Kevorkian planning run for Congress

Royal Oak Daily Tribune (Royak Oak, MI)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

By Charles Crumm, Journal Register News Service

Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian, who spent eight years in
prison for second-degree murder, says he’s running for Congress.

Kevorkian, who will be 80 years old in May, picked up petitions from
the Oakland County Clerk’s Office Tuesday to run as a candidate with
no party affiliation.

"I plan to," Kevorkian said Tuesday afternoon. "I wouldn’t do this
otherwise. We need some honesty and sincerity instead of corrupt
government in Washington."

Kevorkian said he would have more to say about his candidacy next
week.

"Everything’s in a formative stage," he said.

Kevorkian, a Pontiac native now residing in south Oakland County, will
have to gather a minimum of 3,000 signatures on nominating petitions
by July 17 to appear as an independent on the November ballot, the
Michigan Secretary of State’s office said.

He resides in the ninth congressional district. The seat is currently
held by eight-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield
Hills. Democrats currently filed to run include former Michigan
Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters.

The district encompasses Oakland, Bloomfield and West Bloomfield
townships as well as parts of Orion and Waterford townships along with
the cities of Farmington, Farmington Hills, Orchard Lake, Keego
Harbor, Sylvan Lake, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills,
Rochester, Troy, Clawson, Royal Oak, Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield
Hills, and Lake Angelus, plus the villages of Franklin, Bingham Farms
and Beverly Hills.

Michigan law doesn’t prevent Kevorkian from running for office, or
from voting, now that he’s been released from prison.Kevorkian was
sentenced to 10 to 25 years for second-degree murder on April 13,
1999, for the assisted suicide death of Thomas Youk, which he filmed
and which was broadcast on national TV.

He was paroled June 1 last year and remains on parole until June 1,
2009, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Oakland County Prosecutor Dave Gorcyca, whose office was responsible
for sending Kevorkian to prison, was dismissive of Kevorkian’s
candidacy.

"I would place Jack Kevorkian’s candidacy in the same ranking with
(Texas U.S. Rep.) Ron Paul’s (presidential run)," Gorcyca said."It’s
probably more of a publicity stunt. To call attention to himself is
standard protocol for Jack when he doesn’t have the limelight focused
on him. I would not consider his candidacy to be a legitimate one."

A Kevorkian candidacy, however, is likely to draw more attention to
what is already expected to be one of the more closely contested
congressional races in the country.

National Democrats targeted the district this election after
Knollenberg won re-election in 2006 with 51.5 percent of the
vote. Knollenberg spokesman Mike Brownfield said the congressman has
no immediate comment.

"Everybody has the right to run," Peters spokeswoman Julie Petrick
said. "Right now, Gary is focused on bringing real change to Oakland
County. Knollenberg has heaped mountains of debt on our children,
disastrous trade policies that have destroyed our manufacturing
sector, and gotten us into a protracted war with no end in sight. It’s
time for real change in Oakland County and that’s what we’re focused
on."

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress