Moreno said this is no time to ignore the vote despite the crushing economy.
“People should care. We have to know better to do better,” she said.
Though some might see both candidates as far removed from their issues, that “does not mean they are not capable of running the state.”
“Detroit has to vote. Our vote counts. We matter and we need to let our voice be heard,” she said.
LaKeisa Branhan, who walked away from her house in Detroit that was facing foreclosure a year ago and moved to Farmington Hills, agrees.
“I could not refinance so I walked away from the house. Now the house is an eyesore,” she said.
The dire economic consequences that left her unable to meet the demands of a tough mortgage coupled with caring for her daughter Ashley, Branhan, said underscores the significance of the gubernatorial race.
“I’m just looking for a candidate who will hopefully fight to bring back jobs,” Branhan said.
She is supporting Bernero because “Democrats are closer to working people and the lower class.
“I always thought Republicans are people who are pretty well off,” she said.
That perception of Republicans appearing disconnected from the masses of people who are victims of the recession is something that Snyder will have to tackle with urban voters.
To convince voters like Branhan, Snyder will have to explain what makes him different from other Republicans, who were threatening to stop the extension of unemployment benefits for millions just to score political points.
Despite the backing of William Milliken, the former popular Republican governor, whose amiable relationship with then-mayor Coleman Young was noted, Snyder still has to convince urban voters.
The state of the economy trumps every other issue in this election and the candidates will each have to offer urban voters a clear and concise plan to create jobs and get families back on track.
“We’ve just got to take a chance on this election and vote,” Branhan said. “It can’t get any worse. People should not just sit back and be negative.”
Since 2008, Branhan has not been able find a job. Now she is turning to creating one by setting up a jewelry business (A Touch of Elegance: Fine Jewelry and Accessories) with the hope that she can get funding to do so.
“Where can small businesses get the resources to start?” — a poignant question that candidates Snyder and Bernero have yet to address in detail.
The concern for most small businesses has been funding and getting support from the state and their local municipalities. Branhan said she wants to know who will address the need for assistance for small businesses.
Adolph Mongo, political consultant, said voters “need to go to somebody who will be able to create something for them. You have to look at who will take care of you. The party of Mark Brewer and Jennifer Granholm is BS.”
But Mongo quickly added, “Republicans are no better because they don’t want to come here and campaign in Detroit.”
He said the only thing Snyder has going for him with urban voters is former governor Milliken.
“Milliken could be the key to this election. Because Millikern was the first person I ever voted for when I was 18 years old,” Mongo said. “Here was a guy from Traverse City, but when it came to dealing with the crisis in the city he had no problem working with Coleman Young.”
Mongo said Milliken was the last Republican to get a big vote in Detroit.
“He was truly a non-partisan guy,” Mongo said. “When they say you’re a Milliken Republican in Michigan, its like saying you are a Rockefeller Republican in New York.”
If this election is Snyder’s to lose as some are intimating, the only way to be sure of the governorship f
or the Ann Arbor businessman, according to Mongo, is to choose Democratic House Speaker Andy Dillon as his running mate.
It remains to be seen if that explains why Dillon has yet to endorse his opponent, Bernero
Longtime Detroit community organizer Akua Budu-Watkins, who has worked on several political campaigns, said the gubernatorial election should not just be defined on the race of the lieutenant governor.
“It depends on who the candidate is,” Watkins said. “I think it will be insulting to just pick a Black face. I think it should be someone who can reach across the state.”
Watkins said she would like to see an African-American female lieutenant governor because, “I do think its makes a difference, but it has to be someone that we respect and support.”
She is not sure about supporting Snyder, a businessman who has no political acumen.
“Unfortunately, having had (Mayor) Bing, I’m not sure I want another businessman,” she said. “I don’t know enough about Snyder.”
Despite the merits and shortcomings of the candidates, Watkins said the next governor will have to reach out beyond their base.
“In order for us to move from where we are, you have to be open to ideas, not just on race but also intergenerationally,” she said. “If you are a good governor you can’t have everyone (supporting you) who thinks like you.”
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