TAKING THE INITIATIVE,NEW FRONTIERS IN THE GREAT LAKES STATE

In the 2005 election cycle three Michigan cities - Flint, Ferndale and Traverse City - seemed to have all the necessary ingredients for a successful ballot initiative, in particular, the personal qualities of the local reformers and the political demographics of the communities themselves.

In light of MPP's polling in Michigan indicating that the more a community and its voters identified with the Democratic Party and "progressive" politics, the bigger the margin of support for marijuana reform, each of these three cities showed good potential.

Flint, (pop. 125,000) was a virtual mini-clone of Detroit, with a majority African-American population and heavy identification with the Democratic Party.

Ferndale (pop. 22,000), located just across Detroit's northern border in affluent Oakland County, was once a conservative white, blue-collar enclave that had dramatically changed in less then 18 years. There had been a huge influx of gay/lesbian settlers, along with liberal, quasi-counterculture younger people, attracted to Ferndale's reasonably priced housing stock, lack of crime and proximity to Detroit itself. Trendy restaurants and bars sprung up to serve this population on formerly deserted business strips along the intersection of two main thoroughfares, Nine Mile Road and Woodward Avenue. The Ferndale of today actually resemble Ann Arbor - minus the University.

Traverse City (pop. 23,000), in far northwest lower Michigan on Grand Traverse Bay, has become an increasingly sophisticated, affluent tourist/settlement spot over the past twenty years or so. Many of its permanent residents moved there from urban centers such as Detroit and Chicago. While Grand Traverse County and surrounding counties and townships are very conservative Republican, Traverse City itself voted Democrat in the past couple elections (John Kerry, for instance, pulling 51% of the vote in 2004.) There are fundamentalist/evangelical Christian churches of note within the city boundaries. And there is a strong gay/lesbian "progressive" subculture, as well as a small college within the city limits.

The local reformers in these cities all had an intense drive to win by any legal means necessary. Their physical and emotional demeanors were in sync with their communities. And their sources of income were safe from employer or government retaliation. In a couple cases, certain leaders had no assets or sources of employment which could be seized or terminated. Others put their own money on the line, right up front. Although few had any direct media experience, they could explain medical marijuana in clear and persuasive terms, and were comfortable and personally secure in front of reporters and TV cameras. Finally, every local leader was a self-starter, preferring action rather then procrastination. They did not need repeated prodding by campaign consultants in order to move ahead.

By the spring of 2005, all the stars were in alignment, and formal grant applications were ultimately sent to MPP. There was a high level of confidence for a triple header win on election day.

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