HOPEFULS DRAW LINES IN SAND

Bill Federspiel wants Saginaw County's top law enforcement job, but
he backs a ballot issue to make legal what's illegal now: The
medicinal use of marijuana.

Federspiel, a Saginaw Democrat, said while he doesn't favor
legalizing marijuana in a "free for all" that would lead to
recreational use, he sees a role for the drug under a medically
prescribed treatment to ease the suffering of the terminally ill.

"If it's for medicinal purposes, absolutely, I support it," he said.

Proposal 1, which voters will decide Tuesday, would allow the use and
cultivation of marijuana to treat certain medical conditions if a
patient had a permit from a physician and registers with the state.

Federspiel made the remark Tuesday responding to a question about the
proposal at a candidate forum inside a room full of dozens of
spectators and other federal, state, county and township candidates
at Carrollton Middle School. They attended the Carrollton Community
Education General Election Voter Information Night.

The forum, with audience-generated questions, quizzed political
hopefuls on topics as diverse as the $700 billion taxpayer-funded
Wall Street bailout to providing health care coverage to the under-or
uninsured.

St. Charles Republican Kevin Campbell, a retired deputy who opposes
Federspiel in Tuesday's election, questioned how the state would
enforce Proposal 1 if it became law. In an interview, he said he opposed it.

His pick for undersheriff, Dennis McMahan, a former undercover police
office who investigated drug crimes, was outspoken in his opposition
to what he referred to a gateway drug.

"If you want to protect your kids ... you need to step away from
Proposal 1," he said. "And I'm going to tell you, I've seen the dead
bodies and I've seen the people hurt because I spent nine years of my
life working undercover, and it is not a pleasant sight."

If elected, Federspiel said he would eliminate up to 15 unmarked,
personally assigned vehicles to staff members at the sheriff's
department, relocate administrative sergeants to substations
throughout the county to back up deputies and interact with the
public more, and reduce taxpayer cost of food service at the jail. He
said he will choose a local person as his undersheriff but has not
decided who to pick. Campbell also touted his support for substations
and an open door to the public.

State House

Meanwhile, state House 98th District candidates James N. Stamas, a
Midland Township Republican, and Garnet Lewis, a Tittabawassee
Township Democrat, split over Proposal 1. Stamas said he opposed the
medical use of marijuana, while Lewis supported the proposal.

On the state budget, Lewis and Stamas said the state must prioritize
what it wants to pay for. Stamas said education ranks highest on his
list. Lewis said surveys historically show education, health care and
infrastructure are most important to residents.

Both also supported a persons' right to a concealed weapon permit,
but Lewis said a ban should exist on where guns are carried, such as
schools or churches and synagogues. Stamas said restrictions exist.
However, the state does allow exceptions to those restrictions.

Congress

Saginaw Township Democrat Andrew D. Concannon, a lawyer running for
Congress, clashed with Eric Friedman, a deputy chief of staff for
U.S. Rep. Dave Camp. The Midland Republican didn't attend the forum
and was in Washington, D.C., for a special meeting of the House Ways
and Means Committee today, his staff said.

Friedman said Camp has campaigned to, among other issues, lower the
cost of energy, reform health care, invest in worker training and
reduce taxes to help people earn more and save for retirement.
Concannon portrayed Camp's voting record as a sign of loyalty to big business.

"I don't think you invest in your workers by voting for CAFTA and
every free trade agreement that goes by your desk," Concannon said.
"He votes for (alternative energy) tax credits only if it doesn't
compete with Big Oil. He's voted time and time against prescription
drug (price) negotiations for senior citizens. Why? Because the
pharmaceutical companies didn't want it. He voted against Medicare
increases. Why? Because the private insurance companies funding
Medicare advantage didn't want it. Rhetoric is one thing, but he's
not gotten results."

Friedman called the claims "baloney." He added that Camp voted for
tax credits for alternative fuel vehicles. The Central American Free
Trade Agreement eliminated tariffs against U.S. agricultural goods, he added.

The staffer also pointed to a campaign finance violation complaint
the state party filed against Concannon last April with the Federal
Election Commission. The complaint alleged in part "Friends of Andrew
Concannon" wasn't registered under the Federal Election Campaign Act.
Concannon had another committee called "Concannon for Congress,"
which was united under the same articles of incorporation, the
candidate has said.

Concannon said Camp, through the state party, has tried to trip the
Democrat on a "hypertechnicality" that the FEC has found "benign." He
said his campaign is in compliance and predicted the federal
government will dismiss the complaint.

U.S. Rep. Dale E. Kildee, a Flint Democrat who represents Saginaw,
appeared but his opponents didn't in his race for re-election to the
U.S. House 5th District didn't. He faces Republican Matt Sawicki,
Libertarian Leonard Schwartz and Green Party candidate Ken Mathenia.

Kildee reiterated his long time opposition to free trade agreements
such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and CAFTA, which he
said have contributed to job losses, lower wages for U.S. workers and
have threatened to flood the market with imported sugar.

WNEM, Channel 5 news anchors Sam Merrill and Katie O'Mara moderated
the gathering.