Democratic gubernatorial candidates Bernero, Dillon differ over support for health care law

Bernero questions Dillon’s response on health care

LANSING, Mich. — Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero on Thursday cast aspersions on the Democratic credentials of his main gubernatorial rival, questioning why House Speaker Andy Dillon isn’t more supportive of the new federal health care law and trying to tie him to Republicans.

Speaking outside the Capitol, Bernero cited a newsletter article published last Friday in which Dillon said he wasn’t sure if he would have voted for the federal health care law.

“I haven’t read it,” Dillon told the Michigan Information & Research Service newsletter, which covers state government and politics. “It’s about 2,000 pages long.”

Bernero has criticized Republican Attorney General Mike Cox, who’s also running for governor, for joining 13 other attorneys general to challenge the health care laws on constitutional grounds.

He said Dillon needs to do more to oppose Cox’s efforts.

“I don’t see Andy Dillon getting a resolution passed trying to stop Mike Cox from wasting taxpayers’ money on this ridiculous legal boondoggle,” Bernero said. “How is it that Andy Dillon can’t make up his mind about something this important?”

Dillon spokesman Ken Coleman said Dillon has expressed support for the measures dozens of times.

He said Dillon wants to analyze what’s in the new laws and how they will affect state services as the complex measures unfolds over the next four years.

“Citizens are desperately wanting a thoughtful approach to making sure this law gets implemented to the benefit of millions of Michiganders,” Coleman said. “The health care act is the law of the land and now it’s up to the states to find out how to best implement it to serve Michigan residents.”

Bernero asserted the Dillon campaign was “beginning to do some backpedaling that would rival that of a circus clown on a unicycle.”

The two Democrats are locked in fierce competition for the party’s nomination, with state Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith also in the race. Cox and four others are running for the GOP nomination. Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm must step down at year’s end because of term limits.

Although it’s likely Dillon has a lead in fundraising, Bernero has won the endorsement of many of the state’s major labor unions.

But neither Bernero nor Dillon, a lawyer and former business-turnaround specialist from Wayne County’s Redford Township, are well-known to voters statewide. Polls show around half of Democratic voters remind undecided, and Bernero is trying to capitalize on voters’ lack of knowledge to paint his more moderate opponent as lacking true Democratic credentials.

“April Fool’s Day is a good time to remind people who think he is a decisive leader and a strong Democrat that the joke is on them,” the mayor said.

Dillon is addressing health care costs with a proposal to place all public employees — teachers, university employees and state and local government workers — into one health care program that would be negotiated by the state. The plan would reduce how much taxpayers are paying for public workers’ benefits, in part by pushing more of the burden for health care costs onto employees.

Many business groups say employers they represent have taken similar steps and think it’s a good idea.

But the plan is unpopular with unions representing the workers, who say it would take away collective bargaining rights. A Lansing think tank, Public Policy Associates, has said the plan won’t save the $900 million Dillon says it would.

The measure hasn’t yet come up for a vote in the full House or Senate, although it has gone through committee hearings.

Bernero said Dillon’s proposal excludes labor unions and “is not the way to go.”