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Virg Bernero says Tony Benavides reminds him of his father. He remembers
the time the two men met – Benavides, a Mexican immigrant, and
Bernero’s dad, an Italian immigrant of about the same age —
in his backyard during a fund-raiser for his race for the state House
of Representatives in 2000.
“My father and Tony really hit it off,” Bernero recalls.
“That’s why for me there’s no personal animosity.”
But today, Bernero is running for mayor of Lansing against Benavides.
It would be easy to characterize Bernero as the young (39) insurgent
challenging the Establishment figure, since Benavides, with more than
20 years’ on City Council, is a staple of local politics. But
pitting generations against each other, in an age-old story of the changing
of the guard, would be a simplified assessment.
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| (Above)
Tony Benavides talks to Sam Johnson while campaigning on the west
side. Photo by Mark Henne (Below) Virg Bernero campaigning at the
July 4th Parade |
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For
in some ways Benavides could be characterized as more of an outsider than
Bernero. Benavides still bears the accent he brought with him from Mexico
as a teen-ager, when his parents emigrated to Lansing as migrant farm
workers. And it is Benavides who carries on his shoulders the dreams of
an immigrant group still working for social, economic and political acceptance.
Bernero, on the other hand, is a second-generation member of an ethnic
group that has been well integrated into American society. A former
county commissioner, his election as a state representative and then
last year as a state senator demonstrate his acceptance on a larger
political stage than Benavides, who represented Lansing’s 3rd
Ward for two decades, until his ascension to the mayor’s office
in January.
By virtue of being Council president, Benavides, 66, became mayor when
David Hollister stepped down to accept a cabinet position in Gov. Jennifer
Granholm’s administration. Bernero is his most serious challenger
in the Aug. 5 primary election, in which voters decide which two candidates
will face each other in the November general election. The winner this
fall will complete the remaining two years of Hollister’s term starting
in January. Other candidates in the primary election are Melissa Sue Robinson,
a maintenance administrator for SBC Communications, state retirees Leon
Black and Mary Ann Prince, and a drywall finisher, Gerald Rowley.
PROUD
OF THEIR HERITAGE
Both men speak fondly of their heritage. Bernero proudly admits that
his Italian background is part of his identity. His father, Julio, emigrated
from the northern Italian town of Tomasi, and the family of his mother,
Virginia, came to Michigan from the southern Italian city of Cosenza.
Bernero recalls large family gatherings for pasta after church. Growing
up in Pontiac as the youngest of five, he says Sunday afternoons were
reserved for spending time with the family visiting relatives and gathering
around the kitchen table. “It wasn’t about sitting in front
of the TV, it was about conversation.”
The Michigan senator said that as a child he always wanted to join his
father as he went to deliver the vegetables to his grandfather’s
market in his big red truck at 3:30 each morning. But Bernero was then
too small to lift the heavy baskets, and “Bernero Produce”
shut down in the early 1970s, after his father was hit by a drunk driver,
which injured his back. Julio Bernero then took a job at General Motors.
Bernero’s older sister, Vicky, lives in Pinckney, and works as
a dietitian at the University of Michigan. His second sister, Tina,
is an X-ray technician in Clarkston. Tragically, his older brother,
Victor, died of AIDS in 1990, the day Bernero was first elected Ingham
County commissioner. Victor’s twin brother Vince, who lives in
Oakland County, suffers from schizophrenia.
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The
death of an older brother from AIDS and the mental health problems
of another older brother gave him a “sense of seriousness
early on.”
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Virg Bernero
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It was actually
his brother’s illness that brought him into politics, Bernero says.
When Vince developed symptoms of schizophrenia, his parents, who both
speak Italian at home, were exhausted by their efforts to access the health
care system and to find proper medical treatment. “I became my parents’
advocate for my brother,” says Bernero, who was 13 when the diagnosis
was made. He said the fate of his two older brothers gave him “a
sense of seriousness early on.”
Bernero remembers returning home to Pontiac, in order to help Vince figure
out how to brush his hair and his teeth again, after he’d suffered
a breakdown from schizophrenia. “I also saw my second brother, Victor,
die of AIDS. I’ve felt guilt at times. But I guess I’ve turned
it into a sense of obligation.” When campaigning in the gay community,
Bernero refers to his brother as a major reason he supports gay rights.
(As a Council member, Benavides opposed a gay rights ordinance, costing
him the “very positive” rating that Bernero received from
the Lansing Association for Human Rights Political Action Committee.)
As a teen-ager, Bernero got his first taste of politics when he helped
his Aunt Betty Fortino campaign for Oakland County commissioner. Fortino
now works as township clerk in Waterford, after serving as Oakland County
commissioner for 16 years. The candidate calls his aunt a “great
role model, who’s honest to a fault.” Added Bernero: “She
tells people what they don’t want to hear. I hope I can be the politician
that she is. I will try hard to tell it like it is. That’s such
a rare commodity over there at the Capitol.”
All
of the mayoral candidates were invited to appear live on “City
Pulse On the Air” on WBDM, 88.9-FM, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. today
(July 23). They will answer questions solicited from readers of
City Pulse. Excerpts of their answers will appear in City Pulse
next week. |
At Adrian
College, Bernero fell in love with and later married Teri Johnston, after
recruiting her to work in his campaign for student body president. In
1986, he graduated with a B.A. in political science and ran unsuccessfully
for county commissioner in his hometown of Pontiac. In 1987 he went to
work on the communications staff of the speaker of the House. In 1991
he became the chief legislative aide to Sen. Jim Berryman (D-Adrian).
That same year, he was sworn in as an Ingham County commissioner from
south Lansing, a position he held for eight years. In 1995, Virg left
the Capitol to serve for four years as a development officer for Alma
College and as executive director of the Michigan Association for Children
with Emotional Disorders. When
they moved to Lansing, the young family searched extensively for an acceptable
apartment in downtown so Bernero could walk to work and save on parking
and the cost of an extra vehicle. Unable to find a place, the Bernero
family moved to South Lansing instead. “Quite frankly, if you look
around today, it’s not much better. We’ve got to get quality
housing downtown.”
The Berneros have two daughters, Virginia (12) and Kelly (15), who go
to school in Holt and East Lansing. Bernero has been criticized for sending
his children to schools outside of Lansing, which he said he did at the
request of his older daughter, who said she was being harassed by other
pupils at Gardner Middle School. Both went to Holt, but Kelly asked to
move again to East Lansing, while Virginia chose to remain at Holt, Bernero
explained. His wife is a former elementary school teacher who is principal
at Lansing’s Lewton Elementary School.
Lansing, according to one of Bernero’s campaign slogans, has the
“ingredients of greatness” but hasn’t yet fully reached
its full potential. The candidate said he doesn’t understand what
is taking the city so long to consider attracting 2,000 Cooley Law School
students to downtown by providing housing. “Those students don’t
drive rust-buckets but SUVs and fancy cars, and I think they go right
on the expressway off into Okemos, East Lansing and Haslett. I think they
would love to live down here.” Bernero says creating more residential
space and developing the riverfront are key factors in downtown revitalization.
“If you get a critical mass of people living downtown, then you
get the merchants and the nightlife.”
Asked whether
he thought the City Council’s decision to publicly finance a parking
ramp and permit the construction of 110,000 square feet of additional
office space -- a deal Benavides help broker -- was a good idea, Bernero
said: “I really don’t know. I’m trying to get a clear
picture on that.” If elected mayor, Bernero said he would introduce
regular meetings with the state’s Department of Management and Budget
to assess the need for new office space. “We all want downtown Lansing
to fly, but we need better cooperation.”
As a county commissioner, Bernero helped to create the Otto Health Clinic
in Lansing, the Ingham Health Plan, and the Capital Area prescription
drug program for seniors.
Just nine months ago, 53 percent voters in the 23rd Senate district picked
Bernero to represent them in the state Senate after his one term in the
House. Bernero defeated a well-known Democrat, former state Rep. Lingg
Brewer, in a rough-and-tumble primary. In the general election, his Republican
opponent, state Rep. Paul DeWeese, was a Williamstown physician who campaigned
against abortion. Bernero, who was raised catholic, is pro-choice. In
the state House and Senate, Bernero’s legislation has focused on
improving public education, strengthening mental health services and protecting
the environment.
This year, he sponsored Senate Bill 230, legislation that would make it
easier for Michigan cities to demolish abandoned houses. Bernero said
that if elected mayor he would appoint a new cabinet-level housing “czar”
who would be in charge of reducing the number of Lansing’s 500 red-tagged
homes.
If not elected mayor, Bernero said he would continue working to make mental
health a higher priority in the legislature. As state senator, he said
he’s tried to pass more progressive mental health legislation and
laments that although Michigan ranked last in helping people with mental
diseases, former Gov. John Engler continued to cut existing services.
“We cut the services, and we end up paying for them in the prison
system. It’s inhumane.” FAMILY
STRESSED HELPING PEOPLE
Like Bernero, Benavides is quick to bring up his family as an important
influence in his role as a public official.
Benavides was born in San Vicente, a small town in the state of Nuevo
Leon, in northern Mexico, and grew up in the city of Comales, a few
hours south of San Vicente.
Asked why he became a politician in 1981, when he was first elected
3rd Ward City Councilman, Benavides recalled, “When I was a little
boy in Mexico, my parents always told us that each must serve the other.
Survival was extremely important. I used to sell watermelons and oranges.
I’ve always felt that I have something to offer to the community.”
In the 1920s Benavides’ father came to Texas to work on a farm.
His mother followed, and the couple began a family. During the Depression
they repatriated to Mexico, where Tony was born. His four older brothers,
who’d been born in the United States, each returned at the age
of 15 to their aunt’s house in Texas.
In 1952, the family moved to Lansing. Benavides said his two older brothers
Rudy and David moved to Lansing from Texas for work at General Motors.
Their parents and siblings, including 15-year-old Tony, followed.
In Lansing, at a Catholic church dance, Benavides met his future wife,
Carmen, whose parents had emigrated from Mexico and lived in San Antonio,
Texas. While Benavides’ parents were farming the onions, lettuce
and radishes in the Stockbridge area, his wife’s parents worked
on farms in the St. Johns area on sugar beet and peppermint crops.
Today, Carmen Benavides is a retired school principal who spent 33 years
working in the Lansing School District. The Benavides’ four children
are a son in Lansing, a son in Germany, a daughter in Tucson, Ariz.,
and another daughter in Detroit.
Looking back at his family’s history, Benavides says he is grateful.
“My parents wanted to better their family’s lives,”
he says. “Obviously, that’s the reason why you come to the
United States. I truly believe that this is the greatest country in
the world. You can be anything you want.”
Benavides remembers the ambitions he felt after first arriving in Lansing.
Twice a day he took English lessons at West Junior High School, in order
to catch up with his peers. Initially, he’d been placed in seventh
grade, two years behind for his age. But: “I remember my tutor
telling my older brother David ‘If Tony learns the language, we
will promote him to a higher grade,” Benavides said
Of course Benavides did learn English and quickly adapted to his new
environment. A 1957 graduate of Sexton High School, Benavides became
the executive director of the Christo Rey Community Center in north
Lansing in 1969. For 33 years, Benavides would develop his vision of
building a community organization that offered social services for Lansing’s
lower-income population. When Benavides began working at Cristo Rey,
the center predominantly served the needs of the Hispanic community,
but according to center staff its scope is more wide-reaching today,
and Hispanic residents make up just one fourth of the total number of
visitors.
Under Benavides’ directorship, Cristo Rey developed from a center
with a $50,000 annual budget and three employees to one with a $2.8
million dollar budget and staff of 75 when he quit this year to become
mayor.
As a 22-year veteran of Lansing City Council, Benavides has been Council
president half a dozen times and sat on every committee.
Benavides says he is disappointed that the Chamber of Commerce endorsed
Bernero. Benavides says he lost the endorsement because he supported
legislation for a living wage for City Hall employees, whereas Bernero
did not. He said that he would not back down when the chamber asked
him to “hide the living wage under the carpet.” Added Benavides:
“This is a labor city. I’ve been taught by my parents not
to promise something that I don’t have in my back pocket.”
When asked about citizens’ concerns about urban sprawl in Lansing,
Benavides agreed: “Yes, we can stop it. I think everything centers
around economics.” He also said that the living wage was an important
part of his economic plan to make Lansing a more livable city. “I
see young mothers in City Hall who make $6.50 an hour. They have two
jobs, and three kids at home. And even this isn’t enough. I believe
we need to have a living wage for all the people,” he said.
Benavides says he would not wish to pick one specific accomplishment
to represent his 22 years as a City Council member. But he says he was
proud to have voted for a development project to transform the old Boys
Training School. In December 2002, City Council unanimously approved
the sale of a 25-acre parcel on the grounds of the former BTS for an
upscale housing development. Critics wanted the green space saved or
to keep the land for the school district.
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“When
I was a little boy in Mexico, my parents always told us that
each must serve the other. I’ve always felt that I have
something to offer the community.”
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Tony Benavides
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Benavides
stressed that in his 22 years in City Council he has always been pro-business.
“As a matter of fact, I was the president when we were doing the
negotiations for the first GM plant.”
When it comes to General Motors, Benavides and Bernero seem to have
similar perspectives. Asked whether he knew how much the city had spent
in order to keep GM in the late 1990s, and whether it had been worth
it, Bernero replied: “I don’t know, and I think it was worth
the price. GM is the No. 1 asset in Lansing, and I will do whatever
it takes to keep and to grow GM here.”
If the chamber’s endorsement was a coup for Bernero, Benavides
evened the score by receiving the blessing of Hollister. Both candidates
invoke the former mayor’s “vision” when they talk
about their plans for Lansing. Hollister’s endorsement of Benavides
may have left something to be desired (“Tony will carry on the
vision,” the State journal quoted Hollister as saying. “It
would be hard to do a lot of damage in two years”), but it was
still Benavides who received a nod carrying much weight with voters,
not Bernero.
A group of 18 African-American ministers have so far endorsed Benavides,
while Bernero has been endorsed by the Lansing Fraternal Order of Police,
the Operating Engineers Local 324 and Iron Workers Local 25.
THE
LAST WORD
With less than two weeks before the primary election, Bernero appears
to have built significant momentum as he makes the rounds of candidate
forums, rings doorbells and speaks at coffees. His major fund-raising
event at the Country Club of Lansing brought out about 200 people at
$150 a head, he said.
Bernero is careful not to predict he will beat Benavides in the primary
– an expectation he does not want to be measured against. Bernero
may have youth on his side, but Benavides has decades of name recognition.
One 40ish woman said she’s supporting Benavides because she remembers
when he attended an event when she was 18.
Members of City Council and other community leaders have pointed out
that it all boils down to style, credibility and a concern for public
opinion. Four City Council members – Joan Bauer, Sandy Allen,
Randy Williams and Harold Leeman – said they were staying neutral.
Larry Meyer said he supports Benavides because he has more experience.
Three Council members, Geneva Smith, Carol Wood and Brian Jeffries,
did not return calls. (Wood and her mother, her next-door neighbor have
a Benavides sign planted on what appears to be their shared property
line.)
Leeman, who worked with Benavides on City Council for the past seven
years, said that Bernero might very well be a fabulous campaigner and
a slick politician, but adds, “This is not a Senate race. This
is Lansing, Michigan. Small-town America.”
Leeman called Bernero a “new commodity.” He pointed out
that Hollister had been a state representative for 20 years before becoming
mayor, and a county commissioner before that. He questioned Bernero’s
qualification for City Hall, saying municipal government and county
government are two entirely different things.
The City Council member said that Benavides’ biggest disadvantage
is that he’s “too much of a nice guy,” which could
negatively impact his ability to lead the city. But Leeman also pointed
out that Benavides was very good at listening to people’s opinions,
something that was perhaps influenced by his bilingualism.
No doubt style is going to play an important role in the outcome of
this race and the overwhelmingly likely rematch in November. Both men
promise to fulfill Hollister’s vision of a greater Lansing, and
so far huge policy differences between the two of them have not emerged.
Benavides’ sometimes halting English may frustrate some voters,
but to others Bernero may be too fast a talker, just as they think his
rise in politics is too swift. That may well crystallize where much
of the public is today: torn between supporting a known quantity with
known weaknesses and gambling that a less familiar, brasher quantity
might get Lansing to where both men agree they want to take it.
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