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Join us for our upcoming 'Recess' after work party on February 24 from 5-8pm at Red Mesa Grill in Traverse City. Enjoy fantastic food and drink, prizes, and more -- for just five bucks!

Current Issue

January 2010 • Vol. 16 • Number 6

What's News

Drink + Eat: The business up food and drink Up North.

Special Section

Healthcare

Dental Check-Up: Feeling the Bite of the Recession

Law/Insurance/Accounting

No-Fault Insurance and other mistaken assumptions that could cost you everything

Granholm Says Negotiations Needed; Mentions Michigan Caucus Possibility

In an interview today with Traverse City Business News Publisher Luke Haase, Michigan Governor Granholm pointed to possible negotiations and an eventual caucus to resolve Michigan’s Democratic presidential delegates.

Granholm said a second Michigan primary would cost $10 million, a burden Michigan taxpayers should not bear.

“How do you pay for it and how would you do it in a way that both parties – Obama and Clinton – would accept the outcome? It would have to be negotiated with Democratic National Committee, which they would have every incentive to do, because right now in this delegate count there are two big holes – Michigan and Florida.

Granholm made it clear her first choice would be to find a way to seat the delegates from the

January 15 Michigan primary, but acknowledged the fact that Barack Obama was not on the ballot creates a fairness issue.

“It could not be a primary because a primary is publicly paid for, and the taxpayers would not spend any more tax dollars on a primary. So if there’s anything it would have to be a caucus, but we’d have to have a way to pay for it without taxpayer dollars.”

In the wake of Hillary Clinton’s victories last night in Ohio and Texas, pressure is mounting for Michigan and Florida to resolve their states’ delegates. Both states were punished for attempting to move up their primary dates. As a result, several major candidates were not on the ballot and did not campaign there.

Granholm met with Haase over lunch following an appearance at the Economic Club of Traverse City. The remainder of the interview will be published in the April issue of the Traverse City Business News.