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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Truth Squad certifies ad that could devaste Terri Lynn Land
macombpolitics.blogspot.com/2014/05/truth-squad-certifies-ad-that-could.html - 115k - Cached - Similar pages
3 hours ago ... Politically Speaking ... Terri Lynn Land's camp responded by calling the 50- second video a “scurrilous mischaracterization of the facts. ... The Peters spot begins by replaying a portion of Land's bio ad, which .... Barry McCaffery; named to the "Top 20 MI Politicos" by Lansing political consultant Todd Cook. |
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Mon May 19, 2014 4:41 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Monday, May 19, 2014
Truth Squad certifies ad that could devaste Terri Lynn Land
After getting pounded for months by negative ads criticizing his support for Obamacare and his statements on women's issues, Democratic Senate candidate Gary Peters has trotted out a story that makes his Republican opponent look like a greedy landowner who evicted people for profit.
Terri Lynn Land’s camp responded by calling the 50-second video a “scurrilous mischaracterization of the facts.” But the Michigan Truth Squad, which fact-checks campaign advertising, said today that the ad is true, if not a bit hyperbolic.
The Peters spot begins by replaying a portion of Land’s bio ad, which portrays her as a go-getter at a young age. But then the Democratic congressman’s message takes over.
Here’s a portion of the audio:
“She grew up in a trailer park and motel owned by her grandparents. Terri Lynn Land worked her way up.
“But that’s not the whole story. Years ago Terri Lynn Land bought that property and evicted the 170 families living there – 170 families told to get out all so Terri Lynn Land could flip the property and make a profit. That didn’t work out. Ms. Land bulldozed her childhood home and it sits vacant to this day …”
The Truth Squad, operated by the nonpartisan Center for Michigan on its Bridge Magazine site, found that in 1995 the trailer park was sold to a family-based entity, LaGrande, a company run by Land’s husband, Daniel Hibma.
What happened a decade later is apparently common knowledge in Grandville and the surrounding areas of western Michigan. In 2004, while Land was serving as Michigan secretary of state, press reports indicated that LaGrande issued notices to 171 families living in the park that they had to get out. They were given a year to relocate.
The park population, according to one resident, included the recently unemployed and those on fixed income or disability payments. The company said eviction proceedings would begin June 30, 2005 for those who had not moved out. It offered to pay moving expenses – estimated at $5,000 – for those who moved within six months. One resident – who was raising her 7-year-old grandson – told The Grand Rapids Press, Land’s hometown paper: “When you’re my age they say you’re in the golden years, but they’re looking pretty rusty to me.”
Perhaps the most devastating part of this story, as the ad points out, is that the park was bulldozed but LaGrande never managed to complete a development deal or a sale. It remains vacant to this day.
The first question has to be, if this story was revealed in various press accounts years ago, why would Land’s backers mention the trailer park in the candidate’s bio ad? It was almost as if they were taunting the Peters campaign, daring them to drag a skeleton out of Land’s closet.
If it was an attempt at a pre-emptive move it surely failed. Even if no other damage is done, the Peters ad may force the Land camp to throw the bio ad in the trash.
There is one caveat in this potential mess for Land. The Truth Squad took issue with the ad’s use of the word “eviction.”
Here’s what they said:
“The broad outline of what the ad alleges is true. The trailer park where Land grew up was sold to a family interest that included Land’s husband, Daniel Hibma. The company later gave residents of the park a year to leave or face eviction, notice that left some scrambling to find housing they could afford. In a strict legal sense, the company did not evict all 170 families. Many left within six months and received financial help to move. But using ‘evict’ in its more colloquial sense, the company’s announcement did force families to find another place to live.” |
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Mon May 19, 2014 4:44 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Mon May 19, 2014 5:32 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Truth Squad: Ad accusing Terri Lynn Land of evicting families broadly true
19 May 2014
by Bridge Magazine
Who: Peters for Michigan
What: “Evicted,” 50-second video
The call: Warning
Relevant text of the ad:
“She grew up in a trailer park and motel owned by her grandparents. Terri Lynn Land worked her way up. But that’s not the whole story. Years ago Terri Lynn Land bought that property and evicted the 170 families living there – 170 families told to get out all so Terri Lynn Land could flip the property and make a profit. That didn’t work out. Ms. Land bulldozed her childhood home and it sits vacant to this day, a community destroyed for nothing. That’s what she calls a success story. The families she grew up with, the ones she evicted, probably call it something else.”
The 50-second video continues a spirited U.S. Senate contest between former GOP Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and Democratic U.S. Rep. Gary Peters. The two have traded blows over the Affordable Care Act – Land opposes the health care reform measure, while Peters voted for it – and about which candidate best represents women. This entry by the Peters campaign makes it personal.
Statements under review:
“She grew up in a trailer park and motel owned by her grandparents…Years ago Terri Lynn Land bought that property and evicted the 170 families living there.”
The Land campaign website notes that Land was born in Grand Rapids and spent her early years “living at the family’s LaGrande Grandville Motel and Trailer Park, which was started by her grandfather and grandmother.” In 1995, that property was sold to LaGrande LLC. State of Michigan records list Daniel Hibma, Land’s husband, as its registered agent. It was described in the Grand Rapids Press “as a company owned by the family of Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land.”
In 2004, according to extensive Press reporting, LaGrande LLC issued notice to 171 families living in the park they had a year to relocate. The park population, according to one resident, included the recently unemployed and those on fixed income or disability payments. The company said eviction proceedings would begin June 30, 2005 for those who had not moved out. It offered to pay moving expenses – estimated at $5,000 – for those who moved within six months. One resident – who was raising her 7-year-old grandson – told The Press: “When you’re my age they say you’re in the golden years, but they’re looking pretty rusty to me.”
“…all so Terri Lynn Land could flip the property and make a profit. That didn’t work out. Ms. Land bulldozed her childhood home and it sits vacant to this day, a community destroyed for nothing.”
In March 2005, Land and Company – also operated by the Land family – sought to rezone the Grandville property for development. It lists Daniel Hibma as its resident agent. A month later, Hibma told members of the Grandville Planning Commission he was “anxious to market” the property. But it was never sold or developed and sits empty today. It is listed for sale at $1.6 million.
Heather Swift, spokesperson for Land, called the ad “a false and a scurrilous mischaracterization of the facts.” She did not dispute any specific content in the ad.
The call: Warning
The broad outline of what the ad alleges is true. The trailer park where Land grew up was sold to a family interest that included Land’s husband, Daniel Hibma. The company later gave residents of the park a year to leave or face eviction, notice that left some scrambling to find housing they could afford. In a strict legal sense, the company did not evict all 170 families. Many left within six months and received financial help to move. But using “evict” in its more colloquial sense, the company’s announcement did force families to find another place to live. The parcel remains empty today and is up for sale.
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How we make the call
Flagrant foul
A statement that distorts or incorrectly states a fact. It's one thing to point out differences between records. It's another for a public official to present false information or to inaccurately portray his or her own political record.
Regular foul
A statement that distorts or incorrectly states a fact involving policy. We'll provide the sources for our assessments, and let you decide whether we're making the right call.
Technical foul
A statement that implies something that isn't quite true and deserves additional explanation, or that is entirely false.
Warning
A statement that could easily be misconstrued, but is generally truthful.
No foul
Not all tough political speech is a foul. Sometimes the Truth Squad will review material that it is, indeed, totally accurate, even if it is not nice.
We'll keep tabs on each politician, and we'll make sure you know how many fouls, if any, are called on each.
For too long some Michigan politicians and their consultants have stretched the truth, broken trust with citizens, and ignored the consequences of the things they say. The result is undue mistrust in our political process, one that is ultimately controlled by citizens – ideally informed citizens like you who are taking the time to learn about the issues and the people who represent them in our representative democracy.
Identify questionable claims in the political speech you see or hear. If you hear or see a major speech, news release, white paper or report, viewpoint column, political website, or issue advertisement that raises questions in your mind, send us a Truth Squad Tip.
If a tip exposes an exaggeration, misinformation, an outright lie, or a distortion, we will call a “Foul!” on the politician or political party.
If you choose, your tip can remain anonymous.
Let your friends know when the Truth Squad calls a foul: Hold Michigan politicians and political parties accountable. Email, Tweet, Facebook us your favorite fouls.
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Mon May 19, 2014 5:35 pm |
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