This was a well-conceived and effectively organized campaign, and ACC’s President Dan Angel deserved much of the credit. After all, he had been a Michigan state legislator earlier in his career and understood how to run a political campaign. But many others helped too, and that made a critical difference. State Representative Wilhelmina Delco and State Senator Gonzalo Barrientos endorsed the initiative. Local consultant Peck Young designed a plan targeting businesses, especially those that relied on ACC’s workforce training programs.
But the College community jumped into the effort big-time, contributing money, operating telephones, distributing yard signs, and greeting voters at the polling places. Their message was simple but effective. “We’re only asking for a nickel.”
Opponents mounted a vigorous campaign too, appealing to a strong anti-tax sentiment in the city, especially among elderly citizens with fixed or limited incomes. Local businessman Jay Johnson chaired an organization called “Stop Taxing Our Property” that urged opposition voters to turn out on election day. They employed a misleading argument that ACC’s founders had promised that the school would never ask for tax support.
Johnson thought a big turnout would benefit the opposition–at least 40,000 voters. In the end, however, only 34,421 voters cast ballots. Advantage ACC. Board Chairman Royce Faulkner declared the outcome a “great victory for our community.” Dan Angel was both ecstatic and greatly relieved.