The Clear Choice Is Denise Monroe Hearn by Akindele Akinyemi

The state representative races in the 12th district has just gotten even more interesting. Last night I attended a candidate community forum in Southwest Detroit to hear the candidates on their positions. Of course, the person that I am who is always skeptical of recycled issues I wanted to hear a different perspective of things.

But first I wanted to hear the person who I have been writing about all this time.

Rashida Tlaib was in attendance last night. She confirmed several things for me. Not only she does not live in the district but when I was listening to her answers on several of the problems facing Southwest Detroit she could not give a clear answer. However, she reiterated how she is an activist in Southwest Detroit. I still cannot find any core positions on what she stands for. Guess what? I never will.

I keep saying that she is a plant indirectly for Mayor Kilpatrick through her boss, Rep. Steve Tobocman (who several people came up to me and complained how he has not done anything int the six years he was State Representative). I know one thing, with the Synagro crisis and Marathon planning to expand the indigenous people who live in Southwest Detroit are going to be left behind.

I was expecting a little more from Former State Representative Belda Garza. I know for a fact that the Latino community cannot stand her and really detest her because of her close relationship with Mayor Kilpatrick. She did not say a whole lot other than giving sound bites to the audience. Not interested in someone who lost her seat to Steve Tobocman (who, like Rashida, did not even live in the district the time he won back in 2002).

This guy is running for the hell of it. Daniel Solano is bored and has nothing else to do. He is stiff, scared and was not fluent on the issues. How many times did you tell me that he was ran over when he was a police officer? That's is core issue, being ran over by a car. Wow.

You know I like Carl Ramsey but I cannot support anyone (under any MAJOR circumstances) who is against educational choices. I can care less if his children goes to Detroit Public Schools what about the children who are being molested by teachers in DPS, female instructors turning out young boys after school, schools not making AYP and I can go on. Some have shared with me that Mayor Kilpatrick is not helping him in this race. If that is so true then how come the UAW switched gears and took the endorsement away from Denise Monroe Hearn and gave it to Carl Ramsey on behalf of Mayor Kilpatrick? The Fannie Lou Hamer and Black Slate gave Carl endorsements. BOTH slates are Mayor Kilpatrick slates.

Shifting gears here, the person who I was watching closely was Dr. Lisa Marie Randon. Preparing to give birth any day now to the family's third child I was reading her literature while she was giving her platform. A little nervous on her end when she defended her positions I was seeing a star in the mix but I feel that she is running in the wrong race. Presently, the Detroit City Council need a doctor in their house to cure them from the diarrhea of the mouth that is placing our city in bad situations (such as Synagro, Minergy, and Marathon). Dr. Randon would be a great asset from Southwest Detroit to the Detroit City Council. Like I said, I see the growth and development in her. It takes time for someone to develop a platform that will benefit everyday people. I see that in Dr. Randon.

While I like Dr. Randon the person who stole the show (and I would not expect anything less) was Denise Monroe Hearn. She is clearly the clear choice for state representative in the 12th District. Denise impeccable knowledge of environmental issues affecting the 12th district sounded like someone speaking on environmental issues in Washington D.C. at the Heritage Foundation. I have studied environmental issues for over 10 years but nothing like what Denise Monroe Hearn was speaking on. I am telling you I felt like I was at Columbia University being lectured on how to solve environmental issues in the 12th district.

And when the other candidates at the forum gave a piss poor explanation on how they would solve education in the district Denise already has a plan that has been approved to fight adult illiteracy from the U.S. Department of Education. Can anyone else say that in her race? In fact, who is working on fighting adult illiteracy from a policy perspective in her race? No one. This is a very serious issue for that if we do not address adult illiteracy Rashida Tlaib will be the State Representative in that district. It's bad enough that some think she is Hispanic when she is an Arab-American. That alone is an example of illiteracy.

The forum was good over all. I still would like to see Dr. Randon get her name out for the Detroit City Council races next year but this race is over because Denise Monroe Hearn took no prisoners last night. She is clearly the CLEAR choice for state representative.