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Bye, Bye Boss Hogg - yesterday's primary damages Andy DillonBy leondrolet, Section News
Remember Redford Township Supervisor Miles "Boss Hogg" Handy? He's House Speaker Andy Dillon's closest political ally who continually abused his power as Redford Supervisor to thwart citizens seeking to recall Speaker Dillon from office.
Handy tried to stifle an MTA tax protest last April 15th at the Redford Twp. Post Office by cutting off access to parking for protesters, ordering an intimidating police presence, and threatening to make tax protesters pay for their police "protection". He also ordered police to assist opponents of Dillon's recall. When police officers saw a citizen circulating a recall petition, the officers would notify Andy Dillon's blockers who would then converge on the petition circulator in an effort to block people from signing the recall petition. Well, Supervisor Miles Handy was swept out of office yesterday by Democratic primary voters supporting challenger Tracey Kobylarz! It was a very close election, with Kobylarz winning by just 118 votes. Could this YouTube video (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghs59YYtEwM) about Boss Handy's heavy-handedness have played a role in Handy's defeat? The video was viewed 4,491 times since it was posted on the internet - and emailed to hundreds of Redford voters. Other Dillon allies defeated Other Andy Dillon supporters were resoundingly rejected by voters in Democratic primaries yesterday. Joan Gebhardt works on Speaker Dillon's staff at tax payer expense - except when she spent several months harassing recall petition circulators and coordinating the blockers and convicted felons hired to stop Dillon's recall by any means necessary. Gebhardt, backed by Speaker Dillon, ran for 12th District Wayne County Commissioner (Westland, Inkster, Livonia) in the Democratic primary - and was defeated by 247 votes by Hilliard Hampton. Could this YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOBivWps5Hk) video, watched by 4,762 viewers have made a difference? Another close Dillon ally is Wayne County Commissioner Phil Cavanagh, who lent at least two of his staffers to Speaker Dillon's efforts to block recall petition circulators. Three vehicles used by anti-recall blockers to transport thugs, stalk petitioners, and otherwise harass citizen petition circulators had license plates registered to Commissioner Cavanagh. Cavanagh ran against long-time incumbent Wayne County Clerk Ray Wojtowicz in an effort to help expand Dillon's political reach, but was defeated soundly by Democratic primary voters. Would Dillon have been recalled? What would've happened if the question of recalling House Speaker Andy Dillon been on the ballot in yesterday's election? Would Andy Dillon have become the first House Speaker in U.S. history to be recalled from office?
The question of whether to recall Andy Dillon would have been listed on the ballot below the partisan election contests. First, voters in the Democratic primary would've been asked whether Dillon should be the Democrat nominee for a third-term beginning in January. Then, ALL voters (including Republicans who didn't vote in the Democratic primary) would've been asked whether Dillon should be immediately recalled.
Dillon received 6,298 votes in the Democratic primary for the 17th District State House seat. All of his opponents, Democrats and Republicans combined, received a total of 5,510 votes. In short, Dillon beat all comers by 788 votes. But would an active recall campaign, including mailings highlighting his key role in raising taxes, resulted in significantly lower support for Dillon? Would a funded, aggressive recall campaign made the difference?
First tax-raising Lansing incumbent defeated by Democrats!
"Slezak, the vice president of Photo Factory USA, is outspending Hammon by more than two to one and is hoping to use his Right to Life endorsement and an anti-tax message to slide by Hammon in what could be the most substantial challenge to a House incumbent in the primary. "(Hammon's) been caught sleeping," said one on-the-field observer.
A former local baseball and football standout with a popular local family name, Slezak is running to the political right of Hammon, a 20-year public official at the county and city level, who also made a name for himself in athletics back in the day. Reports from the ground have Slezak trying to take advantage of sky-high gas prices and Hammon's support for the '07 income tax increase...
...MIRS has learned that the House Democratic caucus' incumbency protection program has been activated and Hammon is receiving help as the campaign reaches its final week." Rep. Hammon got hammered by Democrats for supporting the tax hikes! And Slezak had enough campaign money to get that message out, despite efforts by Andy Dillon's Democrat "incumbency protection program" to save his tax-raising colleague. Dillon `won' yesterday by 788 total votes with no active campaign against him. No mailings against him and no media stories highlighting his tax record. If the campaign to recall Speaker Andy Dillon had been successful in gathering sufficient signatures to place the question on yesterday's ballot, my bet is that Andy Dillon would have been recalled from office. Andy Dillon survived, but his political infrastructure is crippled. His closest ally, Miles Handy was defeated. His staffer, Joan Gebhardt, was rejected at the polls, and his hopes of extending his reach into Wayne County politics by helping elect Phil Cavanagh as County Treasurer backfired. Instead, Cavanagh gave up his County Commission seat only to be crushed by voters. Are voters done punishing incumbents who voted for the record tax hike last year? For many tax-raising lawmakers in `swing seats', November may be as gloomy as August is now for Rep. Hammon and Dillon's defeated allies. Stay tuned,
Leon Drolet
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Bye, Bye Boss Hogg - yesterday's primary damages Andy Dillon | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 hidden)
Bye, Bye Boss Hogg - yesterday's primary damages Andy Dillon | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 hidden)
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