by Cynthia Price
Legal News
While certain themes emerged along party lines, there was little
unanimity among Third Congressional District candidates who appeared at a forum Monday before Grand Rapids Bar members.
With the August 3 primary right around the corner, candidates who spoke seemed to feel the urgency of distinguishing themselves from other panelists regardless of party.
Three of the panelists are lawyers themselves — Steve Heacock, Louise “Ellie” Johnson, and Patrick Miles — as is another candidate who did not attend, Justin Amash. Miles was president of the Grand Rapids Bar from 2004 to 2005, immediately after,
he pointed out at the forum, the
recently-deceased Robert Dugan (see story at left).
In opening and closing statements as well as in responses to difficult questions posed by audience members, the aspiring congressional representatives demonstrated a high level of familiarity with the issues and, for the most part, very specific recommendations to bring about the changes each wanted to see.
Four of the forum panelists are running against each other on the Republican side in the August primary.
Senator Bill Hardiman made the first opening statement. Hardiman currently represents the 29th District in the Michigan Senate. He emphasized that when he was mayor of Kentwood, that position entailed acting as city manager as well, unlike other local municipalities. He therefore has experience with managing people and developing and implementing budgets.
Hardiman was followed by Steve Heacock, who has been endorsed by the long-serving but retiring holder of the Congressional seat in question, Vern Ehlers. Heacock said, “at the risk of pandering to the audience,” that he was once designated Michigan Lawyer of the Year. He worked in a variety of practice areas at Warner Norcross and Judd, including defending taxpayers in IRS cases. Stating, “It’s my community work that really defines me,” he said that it was his ability to bring together disparate forces that got him the job as Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of Van Andel Institute medical research facility. He proudly announced that the first four-year class starts this fall.
Louise Johnson said she is a criminal defense attorney who tries a large number of cases. She felt compelled to enter the race because she sees much that is wrong with what is taking place now.“Our government has turned into a parent — and I submit an enabling parent.” She feels there should be lower taxes and less but more efficient government.
Robert Overbeek was a schoolteacher but said he was jolted into awareness that “our country is in serious trouble” when he served in Afghanistan as an officer in the Air Force. “The big money, the corporate interests, party bosses and moneyed elites have hijacked our system of government. They control pretty much everything.”
Overbeek made the unusual move of capping contributions to his campaign at $1, which means that his campaign relies on avenues such as social media and door-to-door visits. This does not mean, however, that other interest groups cannot run television ads on his behalf. Overbeek did not respond to suggestions by his fellow panelists that ads smearing some of them might have been issued with his approval.
On the Democratic side, Paul Mayhue is also a former Kent County Commissioner. He gave as an example having saved Cherry Street Health Services during his 19-year stint, as well as working on mental health parity, with a number of positive repercussions over the years. He also talked about his humble background, and said he is “not afraid to confront issues, not afraid to confront big business.”
The second Democratic candidate, Patrick Miles, has worked as an attorney in Grand Rapids ever since his graduation from Harvard Law School — first at Varnum, now at Dickinson Wright. “The reason I’m running,” he told his fellow bar members, “is that I’m truly frustrated by the lockstep party approach in Washington. This extreme partisanship is not serving us well.” Though he has not held office, he is a dedicated community leader, chairing such organizations as Inner City Christian Federation and the Aquinas College board.
Several challenging questions were posed to the candidates by attendees, through moderator Jeff Cranson of the Grand Rapids Press.
The first had to be answered along party lines. What would the Republican candidates have worked to support that has been passed during the Obama administration, and what would the Democratic candidates have supported under the Bush administration?
All of the Republican candidates gave a qualified answer, saying that portions of some bills would have been palatable but the final product was not. Heacock and Johnson said they liked portions of the health care reform package but thought the final bill went too far — Heacock saying, “There was agreement on affordability,” and Johnson indicating support for requiring pre-existing conditions coverage. Heacock also said that he saw some good in the financial overhaul bill, but thought Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should have been included.
Hardiman said that he very much respects the president’s emphasis on family and fatherhood. Overbeek replied that he believes one problem with Congress is that it is overpopulated with lawyers, which he regards as a challenge to the constitutional separation of powers because attorneys are officers of the court.
Miles responded that he was disappointed that his fellow candidates could not come up with a single unreserved support statement for the current administration’s work. He said that he would have supported the TARP bill under Bush as “a necessary evil,” so that taxpayers would not be burdened with paying for the errors of large financial institutions. He said he would have voted for Bush’s immigration policy, and supported the former president’s policy on aid to Africa.
Mayhue said he was very pleased with the Mental Health Parity statutes passed during the Bush years.
The candidates went on to give thoughtful and sometimes surprising answers to questions about withdrawing from Afghanistan, the health care reform bill, and whether the United States should require full disclosure of who is paying for ads by tax-exempt organizations , the so-called 527 ads.
Nearly everyone thought there should be some type of disclosure, but some Republicans felt it should not go as far as naming individual names.
Each candidate closed with a summary of why their qualifications and/or issue positions warranted a vote. Johnson said she will be a “blunt” advocate for transparency; Hardiman stressed again his experience in both administration and legislation; Overbeek said he will not be beholden to moneyed interests so he can fight for the average person. Heacock said that he is overwhelmed at the importance of this position in today’s climate and is qualified to seek compromise and collaboration.
Miles said he focuses on jobs and the economy, education, and the budget. He feels supporting small business will be critical in economic recovery, with 64% of new net jobs over the past 15 years having come from small businesses.
Most referred participants to their web sites.
The fifth Republican candidate, Justin Amash, has stated publicly that he will not attend more debates, noting of previous ones, “None have been particularly useful for reaching the voters,” though he simply declined the Grand Rapids Bar’s invitation without explanation.
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