With only two weeks to go in an election that has by every indication shown that it will go down to the wire, the Democratic nominee for governor, Mark Schauer, is charging hard at his opponent, Republican incumbent governor Rick Snyder.
Schauer, in a wide-ranging interview with the Michigan Chronicle last week, said the Nov. 4 election is a referendum on the governor and his policies, not just on the right-to-work law itself.
“I don’t think the election is a referendum on one particular thing. I think it’s a referendum on Rick Snyder’s policies, his ideology in totality. He campaigned four years ago as one tough nerd. He was going to focus on jobs. His economic policies have not worked,” Schauer said. “His tough choices haven’t been tough on the wealthy. He’s been tough on working people, kids in school, women, seniors.”
Schauer and Snyder have sparred over education funding, especially after the Democratic flag bearer made education his flagship issue in this election. In fact, Schauer is running on the mantra of being the education governor and lambasting Snyder for a billion dollars in education cuts that the governor denied took place.
When asked about who owns the facts in the education debate, Schauer answered, “It’s kids, teachers in the classrooms, school board members, parents. I just went to Ford Elementary School in Dearborn the other day. The superintendent said the school district has lost $470 per pupil. The principal introduced us around to teachers who are taking money out of their pockets to buy supplies for the school.”
Schauer said overcrowded classrooms like the ones at the Ford school in Dearborn and including inadequate resources for special needs makes education front and center of this election.
“That’s real. Rick Snyder is an accountant. Maybe on his spreadsheet it looks like he’s doing more to help schools but he’s not,” Schauer said. “My vision and my values are different from his.”
Schauer said if elected he would disband the controversial Education Achievement Authority (EAA) because it has not proven to be a useful tool to address public education in the state.
“My concern is about kids in the classroom. This is about his policies when it comes to unregulated charter schools. The EAA was a mistake and a disaster,” Schauer said. “All of these things amount to an undermining of our public schools.”
On Detroit’s financial crisis, Schauer said if he was governor he would not have gone against the will of Michigan and Detroit voters who opposed the emergency manager law.
“I would not have overturned the will of the voters who rejected PA 4. I would have personally led and used all of the tools and resources in my office and work with the City of Detroit,” Schauer said. “I have pointed out that Snyder cut $69 million in revenue sharing to the City of Detroit in his first year and that didn’t help matters.”
President Barack Obama is expected to campaign in Detroit Nov. 1 for the Democratic ticket and former president Bill Clinton will be in Flint on Oct. 22 to get the vote out for Democrats in a competitive race.
Schauer says the visit by Obama and Clinton underscores the importance of the election, and voters should come out on Election Day.
“The message it sends is that if we want change we have to vote,” Schauer said. “Rick Snyder was elected because of low voter turnout by Democrats, about 44 percent overall in 2010 compared to 53 percent in 2006 came out then.”
Schauer said when he first set out to run for governor, “I believe there was a pathway,” to winning the election.
“Rick Snyder is now applying 4.25 pension tax on our retirees. They are paying $3100 dollars more a year as a result of Rick Snyder’s policies. I want to repeal the Snyder pension tax,” Schauer said pointedly.
On the rape insurance legislation, which became law, the Democratic nominee said if elected, “I will ask the legislature to put a bill on my desk to repeal the rape insurance.”
The education battle is helping to define the governor’s race. Standing for public education means supporting the Detroit Public Schools and getting rid of the emergency manager, Schauer said.
“It is time to get rid of the EM and EAA and take the profit motive out of public education. This is going to take a community approach, elected school board members, the mayor and elected leaders in the city of Detroit. We have to commit to our public schools.”
Bankole Thompson is the editor of the Michigan Chronicle. E-mail bthompson@michronicle.com.
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