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New Dimensions With Perry Bullard

New Dimensions With Perry Bullard image
Parent Issue
Day
25
Month
October
Year
1974
OCR Text

Which state legislator can smite the State PĆ³lice with a single letter? Toke a joint in front of thousands of people, news reporters and T.V. cameras? Be censured by the state legislature for showing porno flicks as part of his re-election fund-raising? It's Super Perry, villainized by the straight media, and abhorred by middle America. Perry Bullard, Democratie state representative has not had a great deal of success in bringing radical reforms through the super conservative state legislature, but he has been very adept at getting publicity for a wide range of issues, from Ann Arbor's $5 marijuana fine to the well-hidden Red Squad. Perry has three opponents this election year. none of them likely to take his seat. While there are a number of more conservative Democrats who wouldn't mind seeing him deposed, intense publicity has made his name a household word among the University of Michigan mr ents who make up most of his constituency His major challengers are Republican Rae Weaver, administrative assistant to A2 mayor James Stephenson, and Human Rights Party member Robert Alexander, a teacher in the Willow Run Schools. Both have concentrated on Bullard's lack of actual accomplishments during the past two years, arguing they could do better. Perry admits he has not done all the things he promised two years ago. 'Tve concentrated on two areas, developing greater democracy and protecting individual rights and civil liberties," he says. "You can't do everything." HRP candidate Robert Alexander is probably Bullard's most serious opponent, with differences between the two not always readily apparent. One of Alexander's most convincing criticisms of Bullard has been concerning Bullard's remoteness from A2 residents since election. While not running a high-intensity media campaign, Alexander has successfully ganized strong grass-roots support, particularly among minority groups who see Bullard putting too much emphasis on middle-class University students. Bullard's other opponent is another Republican woman attempting to appear "liberal." Weaver criticized Bullard's attempt to eliminate sexism from the Michigan code, claiming it would make it Ilegal to have separate men's and women's bathrooms. This is the same argument being used against the Equal Rights Amendment and does not point to a person dedicated to women's rights, as she claims to be. And just so we don't forget, Bullard's fourth opponent is Robert Graham of the" American Independent Party. Running on a "government is too big and powerful" line, Graham claims he feels like a "Lone Ranger" in this race. But the only one really standing alone is Perry Bullard - way out in front in this race.