G4G Talking points for 10-16

[SharonRB]

DAILY TALKING POINTS

October 16, 2006 (22 Days until Victory 2006)

Debate Tonight: The third and final debate is tonight at 8pm on ABC stations, and if DeVos’ performance at the Detroit Economic Club last week is any indication, we can expect him to continue his despicable and desperate line of attacks.


New Attacks: Over the weekend, we saw two new polls showing DeVos losing ground (one gave the Governor a 52-41 lead, another has her up 49-41). This explains why DeVos is unleashing a new round of attacks that show just how low he will go to try to win votes. DeVos is attempting to use gruesome tragedies involving children to smear Governor Granholm.


Working the Plan: Governor Granholm remains focused on the issues that are important to Michigan citizens. On Friday she attended the opening of a new engine plant, a joint venture between DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi that is creating 563 new jobs.


The Granholm campaign debuted a new ad on Friday highlighting the Governor’s efforts to increase parental involvement in schools and protect school funding from irresponsible cuts. Click here to watch the ad…http://www.granholmforgov.com/site/PageServer?pagename=children_first

Headlines from Around the State
The Flint Journal: Local officials criticize DeVos plan
Two local leaders joined a chorus of mayors statewide Friday in criticizing Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos' proposal to eliminate a tax on business equipment. Flint Mayor Don Williamson said elimination of the tax that primarily funds local governments and schools would be "devastating." And Fenton Mayor Sue Osborn called it an "attack on the cities and villages." They talked about the issue in a conference call with The Flint Journal organized by Gov. Jennifer Granholm's campaign. Flint would have to cut 50 police officers from its budget to make up the $4.1 million it would lose without the personal property tax. "Right now, we're operating on the bare bones," Williamson said. Osborn said her city would lose $750,000 - about 10 percent of its budget and equivalent to four or five police officers on the city's 15-person force. The personal property tax raises $1.75 billion statewide, the vast majority of which goes to schools and local governments.
Click here to read the full article... http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-39/1160832012272550.xml&coll=5

The Toledo Blade: 2nd Dundee engine plant opens
Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance yesterday marked the recent opening of its second Dundee engine factory. The plant is helping build 1,700 four-cylinder engines a day for the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass, Chrysler Sebring, and upcoming Jeep Patriot. The first of the two factories, which together have 563 employees including on-site suppliers, started production a year ago for the Dundee-based joint venture owned by DaimlerChrysler AG, Hyundai Motor Co., and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. The venture also has three plants in Asia building fuel-sipping aluminum 1.8-liter, 2.0-liter, and 2.4-liter engines. After a year of testing and other preparations, the launch of the second Dundee factory has been even smoother than the first, said Bruce Coventry, president of Global Alliance. "It's gone very well," he said yesterday, after Frank Ewasyshyn, Chrysler's vice president of manufacturing, and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm helped employees celebrate.
Click here to read the full article...http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061014/BUSINESS02/610140388