plus 3, UPDATED: Lansing's Bernero enters Michigan governor's race - Morning Sun

UPDATED: Lansing's Bernero enters Michigan governor's race - Morning Sun
Lansing mayor enters Democratic governor’s race - The Oakland Press
Temp falls by 10 degrees - Tribune
Virg Bernero officially kicks off Democratic bid for governor at ... - MLive.com

UPDATED: Lansing's Bernero enters Michigan governor's race - Morning Sun

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 03:46 PM PST

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By DAVID N. GOODMAN
Associated Press Writer

DETROIT (AP) - Partisanship and insider politics are blocking efforts to restore Michigan's economic health, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said Monday as he kicked off his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Speaking at the Detroit Chassis LLC plant in Detroit, Bernero, the 45-year-old son of a former GM worker, painted himself as a political outsider and said the state has tried Republican and Democratic ways of governing and now needs to find "the Michigan way."

"Our current leaders have delivered little more than the same old partisan bickering, obstructionism and gridlock," he said to the roughly 100 supporters who gathered, as RV chassis moved along the assembly line behind him.

He said state leaders have "presided over budget debacle after budget debacle and state government shutdowns ... while our beloved state has climbed to the top of the list in unemployment and foreclosures and one-way trips out of state."

"It's tim e to take back our state before it's too late," Bernero said.

Bernero criticized his party's selection process, saying some leaders told him he should "get out of the way and let someone else run."

"Some said they were looking for a candidate with great personal wealth who could pay for the campaign out of his or her pocket," he said, an apparent reference to University of Michigan regent Denise Ilitch.

Ilitch is daughter of Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch and has expressed interest in the race, as have House Speaker Andy Dillon, former state Treasurer Robert Bowman and former Genesee County Treasurer Dan Kildee.

State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith is the only other Democrat who has said she's running for the office.

"I can't believe I'd see the day when my Democratic party thinks being rich, or well-connected, is the most important qualification" in a candidate for governor, Bernero said.

Despite little name recognition, B ernero could be a serious contender if he can raise money for TV ads and court union leaders who'd been backing Lt. Gov. John Cherry before his withdrawal, said political analyst William Rustem of Public Sector Consultants.

"It depends on who gets in," said Rustem. "He's been a successful vote-getter in both the state Legislature and the mayoral arenas. ... The Democratic field is still developing."

Bernero served from 2001-06 as a state representative and state senator and was sworn in last month to his second term as Lansing mayor.

He planned to stop in Grand Rapids Monday afternoon and Lansing that evening.

Five Republicans hoping to capitalize on Granholm's low job approval ratings have been running since last year.

They are Attorney General Mike Cox, U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard and state Sen. Tom George.

Bernero is little known among voters outside of mid-Michigan. He drew attention as a fierce advocate for autoworkers in national television interviews as General Motors and Chrysler struggled to stay afloat.

Bernero formed a national alliance of mayors of auto towns to press Congress and the White House to support manufacturing and assist in Michigan's economic recovery.

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Lansing mayor enters Democratic governor’s race - The Oakland Press

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:06 PM PST

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Temp falls by 10 degrees - Tribune

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 12:19 PM PST

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Warring egos of babus

Officials on higher ranks have the most fragile egos as they are accustomed to the "yes sir" culture with which their subordinates feed their egos in routine. But the scenario undergoes a change as the officials come out of the four walls of their offices and are dealt at an equal footing at public functions.

The VVIP arena at SCD Government College, Ludhiana, became a battleground of the warring egos during the Republic Day function as the top ranking officials from the judiciary and district administration and politicians wanted seats in the front rows.

The organisers, despite their repeated requests, were unsuccessful in budging the VVIPs from their seats for none was ready to listen to the logic of earmarked seats as each one wanted a seat near Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. But the worst came when some officials went to the extent of threatening the organisers with, "Dekh lenge phir tumhein office mein" (We will deal with you in the office).

Commendable!

At last the civic body which usually remains under fire for its lackadaisical attitude towards encroachments seems to have done some good work, even though it was moved into action by repeated reprimands from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Thanks to a tough stand taken by the MC top brass that the city is suddenly witness to a flurry of activity and people from all walks of life, including shopkeepers, traders and house owners, are carrying out demolition of extensions, steps, ramps and other permanent structures put up on public streets and roads.

Even though for the time being one has to face a bit of inconvenience due to heaps of debris all along the city roads, the ongoing activity is bound to give a facelift to the city in days to come. This, however, remains to be seen as to how the civic administration ensures that the encroachments do not reappear and public streets and busy roads continue to be free from obstructions.

Smart kid

Children can leave anybody wondering with their repartee. A similar story happened with a city resident when she was asking her husband for money. The duo argued about the expenditure for a few minutes.

Their three-year-old granddaughter, who was playing nearby, suddenly started singing the popular Hindi number "Kyu paisa-paisa karti hai". The grandmother was shocked to find that the song was meant for nobody else but her.

Amusing contrasts!

Someone has rightly said, "One realises the true value of money only when one starts working." A friend of mine, who was in love with a cosy couch, recently opted for a job at an educational institute. As he received his first salary, all his friends gathered at an eating joint for a treat. While having a pizza he mocked at the unique contrast witnessed in the country. He said, "We live in a country where pizza reaches our homes faster than the ambulance and the police, where one can get a car loan at the rate of 5 per cent but education loan is available at 12 per cent, where decent quality rice come for Rs 30 per kg, but SIM cards are free."

Talking about his job profile, he said the institute authorities made him work round the clock, but gave him meagre salary in return and started laughing, "Our country is just full of contrasts."

V-Day, close to heart

Love is in the air with the Valentine's Day just round the corner. While every youngster is planning something special for the day to make his/ her beloved happy, my uncle is not the one to lag behind.

It was on this day that my uncle had met the love of his love at the airport. Every Valentine's Day, he plans a trip for both of them so that they can go to that airport where they had met for the first time.

Recalling the day, my uncle said it was love at first site for him while it took some time for my aunt to listen to the voice of her heart. "Valentine's Day is a very special day for us, not because it is the day meant for lovers but it was the day we first met," he said. This year for Valentine's, my young-at-heart uncle is planning a trip for his wife and himself to Singapore where both of them will relive their initial days of courtship.

Tailpiece

A customer asked a liquor vend owner to give him two bottles of beer meant for kids. Shocked at the weird demand, the man at the counter snubbed the customer and retorted, "Are you drunk? Don't you know liquor is not meant for children?"

To this, the whimsical customer replied with a grin, "Then why have you written "child beer" outside your counter?"

Apparently, the painter had, at the time of painting the counter, made a glaring spelling mistake by writing "child beer" instead of "chilled beer", which the vend owner did not notice till this customer actually asked for "child beer".

Contributed by: Anshu Seth, Kuldip Bhatia, Kanchan Vasdev, Mohit Khanna, Manav Mander, Charu Chhibber

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Virg Bernero officially kicks off Democratic bid for governor at ... - MLive.com

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:06 AM PST

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By The Associated Press

February 08, 2010, 11:26AM

AP PhotoLansing Mayor Virg Bernero kicks off his Democratic bid for governor at Detroit Chassis in Detroit on Monday.

DETROIT — Partisanship and insider politics are blocking efforts to restore Michigan's economic health, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said Monday as he kicked off his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Speaking at the Detroit Chassis LLC plant in Detroit, Bernero, the 45-year-old son of a former GM worker, painted himself as a political outsider and said the state has tried Republican and Democratic ways of governing and now needs to find "the Michigan way."

"Our current leaders have delivered little more than the same old partisan bickering, obstructionism and gridlock," he said to the roughly 100 supporters who gathered, as RV chassis moved along the assembly line behind him.

He said state leaders have "presided over budget debacle after budget debacle and state government shutdowns ... while our beloved state has climbed to the top of the list in unemployment and foreclosures and one-way trips out of state."

"It's time to take back our state before it's too late," Bernero said.

Bernero served from 2001-06 as a state representative and state senator and was sworn in last month to his second term as Lansing mayor.

He planned to stop in Grand Rapids Monday afternoon and Lansing that evening.

State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith is the only other Democrat who has said she's running for the office, but several other Democrats have indicated they are considering entering the race, including House Speaker Andy Dillon; University of Michigan Regent Denise Ilitch; former state Treasurer Robert Bowman and former Genesee County Treasurer Dan Kildee.

Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm leaves office at year's end because of term limits.

Five Republicans hoping to capitalize on Granholm's low job approval ratings have been running since last year. At this point, they have a decided advantage over their Democratic counterparts in name recognition and fundraising.

They are Attorney General Mike Cox, U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard and state Sen. Tom George.

Bernero is little known among voters outside of mid-Michigan. He drew attention as a fierce advocate for autoworkers in national television interviews as GM and Chrysler Group LLC struggled to stay afloat in late 2008 and get through bankruptcy last year.

Bernero formed a national alliance of mayors of auto towns to press Congress and the White House to support manufacturing and assist in Michigan's economic recovery.

Bernero also made the rounds on local and national talk shows this morning, with appearances on the Paul W. Smith show on WJR and CNN's "American Morning." He emphasized Michigan's manufacturing history in both interviews and sought to rekindle that manufacturing base along with new jobs in a green economy.

"We want the greasy jobs and the green jobs," was a line Bernero used in both interviews.

Listen to the audio of Bernero on WJR above and watch the video of him on CNN below for more.

MLive.com producer Mike Itchue contributed to this report.

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