Lansing - A year ago, House Republican leader Rick Johnson and Democratic leader Kwame Kilpatrick joked about being able to share a box of homemade cookies.
Now, Kilpatrick, 31, is getting his own box of cookies.
House Minority Leader Kilpatrick will become mayor of Detroit in January, and he says he will take lessons learned working with House Speaker Johnson to the state’s largest city.
“We can still share cookies and we can still have open and honest debate about the issues that affect the citizens of Michigan,” said Kilpatrick, a third-term representative. “We accomplished the goals we set this year.”
When Kilpatrick and Johnson initially took their leadership offices in January, Johnson said Kilpatrick would take homemade cookies off his desk.
But more than sharing cookies, Kilpatrick, D-Detroit, and Johnson, R-LeRoy, tried to rid the state House of traditional battles along party lines in their first year leading the state House. House Democrats elected Samuel “Buzz” Thomas, D-Detroit, on Tuesday to replace Kilpatrick as House minority leader in January.
Even though state Democrats and Republicans didn’t always play nicely in 2001, most political spectators said there was a renewed bipartisan spirit and a unified effort.
“He walks into my office, and I’ve walked into his,” said Johnson, a second-term representative. “That’s been the relationship, and it will be the same when he becomes mayor of Detroit.
“I think Kwame will do a great job in Detroit.”
Johnson said his relationship with Kilpatrick has been consistently cordial, even though the pair doesn’t always agree on legislation.
“Kwame and I believe in the same thing,” Johnson said. “You may not always agree, but the vast majority of the time you are working for the same things.”
Kilpatrick’s replacement will fill the office located directly across the hall from Johnson’s office until the session in expires in December of 2002.
Comparisons are already being drawn between Kilpatrick and his successor, Thomas.
“Buzz Thomas is someone who can work with the other side, but strongly articulate the Democratic core-values,” said state Rep. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing. “We feel good that we have a strong leader to move forward with.”
Kilpatrick said Thomas will be left with a healthy caucus, as the party prepares for another round of elections in November.
“We had a very successful year, and this is a great place to go forward with that next leader,” Kilpatrick said. “We are in a better place than we were last year at this time.”
The Democratic leader acknowledges the last year wasn’t always smooth. Debates about altering legislative seats for the 10-year redistricting period were sometimes challenging.
“We held our own in redistricting,” Kilpatrick said. “You have both sides of compromise, when to compromise and when not to.”
Midyear budget battles, and budget reductions in November strained the relationship.
Some Democrats said they were to be left out of the re-budgeting process, ruffling some feathers.
“There have been some bumpy times when we’ve had to take positions on some legislation,” said Rep. Mike Murphy, D-Lansing. “Kwame is still a young leader. Some of the older members may have questioned some calls, but for the most part - 90 percent of the time - I agreed with Kwame’s recommendations and leadership.”
Kilpatrick leaves a Legislature with 57 Republicans and 52 Democrats.
“What Kilpatrick was able to do with Rick Johnson, was to create a climate or atmosphere for how Republicans and Democrats in the House should work with civility,” Murphy said.
As Kilpatrick heads home, he said he hopes to bring his spirit of compromise back to Detroit. And, he might have a visitor from Lansing to share in his new box of cookies.
“I’ll be down there to get some of them,” Johnson said.
Steve Eder can be reached at ederstev@msu.edu.
