Unions back U-M regent candidate with cash after promise to keep using union laborers on campus
A promise to make sure University of Michigan jobs keep flowing to unions appears to have paid off in donations for Democratic University of Michigan Board of Regents candidate Greg Stephens.
In a mid-September fundraising letter, Stephens — the business manager of the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — said his top priorities were “to make sure that the millions of building trades construction man-hours at the University of Michigan will continue to be performed by our members.”
He also notes he wants make college education affordable ad accessible “to the children of hardworking, middle-class Michigan families.”
Stephens has received 81.5 percent of the $38,022 he has raised from unions, topped by $29,000 from the national IBEW political action committee, campaign finance documents filed late last week show.
However, Stephens still trails the two Republican candidates in fundraising by a wide margin. Incumbent Andrea Fischer Newman has raised $148,156 this election cycle, while incumbent Andrew Richner has raised $74,772 this election cycle, including $1,000 from Tom Monaghan and $500 from current U-M athletic director Dave Brandon.
The other Democratic candidate, Paul Brown, has raised $26,804 this election cycle.
Stephens wrote in the letter that his 40-year membership in the IBEW and his 16 years as the business manager have given him experience and expertise needed to make sure U-M saves money in its construction contracts.
“I wrote the letter to a small group of building construction leaders in an effort to assure them that I would not change policies that currently make sure a level playing field exists in the bid process,” Stephens said. “As long as that happens, they will continue to do the work there. The key word being ‘continue.’
“There is not a conflict of interest," he said. "This was vetted by the U-M during my first run for the board in 2002. I do not have a contract with the university. I represent workers who are referred out to many electrical contractors that perform work throughout Washtenaw, Jackson, Ingham and Livingston counties. The board does not award contracts to union members that I represent as business manager of the I.B.E.W.”
The regents’ internal policies have a detailed section on conflict of interest.
“A regent or executive/senior officer is considered to have a conflict of interest when the regent or executive/senior officer or any of his or her family or associates, either (i) has an existing or potential financial or other interest which impairs or might appear to impair the regent's or executive/senior officer's independence of judgment in the discharge of responsibilities to the university, or (ii) may receive a material, financial, or other benefit from knowledge of information confidential to the university.
“Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in state law, it will be a conflict of interest for a regent in any capacity to be employed by or associated with a professional service firm which directly or indirectly provides services to the university. In accordance with Op.Atty.Gen. 1979, No. 5489, in the event that a firm is providing services to the university prior to one of its employees becoming a regent, it may complete all work in progress for the university but may not be engaged for any additional work until the regent is no longer employed by or associated with the professional service firm.”
Joe Ohren, a professor of political science and the director of the master of public administration program at Eastern Michigan University, said he agrees with Stephens’ contention that there’s no conflict of interest, unless Stephens is voting on a specific contract directly to members of his union.
“It would not prohibit him, for example, from arguing for various policies regarding how the regents award contracts,” Ohren said “He represents a specific constituency and is appealing to them (in this letter) for votes and for money.”
For more on this race, see the AnnArbor.com Voter's Guide.
David Jesse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at davidjesse@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2534.
Comments
L'chaim
Wed, Nov 3, 2010 : 8:13 a.m.
Congratulations Mr. Stephens!
Salinemary
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 8:33 p.m.
Do you have employer sponsored health care? If so, thank a union. Do you have paid holidays? If so, thank a union. Do you have paid vacation time? If so, thank a union. Do you have a pension or 401(k) account? If so, thank a union. Do you have reasonable working hours? If so, thank a union. Thank you Mr. Stephens for running for Board of Regents. We have enough millionaires on the Board. It's time for representation from the "every day" man/woman.
Jay Thomas
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 7:18 p.m.
Hmm... He wants high wage union labor and low cost affordable education. Sounds like quite a fantasist. @D.N.T.H.F.B.: That's the Democrats playbook. Throw public money at institutions and a piece of it will return to fill their campaign coffers. Perfectly ethical. :P
stunhsif
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 7:12 p.m.
Thanks A2.com, now I know who not to vote for. Diana Demers would never get my vote!
digger
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 5:46 p.m.
It's People like mr stephens who don't worry about who is really paying for these wasteful costs. UofM has got deep pockets. I'll bet if he's paying out of his pocket he will go for the best bargin around. Unions know the only way to survive is to latch on to as many weak politicions as they can. Get rid of CUB OR PLA agreements
trespass
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 12:18 p.m.
$85,000 of Regent Newman's money comes from 25 donors who gave the maximum $3,400. Most of it from company executive officers and their wives. Much of the rest still came from big donations of $1,000 to $2,000 from business executives. Her expenditures include about $25,000 for a campaign consulting company from Grand Rapids, $13,500 she gave to other Republican campaign committees, $8,500 for billboards and $23,500 she paid herself (only 13,500 was declared as loans to the campaign). She still has $81,000 in unspent cash (what will she do with that?). AFN is much more beholding to a few large corporate donors than Greg Stephens is to Union interests. Of course a Union official is going to be supportive of unions but that is already out in the open. Why do a story on that instead of the corrupting influence of AFN's donors.
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 10:53 a.m.
More Public Union campaign donations to Democrat campaigns, leads to more democrats elected, leads to more public unions/programs, leads to more public sector union members, leads to more taxes (salaries) paid by taxpayers, leads to more union dues paid, leads to more public union money, leads to more public union campaign donations to Democrat campaigns...... and so it goes. (In the course of the 2010 election cycle, just these three government-employee unions, NEA, AFSCME, & the SEIU, will have spent nearly $172 million campaigning for Democrats.)
JSA
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 10:28 a.m.
Hey, it's an election. What's a little bribery. I do think the finances of all candidates should be scrutinized and reported on at the same time.
bhall
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 9:50 a.m.
Strange article. You examine the fundraising of the guy who has raised much less than the two Republicans. And, given the likelihood of lots of Republican straight ticket voting, you've examined the finances of the guy who is very likely to lose in the election. Why no details on where the money is being raised from by two candidates with the most money, and the incumbency, and the greatest chances of winning? Hmmm.
trespass
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 9:06 a.m.
Look at Andrea Fischer Newman's donations and you will see a lot of $3,400 donations from company CEO's and their wives. What do you want to bet they do business with UM? She also paid herself $23,500 without any explanation of the purpose (documented on SOS website)
braggslaw
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 9:05 a.m.
If people want to redistribute their tax dollars and their children's tuition to labor unions then you know who to vote for.
Huron74
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 8:52 a.m.
And what constitutes "special interest money"? Donations to your opposition apparently.
Speechless
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 8:48 a.m.
What if we, as readers, go along and 'buy' into this idea that Greg Stephens is a paid-for front man for the clearly evil collective bargainers, who no doubt remain politically aligned with Christine O'Donnell's former witch coven? Then a scandalous question of possible election price-fixing does emerge. By comparison, why must it cost so much more for corporations and professionals to purchase the services of Andrea Fischer Newman and Andrew Richner on the U-M board of regents? Why are their potential future votes on university policy and business so much more expensive than Stephens and, especially, Paul Brown? As a voter clamoring for more background on tomorrow's election, I want to better understand the incumbents' obviously superior marketing skills. In the commercial sphere of elected public representation, how have they so successfully gone about raising the average cost of regent sevices to those who purchase them on the open market for candidates? Do they use eBay?
Kafkaland
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 8:34 a.m.
When renovation costs for existing lab space run typically at $500 per square foot (just the space renovation, not equipment etc.), I cannot help but wonder if labor costs have something to do with that outrageous price tag. For comparison, the Pfizer buildings cost only $50 per square foot to buy.
Jim Kress
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 8:07 a.m.
Isn't BRIBERY ILLEGAL? Of course, that doesn't appy to unions since they are above the law.
trespass
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 7:33 a.m.
Where does Andrea Fischer Newman's money come from? She raised almost 4 times as much. I would bet it comes from, herself, Delta Airlines and law firms that do business with the UM. Let's be fair and out all of the conflicted money. Don't just bash one candidate.
L'chaim
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 7:16 a.m.
This is not journalism; it's anti-union propaganda. But that's par for the Ann Arbor News course and the Jesse style (along with the typos undoubtedly overlooked in the headlong rush to publish in time to influence voters). However, it's an interesting race. As good as it is to see a man (Stephens) who has spent his life defending working class people run, I won't be supporting him. He makes the mistake of appealing to the "middle class" (which is Jesse's class) and joining the Democrats (which is Jesse's middle class party). I'll be supporting the Socialist/Green, Diana Demers who says on her website "I'm running for a seat on the University of Michigan Board of Regents to provide a voice to all Michigan workers and students who stand opposed to the increasingly entrenched corporatization of our educational system." She also pledges her "Full support for the collective bargaining efforts and labor-action-rights of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1853 (U-M Employees), the U-M Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO), the U-M House Officers' Association (HOA), the U-M International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Operators, Artists, and Allied Crafts (IATSE) Local 395, the U-M International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 324, the U-M Lecturers' Employee Organization (LEO), the U-M Professional Nurse Council (UMPNC), and the U-M Skilled Trades Union (STU)."
Somewhat Concerned
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 6:57 a.m.
This is the sort of unholy alliance that has set us back, as a state, while other states have taken over our jobs and industries. It's a large part of why we rank near the bottom on most economic measures. It's why our kids have to leave to build their lives. It's why we are the butt of jokes on late-night television.
Tony Livingston
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 6:57 a.m.
I definitely plan to vote for Greg Stephens. Not because of union affiliation, but because he is a working person. I would much prefer a candidate backed by unions than a candidate backed by Tom Monahan. We have seen enough of that mentality with the Shirvel problems.
Marshall Applewhite
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 6:28 a.m.
I find it hilarious that Democrats are already coming up with excuses for the election tomorrow. Get ready for a political bloodbath.
trespass
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 5:30 a.m.
What a dirty trick on the eve of the election!! Shame on you Mr. Jesse and your AnnArbor.com editors. Why don't you publish the fundraising communications by Regents Newman and Richner? Why don't you point out the personal business interests that are furthered by their being on the Board? Why don't you point out that Regent Newman would never have been nominated to the Board except for her "exceptionally close" relationship with former Governor Engler? Shame, shame, shame!