State Education Candidates Campaign On Shoestring

LANSING - Voters get used to reading that the major candidates for governor will spend more than $2 million in the race for that one job, but there's a much bigger group of statewide candidates who just laugh - or cry - at such figures. They're the politically and financially disadvantaged candjdates running for I the eight posts at stake Nov. 5 for the State Board of Education and the Big-3 universities' boards. Most of the education candidates are still trying to scrape up a few hundred or few thousand more bucks just to pay for their gasoline and meals on the campaign trail. There's no talk among them about blitzing the state with slick newspaper, TV and radio ads. An education candidate is more likely to be worrying about such things as how he's going to get the Michigan Fox Hunters Association ing in Lapeer or to tne Paw Paw Wine Festival - in one hour. And the education candidates may be called upon at short notice to fill in for one of the top-of-the-ticket nominees, without gettirig the funds or staff help that William Milliken or Sander Levin would have. And all this is to get a job that carries no salary and, in the case of the State Bbard of Education for example, is limited to $4,500 a year in expenses. "The party expects you to campaign, but they don't offer ají that much aid," said Barbara J. Roberts of Lansing, one of the Democratie candidates for the State Board of Education. And yet Mrs. Roberts is almost rich in campaign funds, compared with most other education candidates. She won the endoresement of the Michigan Educational Association, -which awarded $3,000 to her and to 'the other Democratie nominee, Roger B. Tilles of Swartz Creek. Other than the MEA funds, though, Mrs. Roberts' largest contribution from I an individual was $25. She's also collect I ed some $850 from two Democratie I raisers and a check for $200 from a I sing social club. In all; she said she I hopes to raise $5,000 to oever her basic I expenses. Her husband helps cut costs I and time by doing much of the driving I for her. Her running mate for the State Board, I Tilles, said he's raised about $3,000 so I far, but has spent about $6,000 so far, not I including many travel expenses. Tilles, an attorney , left his job with a I Flint law firm to devote full-time to the I State Board campaign three months ago I and he doesn't expect to be able to get I back into practice until January. He will get the $3,000 grant from the I MEA1, but it hasn't arrived yet. He netted some $500 to $600 from two fund-raisers and had contributions ranging up to $100 from individuals and up to $300 from the I Community Schools Education Association. The Republican candidates for the (State Board have found that the supposed "fat cat" image of the party doesn't seem to help them, not this year anyway. _ "Öhe of the "GÖP contenders, Mrs. Florence (Jo) Sáltzman of Franklin, said she's so far received $1,107 in contributions ranging from $5 to $100, but she and her husband withdrew $1,500 from a Isavings -account and borrowed another $1,500 from a credit union to help finance I her campaign. Mrs. Saltzman also has four volunteer drivers who take turns helping her, often lusing their own cars and buying-the gas, I too. The other GOP candidate for the State Board, James F. O'Neil of Livonia, has been an incumbent for eight years and has been active in politics and education for years before that, but he admits he's also suffering financially also. The party hasn't given O'Neil a cent and he said he's spent nearly $3,000 so far, but raised only $1,300. He savs. with a laugh that he did have one "fund raiser": When President Ford was in Detroit recently, O'Neil walked around the reception with a plastic bucket asking fellow Republicans to "put a drop in the bucket for O'Neil." He got $2.51. What's really hurt him this time. O'Neal said is'that the Ford Motor Co. . where he works has discontinued their "Give-to-fhe-Candidate-of-Your-Choice Program." That plan" got him more than $8,000 in the last election. This time, O'Neil has had to solicit Ford executives on an individual basis. "It's crazy to choose State Board candidates this way," O'Neil said. "Once elected, they are our board of directors for the biggest business in the state- education- at some $3.5 billion." But the way education boards are filled in Michigan, it often doesn't seem to matter how much money is spent campaigning. A well-to-do Republican candidate for the University of Michigan Board of Reeents once spent $125,000 in his race, while his GOP runningmatel spent practically nothing. They both lost. I Many officials and politicians question I the wisdom of electing education 1 dates on partisan ballots. It's simply al-j most impossible for them to compete inj publicity and funds with the nomineesl for the top posts. It's long been assumed by most lead-l ers of both parties that there's no ppintl in spending a lot of money on the 1 tion races because whoever wins at thel top of the ticket tends to pull the rest in I on their coattails. However, the theory is being increas-l ingly questioned now. Micigan has 1 'come a state of ticket-splitters, who arel quite capable of jumping back and forth on the ballot: Party labels probably still will be the single most important factor in deciding who wins the education races Nov. 5, but if some of the races are close, or the losers yell loud enough, maybe some real movement will begin to find another way. J