Berkley Dems Meet 27th District State Rep Candidates (video)
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 27, 2014)
On a sunny Thursday evening four of the five Democratic candidates for the 27th District State House of Representatives Seat enjoyed a cook out with the Berkley Democratic Club. The candidates took a few minutes to give introductions and had plenty of time to mingle and break bread with area Democrats.
There are five Democratic candidates on the Aug. 5 primary ballot. There are also two Republicans who are running in the primary: Mark Manier and Michael Ryan.
Democratic candidate Kelli Williams was not able to attend the event.
Here is video of their brief introduction speeches:
Robert Wittenberg, with the home court advantage having grown up in Berkley, spoke first. The former Berkley 
Steeler touted his passion for education, stating “Ellen Cogen Lipton [the current State Rep.] has done an amazing job. Her number one issue is education as is mine. My father was on the School Board. My mom is a third grade teacher, and I know the value of public education.” He said that his next two key issues were revenue sharing and bringing power back to municipal governments, and seniors. He noted that the 27th District is a “safe” Democratic seat, and that he would continue to campaign not just for himself but for Democrats running in Districts where the general election would be more challenging.
Joe McHugh, a relative newcomer to Berkley talked about being endorsed by The Detroit News for his economic ideas. “As a Marine I pride myself as a leader and a team player as well,” he said. “I’m able to communicate with the Republican side of the aisle and design solutions that don’t require, in many cases, tax hikes which they cannot vote for.” As far as his move to Berkley from Sterling Heights, McHugh said “I moved here because this is a 
fantastic area for families. This is also where young people go when they’re single.”
Andrew Cissell grew up in Ferndale and has a home in Oak Park. He is best known for leading petition drives to change local charters and ordinances in several cities in the area where he is also campaigning, and for the charges currently against him for marijuana-related offenses. “I know I am the best candidate,” he said. “The reason is if you look at my story, you can make some assumptions at first but if you look underneath the cover you see somebody that’s standing up for freedom, standing up for liberty, that doing it in a very mature manner, seeing as I’m not just sitting on a couch saying I want something to be legal or something to be illegal. What I’m doing is going to every one of you… You know we’re 
hitting the doors, you know we’re getting the signatures for the issues.” Lest he be seen as a one-issue candidate, Cissell spoke on several topics including renewal energy, education and fixing the roads.
Rudy Serra, from Ferndale, kept his speech brief. He talked about his experience in the political arena, having previously been a County Commissioner, a member of the Ferndale School Board, and a judge. “If this was a personal ad, and you never knew anything about me, I might say ‘Well, I’m as good at two 26-year-olds.” He said “We’ve got five nice people in this race. We have one person in the race who 
has been elected to an office before.” He also noted that Ellen Cogen Lipton, who currently holds the seat but cannot run again due to term limits, is an attorney as is he.
For a more thorough forum, check out our previous story and video 
at https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/06/21/27th-district-state-rep-candidates-face-off-in-their-first-forum-video/.
Learn more about the Berkley Dems at http://www.berkleydems.org/.
Look for more election-related stories at https://oaklandcounty115.com/category/election-information/ or do a search for a candidate in the race you are interested in learning more about.
Note that three of the candidates for the 27th District State House Seat are sponsors of the oc115 – Andrew Cissell, Rudy Serra and Robert Wittenberg. The oc115 is nonpartisan and does not endorse any candidate.
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