FREE a newspaper for the rest of us www.lansingcitypulse.com October 29-November 4, 2014 The ELECTIONissue WOLVES AND OTHER POLITICAL ANIMALS • PAGE 5 ABOVE AND BEYOND RECOGNITION ELFF DISCOVERY Michigan Women's Hall of Fame inducts 11 new members... p. 33 Mid-Michigan gets its close-up in 17th Annual East Lansing Film Festival... p. 36 2 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • October 29, 2014 Experience “To whom much is given, Product of the Lansing Schools, Sexton 1996 Growing up in a household of Lansing educators • •Doctoral student in Educational Policy at MSU and then entering the profession myself, I have much is expected.”•Professional Educator perspectives and experiences that have both •Parent in the Lansing School District shaped my foundation and sparked my passion •Community Collaborator • Coordinator, Fellowship for Instructional Leaders, for young people. Through my pursuit of -MSU, Office of K-12 Outreach a doctoral degree in educational policy • Michigan Educational Policy Fellowship Program and my work with Michigan State • Adjunct Professor, Olivet College University’s Office of K-12 Outreach, • Lansing Housing Commission • Greater Lansing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I have strengthened my knowledge base Holiday Commission and enhanced my commitment to -Chair, Essay and Scholarship Committees improving schools. My daughter’s fall • Black Men Incorporated of Greater Lansing enrollment in the Lansing School -Challenge to Fathers District has strengthened my commitment to improving educational opportunities and outcomes for ALL students. Paid for by the committee to elect Bryan Beverly for Lansing Schools, F. Anne Diamond, Treasurer, Character 3715 Ridgefield Rd. Lansing, MI 48906 City Pulse • October 29, 2014 www.lansingcitypulse.com 3 4 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • October 29, 2014 VOL. 14 Feedback ISSUE 11 I am deeply concerned by Hungry Medicine determined that vegetarians “are (517) 371-5600 • Fax: (517) 999-6061 • 1905 E. Michigan Ave. • Lansing, MI 48912 • www.lansingcitypulse.com Howie’s “Love, Hope, and Pizza” promotion, about 40 percent less likely to get cancer which encourages people to order large piz- than nonvegetarians.”Additionally, high-fat ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: (517) 999-6705 zas in pink ribbon boxes to “help save lives.” cheese raises estrogen levels, also increasing PAGE CLASSIFIED AD INQUIRIES: (517) 999-5066 or email [email protected] The correlation between obesity and risk for breast cancer. 7 increased breast cancer risk is well-known, If women want to truly “help save lives,” EDITOR AND PUBLISHER • Berl Schwartz and we can all agree that pizza isn’t exact- including their own, they’ll skip the pink- [email protected] • (517) 999-5061 ly a low-fat food. After a vast array of beribboned pizza and head to the produce ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER • Mickey Hirten Gov. Snyder needs courage and conviction [email protected] • (517) 999-5064 studies found that cancer risk increased aisle. EDITOR • Belinda Thurston as consumption of meat increased, the — Lindsay Pollard-Post [email protected] • (517) 999-5065 Physicians Committee for Responsible West Olive. MI PAGE ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR • Allan I. Ross [email protected] • (517) 999-5068 35 PRODUCTION MANAGER • Angus McNair [email protected] • (517) 999-5066 Correction Have something to say about a local issue CALENDAR EDITOR • Jonathan Griffith or an item that appeared in our pages? Symphony unleashes Bruckner’s ‘Te Deum’ in massive choral program [email protected] • (517) 999-5069 STAFF WRITER • Lawrence Cosentino Because of a reporting error, the Now you have two ways to sound off: [email protected] • (517) 999-5063 names of artists He Yunchang and Sui MARKETING/PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR • Rich Tupica Jianguo were misspelled in the story 1.) Write a letter to the editor. PAGE [email protected] • (517) 999-6710 “The art of absorption” on Oct. 22. ADVERTISING • Shelly Olson & Rich Tupica • E-mail: [email protected] 46 • Snail mail: City Pulse, 1905 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912 [email protected] • (517) 999-6705 • Fax: (517) 371-5800 [email protected] • (517) 999-6710 2.) Write a guest column: The Michigan State University Halloween comes early to Lansing area Contributors: Andy Balaskovitz, Justin Bilicki, student who was convicted of killing Daniel E. Bollman, Capital News Service, Bill Contact Berl Schwartz for more information: Castanier, Mary C. Cusack, Tom Helma, Gabrielle Greyhound puppies attended the med- [email protected] Johnson, Terry Link, Andy McGlashen, Kyle Melinn, ical school. Due to a reporting error, or (517) 999-5061 COVER Mark Nixon, Shawn Parker, Stefanie Pohl, Dennis the school he attended was incorrect Preston, Ute Von Der Heyden, Paul Wozniak (Please include your name, address and telephone number so we can Delivery drivers: Richard Bridenbaker, Dave Fisher, in an article in the Oct. 22 issue of the reach you. Keep letters to 250 words or fewer. City Pulse reserves the right to edit letters and columns.) ART Ron Lupu, Brent Robison, Robert Wiche City Pulse. Interns: Anne Abendroth, Beth Waldon, Krista Wilson, Sarah Winterbottom “FLOWER POWER WOLF,” by DENNIS PRESTON Editor & Publisher CITY PULSE THIS WEEK Berl Schwartz on the Robin Reynolds 7 p.m. Wednesdays Executive director, Ingham Health Plan Corp. AIR Eric Schertzing 8th District congressional candidate Susan Woods Executive director, East Lansing Film Festival CITY PULSE City Pulse • October 29, 2014 www.lansingcitypulse.com 5 CITY PULSE ELECTION GUIDE 2014 thing he will continue to do in Congress representing the FOR GOVERNOR: ENDORSEMENTS 8th District. A former aide to U.S. Rep. Bob Carr, Schertzing MARK SCHAUER has been an innovative, hard-working county official in his As it turns out, Gov. Rick Snyder's “reinvention of Michigan” twin roles as treasurer and chairman of the Ingham Co. Land more to politicize an office and pander to social conservatives schtick in 2010 meant relentlessly positive action for business Bank. He combines backbone with an open mind — much than Attorney General Bill Schuette. interests. needed qualities in fractured Washington. He is progressive This lifetime politician has gone out of his way to file par- It would be one thing if the Michigan Chamber of on social issues without being shrill. With his roots in Ingham tisan briefs on federal issues, as if your regular Michigander Commerce's agenda of Right to Work, corporate tax cuts, slic- Co., Schertzing will bring mid-Michigan stronger representa- believes employers should strip birth con- ing unemployment benefit eligibility, watering down workers tion in Washington than it has seen in this century. trol from their employees’ health care cov- compensation and chipping away at the power of organized Meanwhile, the Republicans put up the true culprit of erage or that the rate-cutting pieces of the workers actually improved the economy. two state government shutdowns: ex-Senate Majority Leader Affordable Care Act should be repealed. But by any fair measurement it has not. Most of Michigan's Mike Bishop, whose unapologetic march to gridlock need- His passionate legal attack on gay slightly improved economy happened early in the incumbent's lessly turned Michigan into a national head-scratcher in 2007 marriage is a losing battle that should term, at the tail end of the federal auto bailout. The numbers embarrass the attorney general as much show Michigan's recovery is moving slower than the rest of the as it does fairminded people in the state. nation, according to former state Treasurer Bob Kleine. Schuette's own courtroom experience LEAGUE OF Our unemployment rate is down, but so are most other was scant before he hopped to the most states'. Michigan's economy under Snyder, the cornerstone of convenient political lily pad he could find WOMEN VOTERS the incumbent's re-election pitch, isn't anything special. Totten in 2002, which happened to be the Court During his first term, he's doubled the This year, City Pulse has greatly expanded its of Appeals. Now he has the gall to criti- amount of money individuals and inde- Election Preview by including information for the first cize Democratic opponent Mark Totten for giving his time to pendent political action committees can time from the League of Women Voters. The league the benefit of this country as the only volunteer special assis- give political candidates like himself. He's has made all of its candidate questionnaires and tant prosecutor the Western District of the U.S. Attorney's punted when given an opportunity to explanations of ballot proposals available to Michigan Office has ever taken on in 40 years. make Michigan look more inviting to tal- newspapers. City Pulse regrets it cannot publish more Totten is pledging to shift the focus of the Attorney ented gays and lesbians. of it, but beginning on P. 14 we bring you 16 pages’ General's Office back to consumer protection, which is how Snyder decided that lowering tax rates worth, along with our own coverage of races and Frank Kelley made it great for 37 years. for his business supporters was more issues. We thank the state league and the local chapter important than the retirement security of for its cooperation. thousands of pensioners, whose taxes he Schauer FOR SECRETARY OF STATE: raised. He claims 300,000 new private sec- LETTERS tor jobs since taken office, but what about RUTH JOHNSON Not all Republicans have soiled their elected