Heating Up in West Bloomfield

From left; Albert Mansour, Diana Mohyi, James Sklar, Ken Ferguson and Noah Arbit

Local area House race features five candidates

By PAUL NATINSKY

In what has become a Wild West political environment, the newly drawn 20th state House District features a diverse mix of candidates trying to fill the void left by incumbent Matt Koliszar’s abdication to the new 22nd District.

The reconstituted 20th loses parts of conservative Commerce Township and adds all of West Bloomfield, a mixed bag that includes a large Chaldean population, a sizable Jewish population as well as many young voters and female professionals, according to Ed Sarpolus, Founder and Executive Director of Target Insyght, a political consulting firm based in Lansing.

The resulting mashup makes the 20th a Democratic district—53 to 55 percent—depending on the election year, says Sarpolus.

Sarpolus says community organizer and former Gov. Gretchen Whitmer staffer Noah Arbit is the frontrunner, with substantial contacts within the community and a track record as an effective fundraiser.

The candidate agrees. “I am the only Democratic candidate who is actually from this community, who grew up in West Bloomfield, who has lived here my entire life. My communal roots in West Bloomfield are unimpeachable, and my record of service and leadership has always focused on my home. My Democratic opponents have argued that they are more experienced or credentialed. There is a reason that I have earned a lopsided majority of endorsements, more than any candidate—Democratic or Republican—in this race.”

And indeed, he has. “I am incredibly proud to have earned the support of our Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, a majority of the West Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees - including Steve Kaplan, Teri Weingarden, and Jim Manna, Oakland County Commissioners Marcia Gershenson and Kristen Nelson, a majority of the Keego Harbor City Council, the UAW, the AFL-CIO, AFSCME - the government workers union, the Jewish Democrats, the Hispanic Democrats [and] countless LGBTQ+ organizations.”

But despite Arbit’s advantages the 20th could be a competitive race. Diana Mohyi, a family law attorney, has strong ties within the community and could have a powerful appeal to professional women who will make up a sizable chunk of the voter pool, particularly if conservative female gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon is at the top of the ballot, said Sarpolus.

Conservative real estate professional Albert Mansour is also in the race. He has strong ties within the district’s Chaldean community and a job that gives him a strong presence there. Much of his success will depend on how much of a factor conservative men are in the race. And that is largely a function of voter turnout, said Sarpolus. The lower, the better for Mansour.

The Democratic side of the equation features two other candidates. One is West Bloomfield Board of Education Treasurer Ken Ferguson, a Desert Storm veteran who eventually found his mission teaching blind and low vision children.

Ferguson says he wanted to serve his community after the 2016 elections and settled on the school board because it was a natural fit with his educational background. His school board involvement gave him an up-close view of state and federal government and whetted his appetite to be a positive force in a larger arena.

Ferguson points out that he is the only elected official in the race and as school board treasurer is the only one with big budget and policymaking experience from within the government.

Still, he will be facing a steep climb against a candidate with strong relationships with the community and substantial fundraising experience in Arbit.

James Sklar rounds out the field. An attorney and former legislative staffer, he also spent three years working in the auto industry. With Arbit and Ferguson in the race on the Democratic side, Sklar will be challenged to establish the name recognition, relationships, and funding to be competitive.

According to his website, environmental issues and fixing Michigan’s roads are at the top of Sklar’s agenda.

Arbit intends to focus on hate crimes and mental health, which he says are “very personal” to him.

“Working at the prosecutor’s office, I learned just how inadequate and deficient Michigan’s treatment of hate crimes is. I will work relentlessly to transform Michigan from national laggard to national leader in hate crimes prevention, intervention, and prosecution. I will introduce a comprehensive bill package to reinvent the way Michigan contends with hate crimes, to overhaul the antiquated and insufficient 1960s-era ethnic intimidation statute, and will build a multi-ethnic, multi-faith, bicameral, bipartisan coalition of stakeholders, supporters, and legislators in support of this effort.”

Ferguson says he will work on establishing respect and increasing funding for public education. Other issues in which he has an interest include “sensible gun legislation, women’s reproductive rights, and environmental issues.”

Mohyi feels a responsibility to protect the citizens in the 20th from “bad policy from the other side of the political spectrum.”

She says people are tired of having their children “brainwashed in the schools,” where value-based education is displacing the reading and writing skills that are valuable in the job market.

She applies the same logic to Critical Race Theory, an academic doctrine that in part holds that many American institutions operate under inherently racist policies. “These are values that have no place in the school. The school is where you are taught to be a viable member of society and be able to gain skills to earn a living, support your family and be a viable member of society.”

Mohyi is concerned that the very leaders who closed schools and shuttered businesses will make the same decisions if similar conditions reemerge in the future. She feels strongly that “it’s not natural for people to be isolated from each other,” particularly children.

Mansour feels like he represents the district. He thinks his status as a father, husband and small business owner will resonate with voters.

He also thinks the government’s response to COVID was a harmful overreach and supports “parental rights at school.” Mansour thinks his ability to “stand his ground” will be an asset as a legislator.

He feels that Chaldeans are underrepresented in state politics and views a win in the 20th as a chance to do something about that. In his mind, the large number of Chaldeans living in the district will play a huge role in the election.

Like many state and federal races in Michigan this election cycle, the new 20th District looks like a challenging and unpredictable contest. It also looks like a race that the Chaldean community will help decide with an outcome that could have long-term implications.