DETROIT — Democrat Virg Bernero and Republican Rick Snyder faced off in the first and what is expected to be the only televised debate between the two candidates on Sunday night at Detroit Public Television’s studio in Wixom.
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The debate was aired statewide on public and commercial television stations. Following the debate, many observers have said that the candidates’ plans for fixing the issues that plague the state weren’t detailed or specific enough, but each candidate gave glimpses into their prospective plans if elected governor on November 2, the date of the general election.
Snyder, an Ann Arbor-based businessman also known as the “Tough Nerd,” talked about his 10-point plan for the state in his opening statement, which can be found on www.rickformichigan.com. He called for a “new era of innovation” and “getting back to the roots of entrepreneurship” in Michigan.
Bernero, the current mayor of Lansing, talked about how his city’s region has the second-lowest unemployment number in the state and touted his track record of creating 6,000 new jobs while in office and securing about a half-billion dollars in investments. Visit Bernero’s campaign website for additional information on his accomplishments and plans at www.votevirg.com.
“The Angry Mayor,” a nickname Bernero got during his staunch defense of the auto industry in Washington, D.C., also took on an aggressive tone during the debate, criticizing his opponent for “shipping thousands of jobs overseas to China as chief executive outsourcing director at Gateway,” the computer company he once served as CEO of in the past.
Snyder admitted that jobs were outsourced during his tenure as a Gateway board director in the past but has argued that they weren’t his fault.
Regarding the economy, both candidates said they would avoid raising taxes on services or the elderly.
Bernero said he’d like to get rid of the Michigan Business Tax’s (MBT) 20% surcharge while Snyder said he would like to eliminate the tax entirely.
In response, Bernero said that Snyder’s plan to replace the MBT with a corporate income tax would hurt small businesses by making them pay perhaps as much as three times what they pay now, which Snyder denied.
Regarding home foreclosures, Snyder said that a banking moratorium on them would send a bad sign that Michigan “is closed for business” and said that the practice could trigger a panic as similar practices did during the Great Depression.
Bernero said he was for a moratorium, however, saying that the banks are “getting away with murder” during the process and that it was best to “err on the side of the homeowner.”
Regarding spending, Bernero reiterated his city’s on-time, balanced budgets without general tax increases, while Snyder talked about the need to address public sector compensation while benchmarking it with private sector pay and benefits in a “thoughtful way.”
Regarding education, a question about how the state can better support higher education, which currently is supported less financially than prisons, Snyder called for more need-based financial aid as opposed to the Michigan Merit Scholarship, which is available to all students.
Bernero said that he would like to bring back the scholarship if elected, however, just one of many issues the two candidates disagreed on over the course of the night.
In regards to their outreach to the Arab American community, Bernero has been lauded for his outreach efforts both leading up to the primary election and the general election, as he visited with community leaders in September at the Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) in Dearborn. On October 5, local community leaders also hosted a fundraising dinner for Bernero at Byblos Banquets in Dearborn as well.
Snyder, after months of limited contact, has planned his own meeting for next week at the LAHC as well, during which he will meet with Arab American community leaders for the first time.
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