Troy Eccentric Letters Support Gary Peters

These two letters appeared in the Troy Eccentric letters and both make very good points regarding the stance Nancy Skinner is making regarding her candidacy.

Support for Peters Troy Eccentric letters

I am writing to object to the characterization of Gary Peters' congressional campaign as "Hinging on outsiders" or "anointed" by the party ("Congressional election could hinge on outsiders," Jan. 10) or "disenfranchised" ("Disenfranchised Dems steam over primary ballot," Jan. 13).

My name was mentioned as an early endorser for Gary's campaign, which I am happy to strongly emphasize, but it has nothing to do with party affiliation and everything to do with the fact that I have known and worked with Gary since he was first elected to the state Senate in January 1996.

He came to a meeting of the Bloomfield Hills Legislative Action Network, which was a group of parents who lobbied our Lansing delegation on both sides of the aisle to support our public schools. Gary made ongoing efforts to stay informed and seek out our opinions on issues effecting our district. As a 10-year member of the Bloomfield Hills Board of Education, I had the opportunity to work with Gary on many issues during his tenure in the Senate. I have worked with his wife, Colleen, for 10 years to support the work of Lighthouse of Oakland County.

I resent Nancy Skinner's inference that I am a tool of the Democratic Party. She doesn't know me and has never sought my endorsement. I am not a party activist and was not even present at the meeting Jan. 10 where the discussion took place.

Cynthia von Oeyen

Bloomfield Hills

Process was fair

In reading your Jan. 13 article, "'Disenfranchised' Dems steam over primary ballot," I was very disappointed by Nancy Skinner's comments that endorsements for her opponent in the congressional race were somehow rigged by the Democratic Party.

I am a member of the Service Employees International Union, which endorsed Gary Peters recently. Our process was driven by our membership. We held a town hall meeting of our members with Skinner and Peters. In fact, all three candidates were invited, including Congressman Joe Knollenberg (he declined).

We ask that the candidates "Walk A Day In The Shoes" of our members in order to earn our endorsement. Peters and Skinner both did such, shadowing a Farmington Hills home care worker and Royal Oak city employees, respectively. Lastly, we asked candidates to fill out a detailed questionnaire on issues affecting our members and required them to participate in a thorough screening before our Political Directors Committee. From this multistep process, we found that Gary Peters had a stronger grasp on the issues and had already built an impressive campaign structure aimed at winning in November. Any suggestion that our endorsement process was a foregone conclusion or that it was rigged is a disservice to our membership and the time they spent.

Chuck Bonar