Kerry and Allies-Organization, Michigan

Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.  | 3162 East Jefferson  |  Detroit 
State Director Donnie Fowler
(announced June 4, 2004)  Served briefly as campaign manager of Gen. Wesley Clark's campaign, leaving abruptly after about three weeks; worked briefly on Dick Gephardt's Iowa caucus campaign.  Vice President of TechNet.  National field director for Al Gore's 2000 campaign starting in October 1999.  Special advisor to FCC Chairman William Kennard.  Worked in the White House offices of presidential personnel and legislative affairs.  Clinton/Gore '96 field director for the New Hampshire primary and state director for the Wyoming and West Virginia primaries.  Director of the Connecticut coordinated campaign; campaign manager for the 1994 Tenebaum for Lt. Gov. campaign in South Carolina.  Worked on the presidential campaigns of Jesse Jackson and Richard Gephardt in 1988.  A native of South Carolina, son of former DNC chair Don Fowler. 
 
 
Communications Director Rodell Mollineau
Mollineau worked as communications director to Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) after serving as spokesperson on Pryor's successful campaign in 2002; earlier he served as deputy press secretary to Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD).  He has a B.A. in Journalism/Political Science from the University of Dayton. 
 
 

Coordinated Campaign  |  3162 E. Jefferson  |  Detroit
Coordinated Campaign Director Jim Sype
(announced Feb. 12, 2004)  Most recently served as Director of Political Affairs for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.  Worked on Houston Mayor Lee Brown's run-off re-election in 2001.  Director of Constituent Services for the Michigan House Democratic Caucus.  Deputy Director for the Michigan 2000 Coordinated Campaign, responsible for Budget, Finance and GOTV.  Political Director for the Stabenow for Senate campaign, 1998-2000.  Field/Political Director for the Larry Owen for Governor Campaign, 1997-98.  Worked for the Michigan Democratic Party, 1995-97, starting as an organizer for six congressional districts, then as Training Director, and, following the 1996 elections, as Political Director.  Attended Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, then transfered to Eastern Michigan University; majored in Political Science (six credits shy of a degree).
 
 
Deputy Director Daryl Newman
Director of the Political Organizing Department for the Michigan Democratic Party (announced Jan. 26, 2001).  Previously served asthe MDP's Senior Field Organizer and Base Vote Coordinator starting Sept. 1999.  Graduate of Michigan State University.  Grew up on the West side of Detroit. 
 
 
Field Director Jake Braun
Braun headed up Kerry's Dubuque office during the Iowa caucus campaign.  Worked on local campaigns in Dubuque in 2002.  From Omaha.
 
 
Paid Voter Contact Director Mike Premo
Prior to the campaign, Premo worked in the Michigan House Democratic Caucus Constituent Relations Department.  Campaign manager on Susan Smith's campaign for Michigan state representative in District 99, Clare County (Mt. Pleasant), 2000.
 
 
Deputy Field Director Amy McCusker
Started on the Kerry for President campaign in Michigan in June 2003 as a volunteer; hired in September 2003, one of three regional field directors.  Volunteer on Democratic campaigns in Michigan since Dukakis in 1988, and has worked on  local campaigns as a profession, some paid, some volunteer, for the past four years.  In 2002 she worked as 11th CD Field Coordinator for the Granholm campaign and also assisted in scheduling.  McCusker is Secretary of the 11th CD Democrats (Wayne and Oakland Counties), and elected member at-large in the Southwest Oakland Democrats.  She also served as the Community Services Director for the City of Wixom.  She has B.A. in Journalism/Poli Sci/History from University of Michigan and is working on completing an M.A. in Public Policy through University of Michigan. 
 

Regional Field Directors
CD1 and CD2

CD 3

CD 4

CD 6

CD7 and CD8

CD5 and CD10

Detroit Co-Directors

Oakland County

Wayne/Monroe Counties

Macomb County

Johanna Milburn

Cheryl Warner

Jaclyn Macek

Carol Heflin

Jason Houser

Nate Snyder

Larry Lewis, Garland Doyle

Jason Ellenberg

Amanda Espedia

Fred Starzak


 
 
Constituencies Director Chong-Anna Rumsey
Finance Director for the Michigan Senate Democrats starting in 2003.  Worked at Varoga Rice out of Houston doing fundraising and general campaign consulting
for various candidates in Texas and Louisiana, including Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas.  Coordinator and Assistant to the Director for the Michigan House Democratic Caucus Constituent Relations Department, 2001-02.  8th CD Field Coordinator for the 2000 Michigan Coordinated Campaign.  Graduated from Michigan State University in 1997 with a B.A. in Sociology.
 
 
Base Vote Brian Love
Previously served as co-political director of the Michigan Democratic Party under Butch Hollowell.  Field/political director on Hollowell's 2002 campaign for Secretary of State. 
 
 
Surrogates Director JoAnne Huls
Deputy director of scheduling in the Office of Gov. Jennifer Granholm.  Worked for Debbie Stabenow for a decade, starting as a college intern in 1993 when she was in the Michigan Senate, continuing in the U.S. House of Representatives, and serving as her scheduler and deputy chief of staff in the U.S. Senate.  Native Michiganian.
 
 
Press Secretary Adrianne Marsh
Named as Communications Director for the Michigan Democratic Party on Dec. 8, 2003.  Public Relations Coordinator for theOakland-Livingston Human Services Agency, 2001-03.  Staffer on Congresswoman Lynn Rivers 2000 re-election campaign and worked with Michigan Victory 2000.  B.S. in political science from Eastern Michigan University, where she was student body president.  Originally from Linden.
 
 
Regional & Specialty (Base Vote) Press Director Jamaine Dickens
Dickens served as Press Secretary to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from July 2002 through Fall 2003, after serving as Director of the City's Communications and Creative Services Department.  Kilpatrick's Press Secretary and Communications Director for the House of Representatives' Democratic Caucus.  Public Affairs Director for the Leon County Board of County Commissioners in Tallahassee, Florida.  Bachelor's degree in mass communications from Jackson State University.
 
 
Operations Director Mila Al-Ayoubi
Graduate of Central Michigan University with a B.S. in political science. 

Women Decide!
 
 

Michigan Democratic Party  |  606 Townsend Street  |  Lansing
Executive Chair Mark Brewer
Elected Chair  in February 1995; re-elected February 1997, 1999 and 2001; elected Executive Chair in February 2003..  President of the Clinton Township Democratic Club, 1984-93.  Started in politics as a summer intern for Congressman David Bonior in 1977 and was involved in every one of Bonior's re-election campaigns through 2000.  Joined Sachs, Waldman, O’Hare, Helveston, Hodges and Barnes, PC in 1983, becoming a shareholder in 1989, and continuing with the firm until becoming MDP Chair.  Worked two years for federal and state courts.  Law degree from Stanford University Law School in 1981 and A.B. with Honors from Harvard College in 1977.
 
   Executive Assistant to the Chair Sylvia Perkins
    Worked for the State House of Representatives for 22 years before joining the State Party staff in 1993.
 
Voter File Manager Neil Sullivan

 
Communications Director Jason Moon
Previously an employee in the Michigan Senate.  Research for various statewide campaigns.  Graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in political science and economics.
 
Compliance Director Jody Weissler
Graduate of Michigan State University with a B.S. in Environmental Studies and Applications.
 
Receptionist Joanne Warman
Previously a career employee with the Federal Government.
 
Bingo Hall Jim Kadjan
Pat Andrzejewski

Note: Melvin "Butch" Hollowell stepped down from his position as State Chair in August 2004 and took on a position with the Kerry campaign's legal team.
 

Allies
In the latter part of September, with Kerry leading in polls in Michigan, ACT closed its 10 offices and reassigned most of its staff of 100 to other battleground states.  [Patricia Montemurri.  "Switching Battles: Anti Bush group relocates to other states." Detroit Free Press.  Sept. 22, 2004].  In a Sept. 28 phone interview, Johnson said ACT had sought "to bring the campaign back to the grassroots levels," particularly targeting drop-off voters and seeking "to engage those voters in July, in August, in September with a personal touch."
Americans Coming Together  |  301 West 4th Street, Lower Level Suite 100  |  Royal Oak (office opened late April 2004) >>
Offices:  Detroit (2nd office), Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Muskegon, Pontiac, Royal Oak, Saginaw.
Michigan Director Lon Johnson
Campaign manager for Rep. John Dingell's 2002 re-election campaign (primary against Rep. Lynn Rivers).  Served as a senior fundraiser for Al Gore's 2000 campaign.
 
 
Field Director Kim Hodge

 
Communications Director Lavonia Perryman

 
Chief of Staff Sheila Smith

America Votes  |  Royal Oak 
Michigan Organizing Director Ray Plowden
Served Michigan political director on Dick Gephardt's campaign (announced October 16, 2003).  Rep. John Conyers' Chief of Staff since 1995, managing Conyers' Washington, DC and Detroit congressional offices.  Active in numerous Detroit area organizations including the Detroit Entrepreneurship Institute, Metro Detroit ACLU, Detroit Youth Foundation and the Michigan Coalition of Human Rights.  Plowden is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta and Wayne State University Law School in Detroit.  A native of Michigan. 
 
 

Michigan AFL-CIO  |  419 S. Washington Sq.,  Suite 200  |  Lansing 
Battleground Desk/State Director: Bob Lathrop (Lansing)
President:  Mark Gaffney
Secretary-Treasurer:  Tina Abbott

Copyright © 2004, 2005  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.