Michigan Environmental Council

Michigan
Environmental Report

Volume 22 . Number 4
August 2004

PURPOSE
Founded in 1980, MEC is a coalition of over 60 environmental, public health, and faith-based organizations with nearly 200,000 individual members. For over 20 years, MEC has provided a voice at the State Capitol. In addition to serving as a clearinghouse of environmental information, MEC develops public policy, educates elected officials and the public, and provides training and support to member organizations.

SUBSCRIBE

OFFICERS

Chairperson
Chris Graham,
Michigan Natural Areas Council

Vice Chair
Vicki Levengood,
National Environmental Trust

Vice Chair
Terry Miller,
Lone Tree Council

Treasurer
Tom Leonard,
West Michigan Environmental Action Council

Secretary
Brian Imus,
PIRGIM

MEC STAFF

President
Lana Pollack

Policy Director
James Clift

Associate Director
Patrick Diehl

Land Programs Director
Conan Smith

Special Projects Coodinator
Brad Garmon

Office Manager
Judy Bearup

Member Services Director
Michele Scarborough

Policy Specialist
David Gard

Policy Advisor
Dave Dempsey

Environmental Campaign Coordinator
Wendi Tilden

ECCO Field Director
Stephanie Anderson

Land Programs Assistant
Ben Stupka

MER Design & Layout
Rose Homa

Newspaper ad campaign educates candidates about land use
By Brad Garmon, MEC Special Projects Coordinator

As part of continued efforts to advance the recommendations made by the 26-member Michigan Land Use Leadership Council (MLULC) last summer, MEC joined other organizations in sponsoring a series of advertisements that ran in selected newspapers across the state in July, including the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press and the Grand Rapids Press. The three different full-page ads appeared for three consecutive Sundays and highlighted key issues, including attempts to revitalize older downtowns and protect critical farmland and open space.

Supported by a broad spectrum of organizations that served on the bipartisan MLULC, including the Michigan Farm Bureau, The Detroit Branch of the NAACP and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the ads are part of a larger candidate education campaign designed to encourage discussion of land use issues in this election season. Other components of the campaign include a "candidate education" brochure that will be mailed to 500 candidates running for public office and includes several questions citizens can ask.

The most important component of the campaign is the phone calls and letters that must come from people across the state who share a concern for Michigan's land use future. MEC encourages residents to attend candidate forums and raise issues that are important to you. (For sample questions, download the candidate education brochure from www.michiganlanduse.org).

In addition to making sure that local candidates take clear positions on land use in their campaigns for public office, other opportunities to engage in land use decision-making in your area include:

Clipping one of the land use ads and sending it to a candidate or local official with a short note.
Jotting a letter to the editor about the ads and any thoughts they provoke about local land use issues.
Passing out the candidate education brochures to your members, friends and neighbors.

You can find out more about the land use campaign by visiting the MEC web site at www.mecprotects.org and clicking on "Our View on Land Use." Candidate education brochures are available at the MEC offices by calling Brad Garmon at (517) 487-9539. The ads can be downloaded from www.michiganlanduse.org, the home page for the Land Use Leadership Council.