Explain the Mike Duggan write in campaign for me.....please.

**douglasm** · July-07-13, 08:31 PM

OK, as I understand it, in June, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that Mike Duggan did NOT meet the residency requirements to run for mayor of Detroit, correct? And Mr. Duggan has NOT appealed that decision, right?

So I guess my question is what happens if he wins as a write in candidate? I'm not a lawyer, and I haven't looked at the city charter.....as a city councilman in a small Northwestern town I've got my own city charter to worry about......but it seems to me that there could be a major conflict if he is elected mayor.

Does anyone know what the charter says about holding the actual position of Mayor as opposed to filing for election? Granted the EFM is operating as the government in power, but we had a situation similar to this in a city near me that tied city government in knots, created potential litigation problems, and helped make a general mess of government operations for the 6 months it took to settle the issue.

**313WX** · July-07-13, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by douglasm

OK, as I understand it, in June, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that Mike Duggan did NOT meet the residency requirements to run for mayor of Detroit, correct? And Mr. Duggan has NOT appealed that decision, right?

So I guess my question is what happens if he wins as a write in candidate? I'm not a lawyer, and I haven't looked at the city charter.....as a city councilman in a small Northwestern town I've got my own city charter to worry about......but it seems to me that there could be a major conflict if he is elected mayor.

Does anyone know what the charter says about holding the actual position of Mayor as opposed to filing for election? Granted the EFM is operating as the government in power, but we had a situation similar to this in a city near me that tied city government in knots, created potential litigation problems, and helped make a general mess of government operations for the 6 months it took to settle the issue.

Another good question. We won't know until it all plays out. First and foremost [[as a couple of other posters have mentioned), the voters have to actually spell his name right and circle the oval next to his name. In a city where half of adult population is functionally illiterate, I wouldn't get too excited if I were Duggan.

**7miledog** · July-07-13, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

?.., the voters have to actually spell his name right

That's not an accurate statement, legally. All you have to determine for a write in vote to count is the voter's intent. It is entirely possible for Duggan to come in second. My money's on Duggan.

**313WX** · July-07-13, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by 7miledog

That's not an accurate statement, legally. All you have to determine for a write in vote to count is the voter's intent. It is entirely possible for Duggan to come in second. My money's on Duggan.

Even so, it may still lead to additional legal battles [[which wastes time and money), especially with Tom Barrow involved. I'm not aware of any legal precedents, but isn't the validity of a write-in vote at the discretion of the people counting the votes?

**corktownyuppie** · July-07-13, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Even so, it may still lead to additional legal battles [[which wastes time and money), especially with Tom Barrow involved. I'm not aware of any legal precedents, but isn't the validity of a write-in vote at the discretion of the people counting the votes?

There's a joke going around about Tom Barrow calling a news conference to announce that a friend of his by the name of "Mickey Doogin" is starting a write-in campaign for the primary.

**firstandten** · July-07-13, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by corktownyuppie

There's a joke going around about Tom Barrow calling a news conference to announce that a friend of his by the name of "Mickey Doogin" is starting a write-in campaign for the primary.

LOL !! I wouldn't put it past him.

**Zacha341** · July-08-13, 07:23 AM

Correct, accurate spelling is the larger factor but so is intent. At the close of the polls ALL write-ins are sorted with the exactly correct spelling separated, from the next closest, in order of variance, per hierarchy [[ Ex: Michael Duggan, Mike Duggan, M. Duggin, etc.)

Then the actual count sites will do the final tally. 'Mickey Douglas' as a write-in? Not sure if that would fly! He can always demand a recount and sampling of percentage per precinct. All write-ins have this option. Always have.

Originally Posted by 7miledog

That's not an accurate statement, legally. All you have to determine for a write in vote to count is the voter's intent. It is entirely possible for Duggan to come in second. My money's on Duggan.

**sumas** · July-08-13, 08:23 AM

I do not mean to be flip. Honestly think Duggan is the best person for the job.

**Wesley Mouch** · July-08-13, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by sumas

I do not mean to be flip. Honestly think Duggan is the best person for the job.

Why? And what I'm more interested in is any thoughts about any other candidates. Lots of anti-Duggan around here. How bout some pro-'anyone else'?

**ElbertHanks** · July-09-13, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by 7miledog

That's not an accurate statement, legally. All you have to determine for a write in vote to count is the voter's intent. It is entirely possible for Duggan to come in second. My money's on Duggan.

Duggan is a pretty simple name but I'd still expect some ballots to be disqualified.

I live pretty far from Detroit these days -- Alaska. So I have first hand experience with a high profile write-in campaign. In 2010 incumbent Lisa Murkowski ran a successful write-in campaign for U.S Senate after losing in the Republican primary. Without getting into the politics of the race I can tell that a little over 1% of the write-in ballots were dismissed out of hand. Approximately 8.5% of the total write-in ballots were challenged by candidate who had beat her in the primary. Some people simply voted for Lisa others absolutely butchered the last name but they were counted as long as you could conclude the voter meant Murkowski. BTW: In the end bad penmanship was a bigger issue than spelling when it came to divining intent.

Finally I would add that the losing candidate filed a lawsuit in Federal Court challenging the process but the suit went nowhere as the number of challenged ballots would not have changed the outcome.

**Honky Tonk** · July-10-13, 12:42 PM

"he's up, he's down, he's in......" It's actually kind of funny when you read it.

http://www.freep.com/article/2013071...-Detroit-mayor

**Novine** · July-07-13, 09:38 PM

The ruling was based on the time that Duggan filed. If he has waited a couple of weeks, he would have met the requirements. There's no question that he now meets the requirement filing as a write-in.

**pkbroch** · July-07-13, 09:48 PM

Went to a Duggan, meet and greet in Palmer Woods, This evening.

A very nice mix of all citizens of Detroit who care about a Honest Mayor who can get things don The ballot was explained and how to mark the absentee ballot.

A nice event for AL who came.

**corktownyuppie** · July-07-13, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

The ruling was based on the time that Duggan filed. If he has waited a couple of weeks, he would have met the requirements. There's no question that he now meets the requirement filing as a write-in.

I agree with Novine's conclusion. I wish that the judges had been more explicit about saying it in very clear language. But yes, all of the court opinions rule Duggan out because he had filed too early. Filing to run as a write-in will be absolutely within the deadline.

The issue then is this:

- a) Duggan filed to early and dq'd himself from the primary.
- b) Duggan filed within the timeline for eligibility as a write-in.
- Does a) somehow negate b)? The law doesn't say that it does. But it also doesn't say that it doesn't. It also requires you to look at the Popke's first opinion and conclude that she overreached by stating that Duggan was dq'd in total and with no exceptions from the primary. Either that, or you make a strong argument that because the petitioner was suing on the basis of his filing to be on the ballot...then therefore, the court's holding is limited only to his eligibility to be printed on the ballot, not eligibility in total.

Again, I believe that the court's role is to be expansive rather than exclusive. If Duggan can get the necessary votes...and I'm not sure that he will...it would be a real ballsy move for the court to rule his ineligibility over the clear will of the people given the difficulty of a write-in campaign. Combine that with the fact that arguments regarding his ineligibility are only derived from him unintentionally dq-ing himself from the ballot, I can't see a court doing this.

I've been wrong before.

**jtf1972** · July-07-13, 09:54 PM

Thanks for calling us stupid, 313WX.

Duggan running a write-in campaign is at worst a way to keep Barrow from somehow getting into a #2 position for the election... and being the most known candidate left if something should come of the FBI investigation into Benny's office.

Honestly, Barrow is running for the wrong office. He seems to have really busted his ass doing Winfrey's job. He should go for it for real!

**313WX** · July-07-13, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by jtf1972

Thanks for calling us stupid, 313WX.

I didn't call anyone stupid. Just stated a fact [[a valid one).

**sumas** · July-08-13, 12:34 AM

Originally Posted by jtf1972

Thanks for calling us stupid, 313WX.

Duggan running a write-in campaign is at worst a way to keep Barrow from somehow getting into a #2 position for the election... and being the most known candidate left if something should come of the FBI investigation into Benny's office.

Honestly, Barrow is running for the wrong office. He seems to have really busted his ass doing Winfrey's job. He should go for it for real!

Curious how statistics work. Looked at Crains assessment of district 5. Apparently we are all morons, which may be true, but we comprise Indian Village, West Village, Islandview Village, Riverfront property, English Village, Downtown and part of Midtown. Stats don't seem quite right. Maybe they are including the jail population???

**sumas** · July-08-13, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by sumas

Curious how statistics work. Looked at Crains assessment of district 5. Apparently we are all morons, which may be true, but we comprise Indian Village, West Village, Islandview Village, Riverfront property, English Village, Downtown and part of Midtown. Stats don't seem quite right. Maybe they are including the jail population???

Oops forgot Lafayette Park. Oh and our buds on Belle Isle.. That may take us down a notch or not. Great lake views.

**firstandten** · July-08-13, 01:48 PM

"Despite six years of profitability, the DMC was unable to get investment from the Wall Street bond market as a nonprofit."The nonprofit hospital model is killing health care in the city of Detroit," Duggan said at a news conference at Children's Hospital of Michigan.
Vanguard has agreed to $500 million in specific projects, including $170 million for a new Children's Hospital tower, $75 million for a new cardiovascular institute and outpatient building, and improvements to several other facilities. The other $350 million will be for ongoing repairs and capital and equipment needs.
"DMC at its core is a place that takes care of people who have no place else to go," Duggan said. "That's who we are, that's who we're always going to be."
Vanguard committed to keep all DMC hospitals open for 10 years and maintain the system's charity care policy during that time. The hospitals will be owned by a Vanguard subsidiary known as VHS Michigan and will continue to operate under the Detroit Medical Center name. The final purchase price has not been disclosed.
Trip Pilgrim, Vanguard's chief development officer and senior vice president, said the company was impressed by the DMC's profitability, given the difficult economic climate in the Detroit area. Pilgrim also said the work of DMC's management team, which will remain in place after the sale, was key." It seems that DMC was in some trouble and this was the best deal Duggan could get while still having DMC continue its mission. I don't really see this as a bad thing.

**Kimmiann** · July-08-13, 02:41 PM

I do work for the DMC, and have since '97. David Campbell was at the helm then. Then Dr. Arthur Porter, with his company-paid chauffer. At some point the Hunter Group came in to "cut costs". Mike Duggan, who was appointed by Granhom, if I recall correctly, could be seen in the hallways with his shirt-sleeves rolled up and looking like he actually did some work instead of simply ruling on high. He communicated directly and honestly with employees via email and regular staff meetings and seemed genuinely excited by the sale to Vanguard and the opportunities the influx of cash would pose for the DMC as a whole. I was worried when he announced his resignation and now with the Vanguard sale to Tenet Health, I'm still worried. The Vanguard culture is a top-down style of management, whereas Mr. Duggan would gather information from all staff, present the problems as he saw them, and offer up a couple different solutions and ask for opinions, before making a final decision. At that point he would explain why he made the decision he did. I always felt as if he cared what happened to the DMC and its employees. Case in point, a few years back he presented to the staff some pending budget issues and asked if staff would prefer a temporary pay freeze or layoffs. We had a year-long pay freeze. More recently, under Vanguard, we were informed that vacation-time accumulation would freeze for the fourth quarter of the year, after a year of system-wide nerve-wracking layoffs. The pay freeze under Duggan's management was a whole lot more palatable than the vacation-time freeze under VHS, simply because we were given reasons behind the decisions, rather than left to wonder about where Vanguard's axe will fall next. When the decision to sell DMC to Vanguard was announced, Mike Duggan sent out a system-wide email explaining the decision. When VHS announced our sale to Tenet, I heard about it first from my mother, who heard it on the radio, and then from our consultant in Florida. The email from Vanguard didn't hit my inbox until 9:30 am, and it came from the chairman's secretary in the form of a memo with no more style and substance than a press release. In short, I like Mike Duggan, and miss his leadership at the DMC. I think he would make a good mayor for the City of Detroit and a good steward for my tax dollars. Of course, my tax dollars are not enough to entitle me to a vote on the matter. I won't even get started on the whole taxation without representation issue!

**Wesley Mouch** · July-08-13, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by Kimmiann

I do work for the DMC, and have since '97. David Campbell was at the helm then. Then Dr. Arthur Porter, with his company-paid chauffer. At some point the Hunter Group came in to "cut costs". Mike Duggan, who was appointed by Granhom, if I recall correctly, could be seen in the hallways with his shirt-sleeves rolled up and looking like he actually did some work instead of simply ruling on high. He communicated directly and honestly with employees via email and regular staff meetings and seemed genuinely excited by the sale to Vanguard and the opportunities the influx of cash would pose for the DMC as a whole. I was worried when he announced his resignation and now with the Vanguard sale to Tenet Health, I'm still worried. The Vanguard culture is a top-down style of management, whereas Mr. Duggan would gather information from all staff, present the problems as he saw them, and offer up a couple different solutions and ask for opinions, before making a final decision. At that point he would explain why he made the decision he did. I always felt as if he cared what happened to the DMC and its employees. Case in point, a few years back he presented to the staff some pending budget issues and asked if staff would prefer a temporary pay freeze or layoffs. We had a year-long pay freeze. More recently, under Vanguard, we were informed that vacation-time accumulation would freeze for the fourth quarter of the year, after a year of system-wide nerve-wracking layoffs. The pay freeze under Duggan's management was a whole lot more palatable than the vacation-time freeze under VHS, simply because we were given reasons behind the decisions, rather than left to wonder about where Vanguard's axe will fall next. When the decision to sell DMC to Vanguard was announced, Mike Duggan sent out a system-wide email explaining the decision. When VHS announced our sale to Tenet, I heard about it first from my mother, who heard it on the radio, and then from our consultant in Florida. The email from Vanguard didn't hit my inbox until 9:30 am, and it came from the chairman's secretary in the form of a memo with no more style and substance than a press release. In short, I like Mike Duggan, and miss his leadership at the DMC. I think he would make a good mayor for the City of Detroit and a good steward for my tax dollars. Of course, my tax dollars are not enough to entitle me to a vote on the matter. I won't even get started on the whole taxation without representation issue!

Thanks for sharing your story. We don't hear enough good things around here.

**313WX** · July-09-13, 07:29 PM

And here we go...
Lawsuit challenges Duggan as write-in candidate for Detroit mayor's race

http://www.freep.com/article/2013070...nged-for-mayor

**Novine** · July-09-13, 09:31 PM

Barrow's claims are a joke.

**nativegirl** · July-11-13, 06:50 AM

Originally Posted by Novine

Barrow's claims are a joke.

Duggan is also involved in another candidate lawsuit. D. Etta Wilcoxson, Candidate for City Clerk. Please check out the website,
http://www.dettawilcoxon.com/#!multimedia/c1n01 go to the legal documents section. Pretty good reading.

**downtownguy** · July-10-13, 01:33 PM

As I walked into a local business on Jefferson Saturday, the Duggan volunteers were out front in force armed with material on how to write in his name. I always seem to get targeted by petition signature seekers and am almost always willing to sign their petition, even if I disagree with their view as I figure they have a right to be on the ballot. The usual opening statement by these signature seekers is, "Are you a registered voter in Detroit/Wayne County, etc? I'm white, and rarely do I get ignored even when the signature seekers are black. Which is why I found it ironic that not a single member of white Mr. Duggan's all-black volunteer force bothered to stop me. I guess they pegged me as a suburbanite.