In the wake of evidence surfacing that proves the Snyder administration knew of a connection between Flint’s water and a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease a full ten months before they took action, and Snyder’s subsequent refusal to testify before a Congressional committee as to what happened in Flint, it’s not surprising that even the conservative Detroit News is beginning to turn on our “tough nerd” of a governor, using phrases like “cover-up,” and demanding that he step out from behind the FOIA shield and share his correspondences on everything Flint-related.
As bad as is to have played a part in giving dozens of children lead poisoning, apparently it’s worse to have had a hand in the deaths of ten constituents.
So, whereas a week ago it would have shocked me to have heard word coming out of the Michigan Attorney General’s office that their investigation in Flint could lead to manslaughter charges being filed due to “gross negligence” and “breach of duty,” it didn’t really surprise me today. Everyone, it would seem, is beginning to take this seriously… or at least they’re making a concerted effort to give that impression.
So it would seem that things are finally beginning to turn toward the more serious after last week’s decidedly less weighty Cakegate affair… And that’s a good thing.
Now, it looks like we have a decision to make… Do we want Snyder to stay in office and fix the mess he helped to create, or do we want to exert our power and kick him out of office in dramatic fashion? A week or so ago that second option wasn’t on the table. Now, though, thanks to a unanimous vote by the State Board of Canvassers, it is.
Yesterday, the State Board of Canvassers, in a 4-0 vote, approved recall petition language directed against Snyder. Given that both of the Republicans on the board approved it, and that the petition was drafted by a self-described Tea Party conservative, my first thought was that perhaps we might be watching a conservative conspiracy against Snyder beginning to unfold. “Do you think it’s possible that this petition was approved because DeVos, or other important conservatives, have made the decision that Snyder is no longer useful to them?”, I asked a friend of mine in Lansing. “Could it be that they’ve decided that Calley, who would take his place if he were voted out, would be better suited to push forward their agenda?” While I still think it’s possible, this friend of mine, whom I respect, told me it was probably just that the Board of Canvassers, who had voted not to approve about ten other petition drives focused at removing Snyder from office, just couldn’t find justification to keep this particular petition from moving forward. Furthermore, he said, if they really wanted to remove Snyder from office, the would have approved one of the petitions that was more clearly tied to the Flint disaster.
The petition that passed the board, you see, has nothing to do with Snyder’s handling of Flint. It was brought to the Board by Ben Lazarus, a member of the Warren Consolidated Schools Board of Education, and has to do with Snyder’s decision in 2015 to move the state School Reform Office to a department under his control by way of executive order. Lazarus, explained his motivation to the Detroit News as follows. “(Rick Snyder) has a toxic disdain for the rights of local government,” he said.
While Lazarus doesn’t have any kind of infrastructure behind him to meet the demands of an intensive petition drive like this, he suspects that he can find common cause with people and organizations that want Snyder out of office for their own reasons. The following clip comes from the Detroit News.
…Snyder used a March executive order to move the School Reform Office under the Department of Technology, Management and Budget, a move the state Board of Education quickly called “unconstitutional.” Lazarus noted the School Reform Office last week appointed a chief executive officer to run four East Detroit schools.
Lazarus told The News he does not have an established organization capable of running a statewide petition drive but is curious to see what other groups might be interested in partnering with him. He suggested animosity over the Flint water crisis could help the cause even though his recall language is not directly related.
“The next step is really to reach out to those coalition partners,” Lazarus said. “It is a daunting task, but I believe it can be accomplished, particularly in light of all the news in regards to Flint”…
It, by the way, is an incredibly difficult thing to pursue a petition drive such as this in Michigan, in part because of legislation that Snyder himself signed in 2012, which not only added rules about how such petitions had to be worded, but shortened the length of time people had in which to execute such drives. Before 2012, people had 90 days to get the required number of signatures. Now they only have 60. And that’s an incredibly short period in which to get 789,133 valid signatures, even with real, paid staff on every busy street corner, and a brilliant marketing campaign.
So, as I sit here wondering whether or not I’ll sign the petition to fire Rick Snyder, assuming it comes to fruition, there are two questions that come immediately to mind. First, I think we have to ask ourselves, is it in the best interest of the people of Flint who have been poisoned? And, second, I think we need to consider whether or not it leaves us in a better position to move forward as a state, putting the failed, non-democratic experiments of Rick Snyder and his Republican majority behind us?
And I’d love your feedback on this, as I’m torn. On one hand, I love the idea of the men and women of Michigan rising up, locking arms, and forcing the Governor from office for what he’s done. I think it would send a powerful message, and that, in itself, would be hugely impactful. Sending Snyder into retirement a full two and half years before he’s due to be term-limited out of office could mark a real turning point in Michigan. It could bring people together across party lines, create new coalitions, and bring young people to the table in a meaningful way. It could usher in a new era of reform in Michigan. And it might also send a signal to those out there like the Koch brothers, who are bankrolling similar administrations in other states, that the American people have finally had enough, and intend to fight back.
[In Michigan, an individual is limited two four-year terms as Governor, and Snyder’s second term started January 1, 2015. This means that, unless someone removes him from office, he still has roughly two years and 10 months to serve.]
On the other hand, however, if we’re able to collect the required signatures, get his removal from office on the ballot, and successfully vote him out, there’s no promise that things will get better. As stipulated in Michigan law, voting Snyder out would not trigger a new election. It would just mean that Lieutenant Governor of Michigan Brian Calley would assume the office and serve out Snyder’s term. And, Calley, as we know, is even more of an ideologue than Snyder. So I think it’s highly unlikely that we’d see him as an improvement over Snyder. Furthermore, I think it’s fair to assume that Calley would not feel the same responsibility toward the people of Flint that Snyder feels. And by saying that, I don’t mean to suggest that Snyder is hugely motivated to fix what happened in Flint because he cares deeply for the people he’s harmed. I just mean to say that, as the person who was ultimately responsible for the poisoning of FLint’s people, he’s likely more motivated than Calley to set things right, if only to improve the way he’s viewed in history. Furthermore, I suppose it could also be argued that such a petition drive could be a distraction from other work that desperately needs to be done in this state.
So, with all of that said, I’d like to know where you stand. Do you want Snyder out at any cost, even if it means bringing in someone just as bad? Or do you think that we should instead keep the pressure on Snyder, demanding that he set things right in Flint, while, at the same time, fighting to win back the House and working to identify, support and develop a candidate that can successfully run against the likes of Candice Miller, Bill Schuette, and Brian Calley when the time comes?