Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 9

Metro Editor Betsy Miner 377-1 1 54 E-mail: metrolsj.com Communities East Lansing annual report keeps residents informed. Page 3B loi 12) Monday February 4, 2002 John Schneider Lansing State Journal www.lsj.com Local State I riTti mm Name change Readers share pain, fun of being given nicknames by family in Pay raise ballot issue Will be voted on statewide on the Aug. 6 Democratic and Republican primary ballots. Would require lawmakers to approve increases recommended by the State Officers Compensation Commission for lawmakers, governor, lieutenant governor and Supreme Court justices before they could take effect. Would keep approved increases from taking effect until after the next election.

Would permit lawmakers to lower salary levels. lot that would require lawmakers to approve increases before they could take effect. Thirty-seven of the 108 House members did not reply or declined to respond to the questionnaire. Twenty-eight of the state's 38 senators either did not reply or declined to respond. Two House seats are vacant.

Of those who responded, a large share of the lawmakers who said the increase was too large said they donated a part to charity. Rep. Nancy Cassis, R-Novi, used the extra money to set up a Cassis Civic Contribution Fund to donate to causes such as Habitat for Humanity, Jewish Vocational Service and the New York State World Trade Relief Fund. She put $3,328 in 148 state lawmakers received a $20,400 raise, to $77,400, based on recommendations by the State Officers Compensation Commission. The commission also recommended increases for the governor, lieutenant governor and Supreme Court justices.

The House, voting 100-6, jected the raise, along with a 2002 increase of 2.9 percent that increased lawmakers' salaries in January to $79,650. But senators never brought the recommendation to a vote before it took effect automatically Feb. 1, 2001. Both houses have to turn down proposed raises by a two-thirds vote for them to be rejected. That could change, however, under a constitutional amendment on the Aug.

6 primary bal Some state lawmakers used 2001 pay raise to increase donations By Kathy Barks Hoffman Associated Press Half of the state House members who got a 35.8 percent pay raise last year say they gave more to charities in 2001 because of the increase. Estimates on how much they gave ranged from "adequate" to "all of it." Actual amounts ranged from several thousand dollars to $17,000, according to answers to an Associated Press questionnaire. Controversy erupted at the Capitol a year ago when all lican Rep. Mike Pumford of Newaygo increased his charitable contributions by $12,000 in 2001 as a result of the increase, donating to service agencies in his district. Some lawmakers felt it was inappropriate to say how much they gave or who received the donations.

Rep. Paula Zelenko, D-Burton, said she gives regularly to charitable causes, but that the questionnaire was inappropriate. "The public has a right to know what my salary is as a public official, but not how I spend it," she wrote. For MSU advertising faculty, big game doesn't matter as much iiiK Education PAG grows in popularity i- GOP fund-raiser works to shift focus of schools reform Associated Press GRAND RAPIDS Launched a year ago by Republican Betsy DeVos, the Great Lakes Education Project political action committee has raised $200,000 for this year's campaign season. DeVos said that she hopes to net at least $500,000, thanks to five-figure checks from a group of well-heeled donors.

Judged against funds raised in the 2000 election cycle, that would land it among the ton 10 PACs in the state. Wos The PAC notched a victory Tuesday, when Macomb County Republican Brian Palmer won a special state House primary against seven opponents. Palmer received a $5,000 contribution from the PAC and is now favored to win the general election. With a few more victories, DeVos hopes to shift the balance of power in the legislature toward issues she deems critical: expanded public charter Cassis Caul the fund and has contributed $1,865 so far. Cassis voted to reject increases in 1999 and 2001.

She plans to donate the entire $2,250 increase lawmakers got this year. Rep. Sandy Caul, R-Mount Pleasant, used her increase to establish a $6,000 nursing scholarship at Mid-Michigan Community College and to make other donations. Repub- i CHARLES REX ARBOGAST Associated Press Off the money. Randy Rial, 41 of Battle Creek attempts a 35-yard field goal for Hershey's Million Dollar Kick contest Sunday at the Super Bowl.

Rial missed, but still got $10,000. Top commercials The top Super Bowl ads, as rated by MSU advertising professors: 1 Bud Light (falconer) 2. E-Trade (monkey) 3. Bud Light (satin sheets) 4. Hot Jobs (parrotcourt stenographer) 5.

(hotel) 6. Lipton Brisk 7. Universal Studios Orlando (Frankenstein) 7. Bud Light (robots) 9. Budweiser (out-of-towner) 9.

Block (Coen brothers) 9. Budweiser (True Card 85) 9. Levi's Crazy Legs Having an identity crisis? Join the club: From Robert Shafley of Holt: "My great-grandfather was a Robert. My grandfather was a Robert My uncle is a Robert. I am a Robert.

My son is a Robert. "When I was growing up, family get-togethers became pretty confusing when someone yelled until the code was developed: "There was Dorthy's 'Sandy's 'my brother Tittle Bobby" and "I fought the nickname Bobby all my life. Now only a couple of close friends and my sister continue to use it." From Juliet Johnson-Welsh of Holt: too, grew up with a nickname that was chosen for me before I was old enough to decide for myself what I wanted to be called. "I was given the beautiful name Juliet, but everyone decided to call me Julie. In school I signed all my papers as Juliet, but even the teachers began referring to me as "When I graduated from a high school in the Upper Peninsula, I moved here to attend Michigan State University.

This was the time to take back my name and I introduced myself as 'JulietHappily, everyone in this area refers to me as such. "As for my mother, I always ask her why she gave me such a great name if she was never going to use it." Back and forth From Michael (J ohn) Ter-berg of Vermontville: "I was born Michael but, growing up, was constantly referred to as 'John' (my father's name). "I later moved to Vermontville, started to establish my own identity as "Mike' and had a son of my own that we named John, after his grandfather. As my son got older and established himself as an athlete, I became 'John' once again. Even folks who knew me well always called me John.

I have never minded. Actually, it makes me proud of both my father and my son." From Dudley (Smitty) Smith of East Lansing: "YouH see from my e-mail that my name is Dudley. My parents neglected to tell me this. They always called me 'Smitty (I vaguely knew my dad was Dudley, but that had nothing to do with me). "On the first day of kindergarten, the teacher called role, instructing us to raise our hands when our name was called.

My name was never called. "When she asked me why I hadn't raised my hand, I told her that she hadn't called my name, which was Smitty. "She asked several times if I was Dudley Smith, which I vehemently denied. "That's my I said. Survivor On another subject: From Dan DiPietro of Wacousta: "A Ford dealership mechanic once told me that it would cost $1,000 for front-end repairs to correct a severe vibration in my van.

"I took it to a non-Ford mechanic for a second opinion. It cost me $80 for a new TP joint and the vibration was cured. "On another occasion, a mechanic at a different Ford dealership said the smoking engine in my van was beyond repair. Again I took it to a non-Ford mechanic. It cost $225 to have a gasket replaced, and my van was saved from the casket "It has been four years and 40,000 miles since my old van kicked its smoking habit and it is still healthy.

"Both of these dealerships are now out ofbusiness. My old van has outlived them both." What do you think? Call John Schneider at 377-1175, send a fax to 377-1298 or e-mail jschneidlsj.com. Include your name, phone number, city, town or township. GL1 KOHUTHFor the Lansing State Journal Watching the ads: Members of Michigan State University's home of advertising instructor Bob KolL The faculty members advertising faculty watch Super Bowl commercials Sunday at the have been rating Super Bowl commercials for the past five years. Professors immerse themselves in critique of Super Bowl ads AM make all three field goals from 15, 25 and 35 yards to earn his one chance at $1 million in New Orleans.

Sunday's crucial lack, however, went wide left. Rial graduated in 1979 from Harper Creek High School, where he was a field goal kicker. He held the school record of 37 yards for many years and is still among the top 10 in school history for extra points made. This was the eighth year for Hershey's Million Dollar Kick. Contestants took home the $1 million grand prize in 1997 and 1998.

my nephew almost died," said Brenda Wrigley, an MSU assistant professor of public re-Please see ADS, 5B Super Bowl field goal misses $1 million target schools, a limit on the number of local school elections and opposition to any change in the school funding formula. "Anything we can do which turns the tide in favor of Republican officeholders who embrace various measures of education reform, we would consider that efFective," DeVos said. Critics say PACs like this afford the rich undue influence over electoral politics. But DeVos says her work is just a start in response to more powerful PACs. One campaign finance analyst sees the Great Lakes Education Project as "the new wave" of independent PACs, dedicated to one issue and built on the money of a few wealthy contributors.

"The underlying idea of a PAC was supposed to be thousands of people banding together," said Rich Robinson, executive director of the Campaign Finance Network, a nonprofit watchdog group. "Now it's a front for people who have a whole bunch of money." Under state regulations, Robinson noted, there's no limit on individual contributions to an independent PAC as long it gets donations from two dozen others. "If they can get 24 other people to spend $10, they can spend whatever they want," Robinson said. No power Detroit Edison customers: less than 17,000 Consumers Energy customers: 6,200 back in service by the end of the day, and crews will work today to get power restored to the rest, Kessler said. Consumers Energy said Sunday evening that 6,200 of its 1.6 million customers were without power after as many as 100,000, mostly in Lenawee and Hillsdale counties, were hit by weather-related outages since Thursday morning.

Power was expected to be restored to all of those customers by this afternoon, the company said. Service was restored to all of American Electric Power's Michigan customers by Saturday, company officials said. As many as 10,000 of the company 120,000 customers were blacked out during and after the storms. Thousands remain without electricity after snow storms Associated Press A Battle Creek man walked away from the NFL Experience at the Super Bowl with a $10,000 check Sunday after he missed a 35-yard field goal that would have been worth $1 million. Randy Rial, 41, attempted the kick in Hershey's Million Dollar Kick contest at the Super Bowl XXXVI pavilion.

Rial, a manufacturing manger for Tenneco Automotive, beat out five others last month in a qualifying round in Jacksonville, Fla. He was the only finalist to Bud Light, E-Trade commercials among those gaining favor By Katie Matvias Lansing State Journal HASLETT At the annual Super Bowl party for the MSU advertising department, the television volume goes up during commercials. Bathroom breaks are taken while the game is in progress. And the cheers are for creativity not touchdowns. "This is actually work," said Bruce Vanden Bergh, a Michigan State University advertising professor.

"I didn't even realize the Patriots scored!" Eleven Michigan State Uni-v i professors glued them selves to a big-screen television with pens in hand and lights low to rate the 60 commercials aired during the National Football League's championship game Sunday between the St. Louis Rams and the New England Patriots. It's the fifth year MSU has undertaken the project This year's winner: a Bud Light spot featuring a falcon grabbing bottles from an open-air restaurant Coming in second was E-Trade's dancing and singing chimp, who sported a green tuxedo. Another favorite was the Lipton Brisk iced tea commercial starring a Danny DeVito puppet. The group was unsure how to rate the commercials that addressed the Sept.

11 attacks including a monster.com mes- Associated Press Repair crews worked through the weekend to restore power to thousands of people across southern Michigan following last week's brutal winter storms. Utility companies said about 23,200 customers statewide remained without power Sunday evening. As snow, sleet and rain pelted the state for several days, the storms left about 375,000 customers in the dark. Detroit Edison said less than 17,000 of the utility's 2.1 million customers were without power. About 265,000 of its customers lost power at times during the storms, with the outages concentrated in Wayne and Washtenaw counties.

"We have our own line folks out there as well as dozens of employees working in support roles, and hundreds of linemen from out of state," spokeswoman Lorie Kessler said. Detroit Edison expected to have 95 percent of customers with weather-related outages Reviewers: MSU advertising faculty members Steve Edwards and Janis Bukovac watch Super Bowl commercials on Sunday. MSU's advertising faculty has been rating Super Bowl ads for five years sage from former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and a spot featuring the Budweiser Clydesdales near Ground Zero. Tm from New York and.