Election 2012: Perception vs. Reality

Perception is reality it is said, but after this past election, that adage may have to be modified.

We all saw the polls and the crowds and the signs and considered who was going to win the presidential race and others. Funny thing is, what we perceived to be true and what was really true was often far apart.

Take Mitt Romney for instance. The polls showed a nearly 50-50 split or Romney holding a slight advantage. The crowds at his appearances spoke of a groundswell of support and pundits across the spectrum were predicting either a Romney landslide or an Electoral College tie that could end up in the House of Representatives, if not the courts.

What we did not see or in some cases, or maybe not wanted to see, was that President Obama had more support than many people realized. The polls that sampled heavily Democratic were on target, much to the chagrin of several radio talk show hosts and websites.

Locally, there were some perception issues as well.

Many people I talked to thought Mark Ouimet was a lock to keep his seat in the state House of Representatives. The voters thought differently. They gave challenger Gretchen Driskell a 3,000-vote margin to win the race. She was part of a Democrat sweep of the four state House seats up for grabs in Washtenaw County.

The perception that Washtenaw County is still a Republican stronghold needs to be wiped away with the reality that this is a blue county. It may be light blue, but blue nonetheless. That’s not to say the GOP is done here, but results are showing the county’s urban centers are going Democrat and have been for several presidential election cycles.

Saline has become a safe zone for the Democratic Party that makes Driskell’s win easier to understand. She has been mayor for 14 years and on the City Council for 20 years. With that kind of support, it wasn’t a stretch to see her win coming.

The same goes for Brian Marl’s win in the mayoral race. An aide to the House Democrats in Lansing, Marl has a strong base of support in the city. He is personable and outgoing. Nothing against Glenn Law, but Marl got an early start and had strong support from many sectors in the community.

The one result that boggles the mind is the voters’ rejection of the slates in the Saline school board race. The election pitted Smita Nagpal and Diane Friese against Paul Hynek and Karen Delhey. The four ran as pairs in hopes of getting a like-minded person elected.

Instead, voters went a la carte and picked Friese and Delhey. What this says about the voters’ intent or name recognition remains to be seen. The feeling before the election from people I talked to was Nagpal and Hynek were the favorites.

How this going to shake out and the ramifications on future elections remains to be seen. In Pittsfield Township, the Democratic slate is effective and popular. So a slate may work well on that level.

So dealing with this reality, we must now come together behind the winners. We need to see how they do when they are sworn in, but we must also hold them accountable. That's a reality that our elected officials have to perceive accurately or they will be on the sidelines soon enough.

Talking with a Dexter Museum supporter

Recently in the Community Media Lab, I had a nice visit with Susan Schotts of the Dexter Heritage Guild, the fundraising arm of the Dexter Area Museum and Historical Society.
We talked about the holiday bazaar at the museum from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 1. Proceeds from the bazaar help fund the operating costs of the museum. Dexter Heritage Guild members work throughout the year, creating crafts for the event.
In addition to sharing great information about the museum and the heritage guild, Susan also had questions for me about contacting the media through email.
One of the main points that I shared with her is something I always tell people: In your email or press release, tell me what you are promoting or what you want from me in the first sentence or two. Also, put the name of your event or community in the email headline. Make it eye-catching so that your email stands out in a flood of what could be 30 press releases. Include .jpg pictures if you have them.
Also, include a contact name and phone number in case there are questions.
Anyone who has questions about submitting information to us, can contact me at kmurphy@heritage.com.

Allow me to introduce myself …

Hi! I'm Kathleen Murphy, the new editor of The Chelsea Standard and Dexter Leader.

I am a proud graduate of Central Michigan University — fire up Chips! My degree is in broadcast journalism and political science, but life took a turn and I've spent my career working in the print media as a reporter and editor in communities in Lapeer, Macomb and Sanilac counties. I've covered everything from local government and schools, to the police beat and community events. My most recent assignment was on the copydesk at The Oakland Press in Pontiac, one of our sister publications.

I have always enjoyed small towns, perhaps because I grew up in the tiny town of Ubly in Michigan's Thumb. Ubly is best known as the home of the Ubly Dragway. Invariably, someone always mentions that to me and I sheepishly have to admit never having been there! As a child, playing outside in the summer, I remember hearing the noise at the track across town (which really wasn't that far), but we never went there. My dad preferred the Tigers and puttering in his garden.

Outside of work, my life revolves around my family. My husband Dave and I have two boys, Nicholas and Ethan. Nicholas is in the sixth grade and loves anything to do with football, especially Michigan (my Chips haven't won him over yet). He also plays in a youth football league, and takes part in organized wrestling, lacrosse and baseball. Ethan is a fourth grader and is our extreme sports enthusiast. His passion is skateboarding. When the weather is bad, he takes his board and heads to the basement — always with a helmet and pads! Ethan also loves snowboarding and cycling.

As a family, we are passionate about our dogs. Our Sophie, is a sweet 9-year-old black Labrador retriever we adopted from the Lapeer County Animal Shelter when she was about 9 months old. We also have a 3-year-old miniature dachshund, Bo, that we adopted from a neighbor. His full name is Bo Blue, courtesy of all my boys. At some point, I think we may have a dog named Brady!

I am excited to get to know the people of Chelsea and Dexter, and spend time in the communities.
Please feel free to email me at kmurphy@heritage.com or call (734) 429-7380. You can also follow me on Twitter at @kathleeneditor or on Facebook. I would love to chat with you, answer any questions you may have and get your story ideas.