March 3, 2011 - 4:43pm
Job creation to be hot topic during Sunday's gubernatorial debate
BY JORDAN ROCHELSON
The economy, jobs and small businesses may be topics of discussion during the only scheduled Michigan gubernatorial debate of the election season, according to a University political expert and campus leaders.
On Sunday, the candidates for Michigan’s governor — Democrat Virg Bernero and Republican Rick Snyder — will debate issues affecting the state. Hosted by the Center for Michigan, the debate will be aired at 7 p.m. on Detroit Public TV. In addition to discussing each candidate’s different career background, the focus is expected to be on the candidates’ approaches to fixing Michigan’s economy.
Communications Prof. Michael Traugott said the economy is the most pressing topic the two candidates will address.
“I don’t think the candidates can avoid talking about the economy,” Traugott said.
In August, Michigan’s unemployment rate was the second highest in the nation at 13.1 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both candidates are focusing on jobs creation as a way to fix the state’s fiscal woes.
But that’s where the similarities end.
Snyder’s experience is in business, not politics. He received his MBA from the University in 1979. In 1991 he joined Gateway, where he later became CEO. During his time at Gateway, he helped the company create more than 9,000 jobs, according to The Associated Press
Throughout the gubernatorial race thus far, Snyder’s lack of political experience has been a point of concern for people across the aisle.
“Bernero is going to claim that inexperience is a liability,” Traugott said.
Bernero, the current mayor of Lansing, has created about 6,000 new jobs in the city, according to The Associated Press.
Though Snyder’s background is entirely in business, his lack of political experience could make him appealing.
Throughout his campaign, Snyder has called attention to many of the state’s current issues, attributing these problems to poor leadership in the state legislature, Traugott said.
But Snyder’s campaign has been centered not just on replacing the current government, but rather on recreating a new system to boost the state out of its current economic situation.
Synder’s main campaign slogan has been, “We can’t just fix it, we need to reinvent Michigan.”
According to projections of the midterm election results, Snyder seems to have the lead. In a New York Times midterm election forecast, Snyder has a 95.7-percent chance of winning the Nov. 2 election.
According to Traugott, Bernero has more to gain from debating and Snyder has more to lose. He said this is because Bernero isn’t as well known and the debate will provide an opportunity to make more Michiganders aware of his views.
Brendan Campbell, chair of the University’s chapter of College Democrats, said Bernero’s campaign platform has repeatedly stressed the importance of supporting the state’s students.
“(Bernero) really represents students … he’s said time and time again that our students are the future of Michigan,” Campbell said.
In regard to what Bernero will focus on during the debate, Campbell said it’s obvious.
“Jobs, jobs, jobs,” he said.
Bernero has placed significant emphasis on creating jobs through the success of small businesses within the state, Campbell said. If elected, Bernero hopes to implement the creation of a state bank, which he hopes will serve as a primary source of aid for small businesses.
Should Bernero follow through with this plan if he wins the race, Michigan would be the second state in the country — North Dakota being the only one currently — with a state bank. The bank would provide loans for small businesses, which would allow them to offer higher-paying jobs to recent college graduates, Campbell said.
Charles Bogren, chair of the University’s chapter of College Republicans, said Snyder has similar goals to help the state’s small businesses, but that the Ann Arbor businessman is better equipped to turn them into a reality.
Snyder is poised to make big changes to small businesses simply because he has “long standing in the private sector of job creation,” Bogren said.
During the debate, Snyder will most likely emphasize his business background, Bogren predicted.
“He brings a point of view that Michigan needs,” Bogren said. “He is not a career politician.”
