Three Things Thursday: October 13, 2022
Dear Michigan LCV Family,
Welcome to the October 13, 2022 edition of Three Things Thursday!
Before we get to this week’s Three Things, I want to invite you to join our expert team at 10:00 AM on Thursday, October 20th for a virtual presentation that will give you the inside scoop on our midterm elections. This must-not-miss presentation will get you up-to-speed on the latest polls in the most competitive races around Michigan. Our deputy director Bob Allison, along with members of our government affairs team, will give you the lowdown on how things are looking for our endorsed candidates, including –but certainly not limited to – Gov. Whitmer, Secretary of State Benson, and Attorney General Dana Nessel.
As you and I know very well: Michigan matters. We are proud Michiganders and we care deeply about what this state will look like in the years ahead. We understand that the outcome of the 2022 elections will have lasting implications for our Great Lakes and drinking water, our economy, and our ability to hold polluters accountable for their actions. And we know that what happens in Michigan– a so-called “purple state” that is home to both the auto industry and 20% of the Earth’s fresh surface water – has enormous implications for the nation as a whole.
I encourage you to join us for this exclusive briefing. To RSVP, please contact Suzanne Van Dam at 906-370-5358 or [email protected].
1. Michigan LCV unveils new endorsements
Today, the Michigan LCV team formally announced (1) our endorsement of Judge Sima Patel and (2) our endorsement of the public transit millages appearing on the November ballot in Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne Counties.
After being appointed to the court in March of 2022 by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Judge Sima Patel must now run in a special election to retain her seat on Michigan’s 2nd District Court of Appeals. Prior to her appointment, Judge Patel worked at the highest levels of Michigan’s judicial system. Just a few of her accomplishments to-date include:
- Clerked for six years in Michigan’s Supreme Court under Justices Weaver and Hathaway, and spent 11 years in private practice as an appellate attorney.
- In 2007, Judge Patel helped pen Justice Weaver’s dissenting opinion in the case MI Citizens for Water Conservation v. Nestle Waters, which argued for the rights of private citizens to be allowed to bring suit in Michigan.
Judge Patel is the first East-Indian American to sit on a Michigan Appellate Court, and one of only three minority members of the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Michigan LCV chose to endorse Judge Patel because she is a proven legal expert with decades of experience who will continue to serve as an impartial, nonpartisan judge on one of Michigan’s most important courts moving forward.
Read our press release on our endorsement of Judge Patel here.
Michigan LCV also endorsed the tri-county transit millages appearing on the ballot this November in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne Counties.
The transit millages will do the following:
Macomb County Public Transportation Millage
- A renewal of the 0.95 mill funding to keep the SMART buses rolling for another five years
- While SMART has been serving Macomb County for more than twenty years, in 2018, the renewal proposal came within 40 votes of being defeated and all transit services ended in Macomb after a misleading right-wing ad campaign.
Oakland County Public Transportation Millage
- A 0.95 mill levy for ten years to fund public transit throughout all of Oakland County, which will:
- Maintain existing SMART services, replacing its expiring millage
- Fund Oakland County, SMART, and rural transit providers
- Create new and expand bus routes connecting more of Oakland County
- Expand services for seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities countywide
- Not only renew existing SMART transit, but finally extend transit into Novi, Rochester, and other communities where you currently can’t go if you don’t drive.
Wayne County Public Transit Authority Millage
- Renewal of the 0.994 mill funding in current Wayne County SMART communities for another four years
- The SMART communities in Wayne County have long supported the millage renewal.
Michigan LCV chose to endorse the tri-county transit millages because this would be the largest expansion of southeast Michigan transit in decades. We believe that robust, accessible public transportation infrastructure is critical to healthy, vibrant communities, especially as we work to address the climate crisis and reduce carbon emissions. Together, the millages will help increase access to public transit, expand services for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities, and help reduce carbon emissions by providing alternatives to car traffic in the Greater Metro Detroit area.
2. Tonight’s Gubernatorial debate and opportunities to watch along
The gubernatorial debate between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican nominee Tudor Dixon is being held tonight at 7 pm, and the Michigan LCV team is going to be out-and-about at three different watch parties.
For folks in Metro Detroit, there will be a watch party from 6 – 8 pm at UAW Local 600. You can register to attend here. In Lansing, a watch party is being held at Midtown Brewing Company from 6 – 8:30, which you can register to attend here.
In Grand Rapids, there are two watch parties! From 6 – 9 pm, the Kent County Democratic Party is hosting a watch party at Long Roads Distillery, which you can register for here. Additionally, the African American Leadership Institute is hosting a Black Power Thursday watch party, which you can register to attend here.
Our teammate Wesley Watson has stepped up to help spread the word about the Black Power Thursday watch party, along with Lily Cheng Schulting, Speak Up Grand Rapids, LDM, Jump Ahead, the Grand Rapids Hip Hop Coalition, and others. This watch party is an excellent opportunity to elevate conversations and questions about environmental justice, inclusion, diversity, equity and authentic representation into the Michigan governor’s race.
In addition to watching the debate, special guest speakers include Kimberly Williams, NAACP Grand Rapids’ Cle Jackson, Kareem Scales, and Amaad Hardy.
I encourage you to tune in and watch tonight’s debate, which you can stream from 7 – 8 pm on WOOD TV 8.
3. New Michigan LCV team member spotlight: Roslyn Ogburn
With the pace of our work accelerating this fall, Michigan LCV has added another talented, dedicated individual to our team. I’m delighted to introduce Roslyn Obgurn, the newest member of the Michigan LCV family!
Roslyn, or Ros, joined the Michigan LCV in September as our new Partnerships Coordinator. In her new role, she is working with Partnerships Director Shannon Rochon to develop and strengthen Michigan LCV’s partnerships with outstanding individuals and organizations within the environmental justice, conservation, and pro-democracy spaces, as well as with businesses, sports teams, universities, and more!
Roslyn is a fourth generation Detroiter and mother of five, which is a big part of what brought her to this work. Prior to joining Michigan LCV, Roslyn worked as an environmental and housing specialist, organizing in the Detroit community for over 25 years.
The Michigan LCV staff is thrilled that Roslyn has joined our team, and we were also excited to learn that Roslyn is being honored by Mothering Justice later this month!
Mothering Justice – an amazing partner organization that works with and for mothers in Detroit – chose Roslyn as a 2022 Mamavist of the Year in recognition of the work she has done on behalf of mothers of color. Along with nine other phenomenal women, all of whom represent the vanguard of democracy, Roslyn will be honored during Mothering Justice’s 2022 Ballot Bash on Thursday, October 20 in Detroit!
Congratulations, Roslyn, on this amazing honor! We are so proud to have a 2022 Mamavist of the Year on our team!
As we head in the final three weeks of the election, please know we are here as a resource and as a means to take action. Whether you share information about our endorsed candidates, encourage people make contributions to some of our key candidates via GiveGreen, or want to sign up to knock doors for us…which you can do tomorrow (we have a canvass scheduled for Jennifer Conlin), on Saturday (we have a canvass scheduled in Ypsilanti for Whitmer/Benson/Nessel and Prop 2) or over the course of the next couple of weeks – THANK YOU!
Canvass for Jennifer Conlin for State Representative
Oct 14 from 3-6 pm
Ann Arbor, MI
Canvass for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Promote the Vote 2022
Oct 15 from 11 am – 2 pm
Ypsilanti, MI
Canvass for Betsy Coffia for State Representative
Oct 15 from 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Traverse City, MI
Canvass for Rosemary Bayer and Matt Koleszar for State Representative
Oct 17 from 3-6 pm
Plymouth, MI
Canvass for Sue Shink for State Senate
Oct 21 from 1-4 pm
Ann Arbor, MI
Canvass for Carol Glanville for State Representative
Oct 21 from 11 am – 2 pm
Walker, MI
Canvass for Jennifer Conlin for State Representative
Oct 25 from 4-7 pm
Ann Arbor, MI
Canvass for Veronica Klinefelt for State Senate
Oct 28 from 10 am – 1 pm
Eastpointe, MI
Canvass for Betsy Coffia for State Representative
Oct 29 from 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Traverse City, MI
Until next week….
Onward!
Lisa
