Page 8-Wednesday, August 2, 1978-The Michigan Daily FERENCY: The perennial politico O ZOLTON FERENCY, gubernatorial campaigns are nothing new. He's run for the office-and lost-twice before. But Ferency's perseverance and undying op- timism have earned him a fighting chance in his latest bid for the governor's sea'. Ferency's campaign chest has been fuller this time around, thanks to tie new campaign finance laws which provide $2 in state funds for every dollar raised after the first $50,000. With $200,000 behind him, he has managed to penetrate the costly broadcast media. "It's made a differen- ce," he said. "It gives credibility to our campaign." The 56-year-old criminal justice professor at Michigan State University (MSU) said remaining outside the sphere of "negative rhetoric" and the void of a Party (HRP) in hopes of producing a viable third party. He ran for governor on the Democratic ticket in 1966 against Republican George Romney, and then as a member of the HRP in 1970. In 1976, in the wake of prohibitive measures enacted by the state legislature requiring minimum funding and votes for third parties, the HRP buckled and Feren- cy ran for State Supreme Court Justice as a Democrat unsuccessfully. He said it became impossible to be effective as a member of a third party. His political background and knowledge are extensive, including twoyears as deputy director and a term of equal length as director of Michigan Workmen's Compen- sation Department. In the interim, he headed the Liquor Control Commission for a year. In 1961, Ferency served as executive secretary to Governor John Swainson. Two years later, he began a five-year stint as chairman of Michigan's Democratic Party. He calls himself a "democratic- socialist," defining that as one who believes in "socialistic ownership and con- trol of natural resources, but the decisions on how to do it are made democratically." Many of his ideas for uplifting the state's economy and remedying unemployment reflect this definition. The graying Ferency wants to im- plement ideas for public ownership of a mass transportation system, resort facility (like Ohio's Cedar Point), utilities and state bank. Most of the funding will come from tax-free revenue bonds, under Ferency's plan, issued by local gover- nment subsidiaries. These concerns would further one of his main aims-employing the marginally employable and revitalizing urban areas. The MSU and Detroit College of Law graduate has a knack for responding to his audiences and speaking to issues salient to them. He shows that although he has not won elections, he has learned much from campaigning. In the middle of an outdoor address to the feminist Women's City Club in Detroit, a gust of wind blew up and Ferency said, "Maybe that's a sign ... I thought I said all the right things." His listeners were quickly charmed by a reference to God, wherever "she" might be. Ferency has not received quite as amiable a response to his opposition to all three of the tax reform proposals, mostly because voters misunderstand his stance, reading it as adverse to the concept of demanding government efficiency and alleviating the property tax burden. Ferency does favor tax limitation, but he has said these plans are being pushed by wealthy concerns and stand to only hurt the small taxoaver through the loss of vital services. Ferency says that the Headlee tax limitation proposal, the only one he considers to be even potentially con- stitutional, will not really cut anyone's taxes. Ferency is a champion of causes. He exemplifies this by the facts that he plans to have a woman lieutenant governor, to be selected by the Democratic Women's caucus, and he is a lawyer for 12 persons who protested against the burial of PBB contaminated cattle in the clay pit in Oscoda county. The "Happy Warrior" said his nomination will "put politics at a different level between him and me (Milliken) because it won't be a beauty contest." He seems encouraged that the public is finally taking his gubernatorial bid seriously. These Dems wan Four Democrats with a range of political and legislative experience are seeking their party's nomination in next stronglin .week's gubernatorial primary in hopes of breaking 16 governor years of Republican rule, nearly ten of those under in- ' cumbent William Mdhken. Milliken All four who aspire to the governor's seat are lawyers. Despite the Two come from the legislature, while neither of the other $200,000 0 two have held elective office. said he itill The primary campaign has not been glamorous and has But each 1) received minimal attention. For those reasons, the can- making the didates have relied heavily upon paid advertising and per- $0000 f sonal appearances to reach the voting public. $70,h0f The candidates have focused their efforts on Milliken's is the first i alleged mismanagement of state problems and on the tax fundingto reform issue. In fact, taxes and fiscal policies have presen- ding mesa ted the cleanest distinctions between the crew. everyone Daily reporter Judy Rakowsk spent a day on the cam- A large is paign trail with each candidate with stops ranging from in ablost church services to plant gates. possibility c The field of Democratic hopefuls has been perceived as even the fro weak by many observers. The weakness has been more Ferency candidate wholeheartedly endorsed by labor or the Democratic party have also promoted his quest. FERENCY IS BEST remembered for his departure from the Democratic Party in 1970 to form the liberal Human Rights McCOLLOUGH: The name's familiar ... THE GRAYISH, YOUNG State Senator from Dearborn, Patrick McCollough, is running on a solid legislative record and a fairly familiar name in Michigan politics which he hopes will attract Milliken con- verts to his conservative image. Though he has not been designated a leader in the race, like fellow hopefuls he is banking on a large margin of undecided voters to fuel his candidacy. Despite the support of 28 state legislators, he has been battling low recognition throughout the campaign. Reaching voters through television advertising has been difficult in this area of the state, since metropolitan Detroit television stations prohibited his half-hour issue documentaries from being aired. He said stations complained of the inability to sell ads for the time. Throughout his campaign, McCollough has been pushing his voting attendance record-nearly perfect, tax reform and the perennial claim of being a people's politician. As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, he is promoting waste-cutting and budgeting reform as his key areas of concern. McCOLLOUGH HAS A three-pronged approach to solving the economic dilem- mas of the state. He wants to repeal the Single Business Tax, a tax on labor- intensive firms which initially he voted for. He also wants to freeze property taxes for- three-years.and then drop the assessment to 30 per cent of market value, raise the income tax by .2 per cent to com- pensate for the loss in revenue in other areas. In addition, he wants to relieve senior citizens on fixed incomes of all property taxes. He was the first candidate to endorse the Headlee tax limiting proposal and cir- culated petitions to get the measure placed on November's ballot. When asked about the constitutionality of the tax reform proposals he replied, "Let the courts decide what's constitutional." The 37-year-old candidate was groomed for politics by a state representative who lives two doors away-his mother, Lucille. McCollough exhibited keen political in- terest as president of the Michigan State University Young Democrats in 1964 as an undergraduate. In 1966, he distributed campaign literature for his present op- ponent, Zolton Ferency, during Ferency's first bid for the governorship. He attended graduate school in political science here and then studied law at Detroit College of Law. He taught high school civics and was a delegate and floor whip for the Michigan Carter delegation at the Democratic National Convention in 1976. McCOLLOUGH IS MOST energetic when reciting his legislative achievemen- ts. Indeed, of all the candidates, he adheres most strictly to one speech format regardless of his audience-from a Detroit congregation to a Macomb County Democratic Club. He articulates his views clearly and logically and gives his listeners the im- pression that he has done some thinking about the state's problems while in Lan- sing. But his delivery fails to leave his listeners electrified. McCollough boasts about his Clean Water Act, which is reputed to have been instrumental in cleaning up the Great Lakes by 75 per cent. He sponsored the Voter Registration Act which he claims has registered 1,400,000 voters when they renewed their driver's licenses. He also sponsored a 1974 bill that raised the minimum wage from $1.65 to $2.30 an hour and mandated time-and-a-half for work exceeding the standard 40 hours per week. HE APPEARS A bit stiff in crowds, shaking hands in a perfunctory way. However, he seemed at ease seizing the opportunity of a captive audience of women in line for portable toilets at St. Claude's Polish Festival. "This is my Public Relief Program . don't tell anyone where you met me," he said, chuckling. He speaks of the need for a "syn- thesizer" in the state's chief executive to coordinate problems that "fell through the gaps" of administrative departments and points to the PBB crisis as an example.