10/15/2006

Cherry brings his experience to the table

Policy initiatives are at the top of his agenda

LANSING (AP) — Like a student with homework, John Cherry refers to his job tasks as "assignments."

Only in his case, they come from a high-profile boss — Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

And the assignments aren't easy: Devise a plan to double the number of college graduates in Michigan; help negotiate state budgets; develop consensus on Great Lakes water issues.

Cherry, a 20-year veteran of the Legislature before being asked to run with Granholm as the lieutenant governor four years ago, says he wants to continue his role working on some of the Democratic governor's biggest policy initiatives.

"She's been very encouraging and very much inclusive in terms of my involvement in the day-to-day aspects of the administration," Cherry says. "I felt like a full partner in the administration. That's just her natural style."

Until the Nov. 7 election, Cherry's main task is campaigning. One recent day in the Detroit area, he spoke to retired autoworkers in Warren, visited a senior center in Waterford and worked a plant gate in Utica.

It's not unfamiliar terrain for Cherry.

Raised in Montrose 15 miles outside Flint, Cherry was the son of politically active, Democratic parents. His father worked for a phone company and was a township supervisor. His mother was an office manager at Genesee County's animal shelter and served on the city council.

Cherry, 55, got involved in politics by forming a group for young people when he was 18. It was sparked by the national turmoil of the Vietnam War and civil rights movement. He later turned his political activism into a career.

Cherry served in the House from 1983-86 before moving to the Senate in 1987, where he was term-limited in 2002. He was the Democratic minority leader from 1995-2002.

He's seen as a point person on working with the Republican-controlled Legislature and trying to get Granholm's policies implemented.

"If you persevere, there are a lot of changes that you can make over the long term," Cherry says.

He cites school finance and landfill regulation as two issues that he was concerned about when he first ran for the House years ago. Both have been reformed significantly since then, Cherry says.

With a reputation for consensus-building and negotiating he gained in the Legislature, Cherry has been asked to tackle some big issues as lieutenant governor.

He led the Cherry Commission on Higher Education & Economic Growth, which spent a year studying ways to double the number of Michigan residents with a college degree or other valuable credential.

The state has since created new high school graduation standards that start with the class of 2011 and replaced the high school MEAP test with a version of a college entrance exam. Many more recommendations have yet to be implemented.

Cherry says there's more to be done, and he's thankful Granholm has given him a role.

"The role of the lieutenant governor is increasingly becoming more substantive with time. The degree to which Governor Granholm has involved me has been significantly more than what's been the case in the past."

In his sparse free time, Cherry enjoys hunting, especially pheasant hunting. He also likes to golf and in retirement, he'd like to devote time to breeding and training springer spaniels. Cherry commutes from his Clio home to Lansing.

A.T. Frank, a Saginaw judge who was a Democratic lawmaker when Cherry served in the Legislature, says Cherry's quiet demeanor makes him a great listener. Cherry likes to bring together all stakeholders, Frank says, citing Cherry's work on the Saginaw River dredging project.

"He saw the need not only to protect the environment but to allow business and commerce to continue to operate," he says.

Frank also was in the running to become Granholm's running mate in 2002.

"She made an excellent pick of John Cherry even over myself," he says. "He has a wealth of knowledge. ... I have no doubt it's a partnership. She relies on him a great deal."