Rating Area Lawmakers

THE well-respected Michigan Student Environmental Confederation, a statewide Lansing-based environmental organization, has released an ecology voting record on members of the Michigan Legislature. The record covers the 1973-74 term of House members and the 1971-74 term for Senate members. Representatives were rated on 19 key roll call votes and senators were rated on 17 key votes. Some old familiar names showed up at both ends of the performance scale. In the House, that staunch friend of environmental protection, Rep. Warren Goemkre of Roseville, tied for the highest score at .95 with Rep. Lynn Jondahl of East Lansing. We .were pleased to see that Rep. Ray Smith of Ann Arbor finished only one point behind the co-leaders. Other area representatives had these scores: Perry Bullard, 53rd district, a creditable 78;r Gay Owen, district 22, 68; Hal Ziegler, district 23, a middling 53; and Thomas Sharpe of Howell, 51st district a poor 21. In the Senate, Sen. Robert Vander Laan of Grand Rapids scored a fine 93. At the bottom end, Sen. Joe Mack of Ironwood scored 7, but then what can you expect of a man who delights in baiting the Department of Natural Resources. Sen. Gilbert Bursley of Ann Arbor scored an 80, which was good f or third place. The excellent voting record of area lawmakers on key environmental votes is diminished somewhat by the trickle of sound environmental legislation which proceeded from a Legislature occupied with other matters.