Mark Grebner
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Mark Grebner (born 1952) is a American politician and political consultant from the state of Michigan.
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[edit] Career
Grebner is a resident of East Lansing, Michigan; he came as a student at Michigan State University in 1970, and became involved in politics at the time of the 18-year-old vote in 1971.[1] He has been an Ingham County Commissioner since 1977, except 1981-84, and has served as board chair and chair of the Finance Committee.[2].
He is the president of Practical Political Consulting, a voter list and consulting firm which works mostly for Democrats in Michigan. In recent years, the firm has been expanding its operations to include Wisconsin.[3]
For almost 30 years, he has published Grading the Profs, which reports student survey results on Michigan State University teaching faculty.[4] [5]
Grebner is a commentator on politics and political issues, and is often interviewed on radio[6] [7] [8] and television and quoted in news articles.[9] [10] [11] He also writes on "Technical Politics" for the web site Michigan Liberal.[12]
Grebner is noted for his iconoclastic and humorous political tactics. The New York Times wrote that "Calling Mr. Grebner eccentric would be too obvious."[13] During his campaigns for election and re-election as county commissioner, he has used self-deprecating slogans such as "No Worse Than The Rest,"[14] "He May Be a Fool, But He's Our Fool,"[15] and (in a coupon book) "Buy One Politician, Get One Free."[16] A humorous letter he sent to his constituents in 1986, announcing his plans for re-election, was reprinted in the "Readings" section of Harper's magazine.[17] Grebner lives with a large pet pot-bellied pig named Ruby, which he says technically belongs to an ex-girlfriend.[18] [19]
[edit] Controversies
Grebner has been frequently involved in public controversies, typically as an advocate for liberal positions, for voting rights, for freedom of information, and for the interests of university students:
- In 2007, he led a group of plaintiffs who sued to overturn the Michigan presidential primary law as unconstitutional. Judge Collette of Ingham County Circuit Court ruled in plaintiffs' favor, striking down the primary;[20] [21] that ruling was upheld by a three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals[22], but was reversed by the Michigan Supreme Court.[23] A federal lawsuit on similar grounds is pending.[24]
- Grebner and his firm have frequently been plaintiffs in Freedom of Information Act lawsuits in Michigan[25] and Wisconsin.[26]
- In 2004 and 2006, his firm conducted a large-scale experiment, called ETOV, to "shame" nonvoters into participating in elections.[27] [28]
- As county commissioner, Grebner strongly defended the county's practice of selling pound animals for medical research, and called animal rights activists "fanatics".[29] [30]
- An essay Grebner wrote about methods to increase voter turnout suggested a focus on jail inmates held before trial.[32]
[edit] References
- ^ Summer of Love: Bygone era marked by political change, freedom, State News, July 12, 2007
- ^ Ingham County Board of Commissioners web site
- ^ Grebner Masters the Art of the List, Lansing Business Monthly, February 2008
- ^ Updated pamphlet grades 'U' profs, State News, February 11, 2003
- ^ Golden grading, State News, February 12, 2003
- ^ Jack Lessenberry interviews Mark Grebner, Michigan Radio, November 1, 2006
- ^ Election 2004: Mark Grebner on the District 8 Congressional Race, WKAR Radio, July 12, 2004
- ^ Jack Lessenberry interviews Mark Grebner, Michigan Radio, April 28, 2008
- ^ Absentee Ballots Tainted?, Detroit News, October 30, 2005
- ^ Alternative poll: Prop 2 sure to pass, Michigan Daily, November 6, 2006
- ^ Obama is playing catch-up in Michigan, Detroit Free Press, June 4, 2008
- ^ Michigan Liberal web site
- ^ Getting a Lock on Michigan Voters, List by List, New York Times, November 7, 2000
- ^ Detroit Free Press, January 9, 2006
- ^ New York Times, ibid.
- ^ New York Times, ibid.
- ^ A political soft-sell (campaign letter from Mark Grebner), Harper's, June 1987
- ^ Commissioner’s pig paints for a cause, Lansing City Pulse, February 28, 2007
- ^ New York Times, ibid.
- ^ "Judge blocks Michigan's Jan. 15 primary," Detroit News, November 7, 2007
- ^ Judge rules for voters, principles, Detroit Free Press, November 10, 2007
- ^ "Court Rejects Early Primary," Washington Post, November 16, 2007
- ^ "Michigan Court OK's Early Primary," New York Times, November 21, 2007
- ^ Lawsuit disputes rules for primary, Ann Arbor News, January 12, 2008
- ^ Grebner v Clinton Charter Township, 216 Mich App 736
- ^ Grebner v. Schiebel, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, 2000
- ^ Analyst plans to publicize voting records, Lansing State Journal, August 3, 2004
- ^ Attention: This man is watching you, Lansing City Pulse, August 1, 2006
- ^ Grebner has one word for animal activists: ‘Fanatics’, Lansing City Pulse, April 16, 2003
- ^ Animal rights story mostly right, Lansing City Pulse, April 23, 2003
- ^ County likely to ban smoking at work sites, Lansing City Pulse, January 9, 2002
- ^ Seeking a captive audience, Detroit Free Press, February 20, 2008
[edit] External links
- grebner.com, official web site of Grebner's firm, Practical Political Consulting
- Official Biography at Ingham County
- Speeches of Mark Grebner, Sound recordings at MSU Vincent Voice Library
