Despite taking place at the same time as the Central/Western football game, a record crowd of 700 came to the Griffin Forum on Tuesday in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium.

Four of Michigan’s highest ranking legislators visited CMU on Tuesday night to discuss the Michigan budget crisis.

“On the most competitive night to hold the forum, we had the largest attendance,” said Griffin Endowed Chair Gary Peters, who hosted the forum.

The leaders included Speaker of the House Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, Majority Leader of the Senate Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, Minority Leader of the Senate Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, and Minority Leader of the House Craig DeRoche, R-Novi.

All four legislators agreed Michigan’s budget crisis is not over. The service tax, approved during budget agreement talks, is unlikely to take effect as is, they said.

“The most important thing we can do as a legislature is repeal this tax,” Bishop said. “We may be divided by party lines, but unified by common purpose to the people of the state.”

Schauer said the tax was enacted at 3 a.m. while trying get revenue together and, because Michigan has switched from a manufacturing based economy to a service based economy, it seemed to make sense at the time.

“There was a transformation in our economy,” he said. “But a very small number of legislators devised this and a solution is putting it on the ballot to make a final decision. It may not pass, but the tax should not take effect.”

DeRoche also said the tax should be dismissed.

“It’s not a good idea – it doesn’t create jobs and it doesn’t bring people to state,” he said.

Having all four leaders under the same roof is unprecedented, said Bill Ballenger, editor of Inside Michigan Politics and a former Griffin Endowed Chair.

Ypslanti junior Liz Cornish said she enjoyed being able to ask the legislators questions.

“It was helpful for people not educated in the political aspects of government,” she said. “All the panelists were interacting diplomatically and it was good to watch.”

The panel was uncensored, said Benjamin Barker, a Mount Pleasant sophomore.

“It was great to see how they are able to communicate,” he said.

The panelists discussed the importance of keeping college graduates in the state, what negotiations take place behind closed doors and term limits. All were in agreement that experience is key in government and that a discussion should take place to extend term limits.

Gary Shapiro, interim executive vice president and provost, introduced the panel, including television station WKAR’s “Off the Record” anchor and moderator for the event, Tim Skubick.

“The Griffin Forum is designed to stimulate the political consciousness of faculty and students,” Shapiro said.

Students Against Gary Peters, a group opposed to the Peters’ employment at CMU while he runs for Congress, handed out fliers prior to the event.

“It was an interesting forum; I never took issue with the forum,” said Dennis Lennox II, a Topinabee junior and spokesman for the group.

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