October 2006 Field Report -
Southeast Michigan
By: Tony Daunt – Southeast Michigan Field Director
Election Day 2006
Every two years, the Michigan Association of REALTORS® and a vast majority of its local associations spend time inviting, interviewing and endorsing candidates who are running for election in our state. From United States Senator to the Governor of Michigan to your area State Representative, the candidates are asked a variety of questions meant to gauge their support for the issues that are important to you and your peers. Thanks to this process, we are able to have a significant impact on a number of public policy matters, including on-site septic inspections, tax policy, and the impact that industry standards can have on consumer satisfaction. We are an association with close to 35,000 members and our opinion is highly valued at the local, state, and national levels and our support on Election Day – and in the weeks leading up to it – can make a huge difference on the future direction of Michigan. We ask that you look in your mailbox for a voter card that will list all of the candidates in your area that the association recommends for election. For those of you who may not have seen the email that went out last week, our association is proud to be supporting the following statewide candidates:
- United State Senator – Mike Bouchard
- Governor of the State of Michigan – Dick DeVos (and running mate Ruth Johnson)
- Secretary of State – Terri Lynn Land
- Attorney General – Mike Cox
Each of these individuals has proven to be a reliable supporter of our issues and we are confident that they will continue to listen to our concerns in the years ahead. They will be included in the voter card that will be mailed to you along with the various candidates for your specific state and federal districts.
In addition to endorsing the various candidates for elected offices, the Michigan Association of REALTORS® has taken a public stance on two of the five ballot proposals facing voters this November. These have been discussed a number of times in several of our other publications and I apologize if some of this is repetitive. However, the importance of ensuring the passage of one (Proposal 4) and the defeat of another (Proposal 5) demands additional coverage.
As explained in previous articles, Proposal 4 arose in the aftermath of the United States Supreme Court’s egregious decision in the Kelo v. City of New London case in June 2005. By a narrow 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court determined that taking one person’s private property and giving it to another private individual for the sole purpose of increased tax revenues to the community was a “public good” and therefore an acceptable use of the government’s eminent domain powers. As you can imagine, this prompted a furious response from private property owners, organizations like the MAR that are committed to the protection of property rights, and legislators from both sides of the aisle. Thankfully, the Michigan Supreme Court has recently upheld the rights of property owners by limiting how eminent domain can be used. But lawmakers and property rights advocates said amending the state constitution would enshrine those rights for generations to come. Specifically, Proposal 4 would offer the following protections should it pass:
- Prohibit local governments from using eminent domain to take someone’s property and turn it over to a private third party for redevelopment.
- Require local governments to pay homeowners at least 125 percent of a home’s fair market value if it is taken under an eminent domain action.
- Set a higher standard for governments to meet in order to declare a property as “blighted.”
- Preserve existing rights of property owners.
These are of crucial importance to our industry and the Michigan Association of REALTORS® support a “YES” vote on this proposal.
Proposal 5 – well, that’s an entirely different story! And while we are a leader on this issue just as we are with Proposal 4, our focus is on defeating this initiative and averting the catastrophic impact it will have on the state’s budget should it pass. This proposal, more commonly known as the K-16 Initiative, guarantees that the education unions will receive an annual, inflationary increase in their state funding level without regard to the amount of money the state actually receives in a given year and without the input of your elected officials in Lansing. With an initial year cost of at least $565 million above and beyond current funding levels, there are only two options for the legislature to find this additional revenue – drastic cuts to vital government services (such as community police and fire services) or a dramatic increase in your taxes. Michigan’s budget is already strained thanks to the stagnant state of our economy and passing Proposal 5 would throw a $565 million anchor around an already sinking ship. We ask that you study this issue and share your concerns with family, friends and peers. You can go to our website – www.mirealtors.com – to learn more about this proposal and what you can do to defeat it. Remember, one of the first places government looks to when increasing taxes is real estate. Whether it is property taxes, the transfer tax, or expanding the sales tax to include services, you will be one of the first groups asked to open your wallets!
Finally, it must be said that without your support, none of this involvement in public policy issues would be possible. You must be willing to share this association’s position on these issues with your family, friends and associates. And a special thanks to all who have contributed to RPAC in this important election year. The funds that you have so generously donated are being used at this very moment to print flyers, run radio ads and educate the public on the importance of protecting the interests of private property owners and the real estate industry. And please, for heaven’s sake – GET OUT AND VOTE ON NOVEMBER 7TH!
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have about this article or any other association matter at 800.454.7842.
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Ballots Proposal
The most important thing you can do this election is to get to the polls and vote on November 7. Below is a short breakdown of the two ballot issues in greater detail than I discussed above.
Vote YES on Proposal 4
Proposal 4 ensures the protection of private property rights. By voting YES on Proposal 4, citizens are ensuring that government takeover will be closely monitored and strictly adhered to in cases of condemnation of private property.
Key Points to Know about Proposal 4:
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If passed this November, Proposal 4 will limit how and when local governments can use the power of eminent domain to take property for the purpose economic development
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Private Property rights are a core value of the Michigan Association of Realtors®, and we will continue to fight for the rights of property owners in this state
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MAR is leading the charge in the Protect Our Property Rights Coalition, a group consisting of businesses, developers and private property owners banded together to advocate on behalf of private property owners in Michigan
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While the power of eminent domain is a necessary tool for all governments, it is one that should be used in extremely rare cases and only then under tightly specified parameters
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By voting Yes on Proposal 4 in November, you are ensuring the protection of private property rights from the abuse of government takeover
Vote NO on Proposal 5
The Michigan Association of REALTORS® agrees that school quality and education are necessary and vital components in all communities throughout the state.
However:
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The K-16 proposal for additional automatic funding increases would cause a massive gap in the already strained state budget, leading to further cuts in other areas such as fire and police protection.
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It is almost certain that taxes would have to increase, including a higher property tax and possibly expanding the sales tax to include services if this proposal passes.
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Tax increases would further damage Michigan’s economy and devastate the real estate industry by softening the housing market.
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The proposal would cost Michigan citizens at least $1.1 billion a year more than is already provided in K-12 education financing.
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There will be no performance accountability for Michigan’s educational institutions. The “autopilot” funding proposal immunizes education interests from standards or expectations of results and how finances are being spent.
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Any compromise by the Legislature on this or any other spending mandate guaranteeing annual funding increases would be highly detrimental to our state, which is already in the midst of a slumped economy.
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Polling
Candidates for office and political parties have long used polling as a way to gauge the effectiveness of their message, what issues voters are concerned about, and which candidate is leading in a particular race.
Most often, polling is an art, rather than a science. The results of the poll can often be determined by how a question is worded, if there is a gender or party imbalance, or the number of people being interviewed.
The media, as well as candidates and parties, often overemphasize polling because they are nothing more than a snapshot of what a particular set of people (usually about 600) are thinking. A poll with a margin of error of more than +/-3.5% is basically worthless because what it really means is one candidate’s percentage is within a 7 point range and the same goes for the other candidate.
Polls will get different results from “registered voters” than they do from “likely voters.” Different polling firms will often get different results. Some will even skew their results to a particular side because that is who hired them.
The media often will make the story about who is 2 points up today and they might be 1 point behind tomorrow. The best thing to glean from polling is trends—that is, who is moving up and who is moving down.
The bottom line is the only poll that matters is the one on election day. Don’t forget to vote November 7.
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October 2006
Field Report
• Election Day 2006
• Ballot Proposals
• Polling
Tony represents:
• Ann Arbor Area
• Dearborn
• Detroit
• CBOR
• Down River
• Grosse Pointe
• Lenawee County
• Livingston County
• MCAR
• Monroe County
• North Oakland County
• Western Wayne Oakland County
Other Field Reports:
Archives:
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