The following are Record-Eagle endorsements in the region's three state House races.
101st District (Leelanau, Benzie, Manistee and Mason counties)
Democrat DAN SCRIPPS has worked for two years to capture a seat he lost in a close election to then-incumbent Dave Palsrok in 2006 and gets our endorsement.
Not surprisingly, Scripps says the No. 1 challenge for the district is "jobs, jobs, jobs," and says he'll turn to rural development grants and efforts to promote entrepreneurship. He favors efforts to close what some say is a loophole in the Great Lakes Compact and fix the state's business tax. Other priorities, he said, are schools, economic development and state roads. He is a "huge supporter" of efforts to make school funding more equitable. His opponent, Republican Ray Franz, has unfortunately taken the low road. In a recent flier paid for by his campaign, Franz alleges that "billionaire homosexual activist Jon Stryker" and his "dirty money" are behind Scripps' campaign. When confronted by charges of gay-bashing, Franz said his message was "misunderstood." That doesn't wash. As he did two years ago, Stryker -- whose family made billions selling medical equipment -- has paid for a series of ads promoting Scripps, but without the Scripps' campaign's blessing.
Franz, who has been involved in Onekama politics for 30-plus years, did himself a disservice with the anti-Stryker flier. He's smart and experienced and a strong advocate for conservative views, including revamping the broken state business tax and promoting jobs.
104th District (Grand Traverse and Kalkaska counties)
Democrat ROMAN GRUCZ is a solid choice to fill an open seat created when Republican Howard Walker became term-limited. Grucz, an attorney, said he is anxious to help break the partisan logjam in Lansing, which he said is "worse now than ever." He said there is nothing more important than creating "smart" jobs that fit the region -- not jobs at "any cost" -- and building the economy. He also supports strong state funding for the tourism industry and says he'd fight any efforts to levy new taxes on the industry. He is a longtime supporter of equity in school funding and wants to build a coalition of underfunded schools to change state policy.
Grucz rightly casts his Republican opponent Wayne Schmidt as a "go-along" candidate who will "do whatever he's told to do" by the party if elected. Indeed, over the course of his long local political career, Schmidt -- who has served on the county board, the county brownfield authority and the Bay Area Transportation Authority board -- has stood out only for his loyalty to the local power structure.
Schmidt was deeply involved in the failed Federated parking deck effort -- including acting as treasurer of a pro-deck group before city voters crushed a bond issue. Schmidt was on the brownfield authority board when it made a failed effort to partner with Federated to build the deck anyway, despite the fact that his constituents -- city taxpayers -- had defeated the bond issue 71 percent to 29 percent. Schmidt was on the BATA board when a host of management issues never addressed by the board surfaced. He personifies the deflection of accountability.
Grucz is a smart and passionate candidate who will give Traverse City a voice in the Democrat-controlled state House, a real plus for the region.
105th District (Antrim, Charlevoix, Otsego and Cheboygan counties)
Incumbent Republican KEVIN ELSENHEIMER, of Kewadin, is a smart, experienced lawmaker who has represented his district well. Elsenheimer said a top goal is to reform the state budget process and get spending under control. Elsenheimer has proposed legislation to ban so-called SLAPP suits used by developers to quash local opposition, a practice he calls an "improper way to make land-use decisions." He has sponsored bills to close the per-pupil state school aid gap and says the state must offer at least "equitable opportunity" if not true dollar-for-dollar equity. He has vocally opposed plans to drill a deep-injection well near Alba for the disposal of leachate from the Bay Harbor resort in Emmet County.
Democrat Connie Saltonstall, who served on the Charlevoix County Board, is an able candidate but can't bring to the table Elsenheimer's level of experience.
WEDNESDAY: State ballot proposals
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