Opinion: AnnArbor.com announces endorsements for Senate and House primaries

Normally, our policy for endorsing candidates in races for the state House or Senate will be to wait until the general election, unless there is only one contested primary, the winner of which would run unopposed in the fall. Other than that, we will let voters choose who to nominate for their respective parties, then make endorsements for the November election.

However, we are making two exceptions to that rule. There are two key Democratic primaries that feature races between particularly well-qualified candidates. Given the caliber of the candidates and the likelihood that these two primaries will be decisive in what are heavily Democratic districts, we have chosen to endorse in these two primaries, rather than wait until the fall.

The Democratic primary for state Senate in the 18th District features state Reps. Pam Byrnes and Rebekah Warren and challenger Thomas Partridge seeking the seat currently held by Liz Brater, who is term-limited. In the state House 53rd District, Washtenaw County Commissioner Jeff Irwin and Ned Staebler, vice president of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., are running for the seat being vacated by Warren.

In these hotly contested and closely watched races, we see four highly credible candidates, all of whom would serve Ann Arbor well in the Legislature. They possess a strong grasp of local and state issues, and they all have demonstrated the ability, or at least the potential, to rise above the partisanship that has plagued the Legislature and work across party lines to get things done.

In the state Senate race, we’re particularly impressed by Warren’s efforts on issues of taxation and the environment, including her work on the Great Lakes Compact. Byrnes also has been engaged in those and other issues, and has a track record of working with Republicans to get legislation through the House. One recent success was the signing of her legislation allowing people to sell food that’s made and packaged in home kitchens.

Pam Byrnes

Both Warren and Byrnes have been hardworking, and we wish Ann Arbor could keep both of them in the Legislature. Endorsing one over the other is a tough call, particularly when they have similar positions on many key issues, from reducing corrections spending to encouraging the consolidation of public school districts.

But our nod narrowly goes to Byrnes for a couple of reasons. Over more than three decades, she’s been broadly engaged in the local community, and we think that deep familiarity with Washtenaw County and its residents would be an advantage as she serves in the Senate. We also think these incredibly challenging times call for a willingness to break with the status quo, and make tough, politically difficult decisions.

Whether it's voting in favor of school reforms aimed at helping Michigan land federal “Race to the Top’’ dollars or controversial changes to teacher pensions, Byrnes has demonstrated she’s willing to cast politically unpopular votes in the cause of real reform. We endorse Pam Byrnes in the Democratic primary for the 18th District state Senate seat.

Jeff Irwin

We found it equally difficult to choose between Ned Staebler and Jeff Irwin in the race for the state House 53rd District. These are two smart candidates with impressive resumes, and we’re hard-pressed to find differences between them on key issues.

Irwin has spent 11 years in the trenches of county government, dealing directly with many of the basic services that the state provides funding for. His previous role as executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters makes him particularly well-versed on environmental issues.

In contrast, Staebler has a strong background in private business. A graduate of Harvard and the London School of Economics, he worked in banking and finance before joining the MEDC. He also comes from an impressive political lineage. His great-grandfather was mayor of Ann Arbor and his grandfather served in Congress.

As much as we think the Legislature would benefit from having someone with Staebler’s background in business and economic development, we back Irwin in this race. We’re impressed by the way he’s continually rolled up his sleeves on local issues and done the kind of hard work behind the scenes that other politicians aren’t always willing to do. We also find that his tenure on the county board has exposed him to a broader range of issues, and that knowledge gives him a good chance of quickly becoming effective in Lansing. For these reasons, we endorse Jeff Irwin for state House in the 53rd District Democratic primary.

(Next Sunday, we will offer endorsements in Ward 1 and Ward 4 for Ann Arbor City Council, and in the Ypsilanti mayoral race. In cases where there will be a contested race in November, including Ann Arbor’s mayoral and Ward 5 races, we will endorse in the general election. The community members of the Editorial Board, David Mielke and Marsha Chamberlin, did not participate in endorsement interviews and were not involved in our endorsement decisions.)