now is a realtor with Max Broock Realtors
in Bloomfield Hills.
Up Close
A lawyer for 20 years, Peterman for the
past two years has been an attorney for
the state Senate, working mainly on pub-
lic safety issues and a $2 billion budget.
Before that, she specialized in a family law
practice, handling about 1,000 cases. She
was on the Walled Lake school board for
nine years, including a stint as president
but resigned to run for the state represen-
tative post "to avoid any appearance of
conflict of interest;' she says.
"Our state government is broken:'
declares Brown, adding that she's "disap-
pointed with the way things have been run
under the current administration. And I'm
running for office because if you complain
about something, you ought to try to do
something about it. Our community needs
a strong voice in Lansing, and I want to
put things back on track.
"It was the same situation two years ago
and nothing much has changed. Attention
seems to go to the special interests first,
not the people. I'm still unhappy about
the way things are going in the state
Legislature. If I wasn't, I wouldn't run;
I'd spend more time with my children at
home."
Peterman agrees with Brown's frustra-
tion over Michigan's economy and the
Legislature's apparent inability "to get
anything done. The state is crumbling and
a mess and they're all playing partisan
politics in Lansing instead of looking
out for the people. We have the nation's
highest unemployment rate [8.9 percent
in August], families are hurting, and the
Lansing politicians, both Democrats and
Republicans — have offered us little but
empty promises.
"For the past two years, I've been an
eyewitness to the malfunction there. That's
what led me to run for state rep; in this
regard, I feel I have more experience than
my opponent; that's what distinguishes
us. I know the inner-workings of the
Legislature and the Lansing scene.
"I don't want to play the blame game. I
want to think forward, go to Lansing and
come up with solutions. And we shouldn't
divert attention to the failed state econo-
my and other problems by bringing up a
lot of social issues that are more national
matters."
Brown answered: "My opponent is a
Lansing insider. She's part of the broken
system and will only offer our commu-
nity more of the same. We need a change:
someone who's not part of the problem,
but is willing to work across the aisle to
find solutions."
Lansing Targeted
Borrowing a phrase from the national
Democratic Party mantra, Brown reiter-
ates,"We need change in Lansing." She
wants to cut legislative salaries by 5
percent and end free lifetime health care
benefits for lawmakers. "I'll also work to
end the revolving door between lawmak-
ers and lobbyists by prohibiting legislators
from joining lobbying firms for two years
after they leave office she says.
Peterman also takes aim at the Lansing
politicians, not only by advocating an
end to their free health care plan, but also
by supporting creation of a part-time
Legislature, and docking their pay for
missing votes — "It'll be no work, no pay:'
she admonishes. (State representatives are
paid $79,650 a year.)
Peterman's plan to
"turn Michigan around"
includes such pro-busi-
ness stances as eliminat-
ing "the job-killing, out-
rageous 21.99 percent
Michigan Business Tax
surcharge that's ruin-
Amy
ing
small businesses:'
Peterman
cutting taxes on work-
ing families, helping families avoid home
foreclosures, protecting property values,
and making college more affordable by
seeking to double the Michigan Promise
scholarship. "We should have a 'Michigan
Accountability Portal' to serve as a single
point of reference on the Internet where
taxpayers can review how their money is
being spent," she says.
She cites her tenure on the Walled Lake
school board, pointing out that "MEAP
scores reached all-time highs, the budget
was balanced and the district was the only
one in the state to receive two Education
Excellence awards."
Brown believes complete repeal of the
business tax is unnecessary; "it just needs
a good tweaking so it won't be a real bur-
den on business:' she explains. "We can get
more jobs for the people through incen-
tives for businesses, and we should end
tax breaks for companies that outsource.
We also need to make sure local schools
get their fair share of state funding by
changing the way the funding is divided.
"People have been ready for a change
since 2006 when I ran the first time. Many
of the same issues still exist that were
prominent then — and they're still not
approved or decided. We have to stream-
line government in Lansing once and for
all."
Both candidates are avid environmen-
talists and say they will battle to "protect
our water" and the Great Lakes, and help
prevent the influx of trash from Canada
and nearby states into Michigan's land-
fills.
Peterman says "bad public policy" has
hindered the ability of businesses to pro-
duce more energy for Michigan consum-
ers.
"Excessive government regulations
have shut down all but one Michigan oil
refinery, resulting in much of the gasoline
being brought in from out of state, thus
causing high gas prices:' she stresses.
On The Stump
Although they haven't met on the cam-
paign trail, both Brown and Peterman
have been crisscrossing their district,
campaigning door to door since before the
primary.
"I'm focusing on my message; I'm
an independent thinker and I want
to do what's best for West Bloomfield,
Commerce and Wolverine Lake," states
Peterman.
"When I go door to door, I see and
hear how people are frustrated with our
Legislature," says Brown. "They tell me to
go to Lansing and do what's best for our
community."
Peterman has been endorsed by
the West Bloomfield Police Officers
Association, the Small Business
Administration of Michigan and the
National Federation of Independent
Business. Brown has been endorsed by
the Oakland County Deputy Sheriffs
Association and several environmental
organizations. ❑