UPDATE: Road tax campaign crumbling? Proponents sound confident of victory

Before the rubber has even hit the road, the campaign for a state sales tax hike may be crumbling like a Michigan roadway in springtime.
In a piece for Deadline Detroit, I wrote about the back story to the road tax, including the divisions among those opposing the May 5 ballot proposal and the decision by the top-notch campaign team promoting the tax to quit.
With just 90 days until the special election, the replacement team for the pro-tax forces led by Gov. Snyder are still getting organized while the opponents -- if they can avoid battling each other -- have one simple message: "No more taxes."

Here's a portion of the column:

Those familiar with the (pro-proposal) campaign’s bumpy road say that Terri Reid, Snyder’s director of external affairs, instigated the breakup.
Reid objected to the inclusion of an advertising firm, Joe Slade White & Co. of New York, which has worked exclusively for Democrats, including former governor Jennifer Granholm. Reid took control and brought in WWP Strategies of Lansing, an advertising/consulting company with a conservative track record.
“I think the political forces aligned on both sides of the ball are very interesting,” said Lansing political consultant TJ Bucholz, who is not in the mix. “You’ve got, ostensibly, a Republican civil war playing itself out on the anti-tax side.”
In the coming weeks, TV viewers will be inundated with ads for and against the tax plan. Estimates of the amount that will be spent on the campaign range from $15 million to $30 million.
Those lining up to take a whack at the road tax include John Yob, Snyder’s former campaign guru, a PAC associated with the tea party and possibly the powerful Americans for Prosperity, a group funded in part by the infamous billionaire Koch brothers.
Adding to all of these subplots is speculation about Snyder’s health.

You can read more here.

*****

Here's some additional insight that didn't make it into the column.

Yob's decision to fight Snyder on Proposal 1 is awkward, as is the emergence of Paul Mitchell’s political action committee as a “vote no” proponent.

A spotty reputation dogs Mitchell, a rather wealthy businessman, in GOP circles because he has drifted from the St. Clair City Council to an aborted run for state Senate in Saginaw to a stint as the state party treasurer to a bid for a congressional seat in mid-Michigan, a losing 2014 campaign in which he was, not surprisingly, labeled a carpet-bagger. In each endeavor, he lasted only a few months.

On the flip side, one political operative on the new pro-tax team is the husband of the MIGOP executive director, raising questions about whether WWP was an objective choice. Beyond that, WWP ran Attorney General Bill Schuette’s two successful AG campaigns but they were brought in by a Snyder confidante for the road tax effort just as Lt. Gov. Brian Calley looks ahead to a likely 2018 run for governor against Schuette in the GOP primary.

 

*****

In addition to WWP Strategies, another consulting firm on Snyder's new pro-tax team is Martin-Waymire Advocacy, also of Lansing. The folks at Martin-Waymire objected to the tone of my column, insisting that The new message also emphasizes that road safety is severely compromised by potholes and crumbling bridges.

Here's a bit of the message Rogert Martin of the firm sent me:

"We've been on board only 10 days, but I can tell you there is extraordinary enthusiasm across the state, our coalition is growing almost daily with powerful and motivated leaders, we have significant resources, and we are now organized to run an aggressive, comprehensive and competitive campaign.

"This is now my 12th ballot proposal campaign. I know a strong ballot campaign when I see one. This one will be very strong. By the time we are done, voters will understand this is the one chance we have to ensure more funding for safer roads and bridges with tax revenues the Michigan Constitution guarantees must go to transportation. This is the one chance we have to end the road funding shell game in Lansing.

"If this passes, the politicians must use every penny we pay in state gas taxes for transportation, safer roads and bridges. No longer will they be able to divert the revenues to non-transportation purposes. I am telling you: the 'experts' you quoted are just flat wrong. The only thing crumbling in Michigan are our roads and bridges. I am not pointing to the center field bleachers here, but we will run a strong campaign."