"I'm going to Disney World," is the oft repeated mantra from someone
who has just won a championship.
For John Cherry, who didn't win anything in 2010, "I'm off to
Hawaii" instead.
The chamber of commerce will appreciate the one-liner.
Talk to most folks in this town and they tell you the soon-to-be
ex-lt. governor would have made a fine governor. He had experience, he
knew how to make deal without taking hostages, he was respected by
members of both parties and had a good sense of humor, was
mild-mannered and had that public service gene in his DNA.
What might have been never was.
He had two problems. He had a "D" after his name and he had no
moola in his bank account.
When he shocked the political establishment in this town with his
historic decision to drop out of the race for governor, he says it was
a gradual decision.
There were internal problems with some staffers inside the
fledgling campaign but a massive infusion of money would have solved
that in an instant. Didn't happen.
Mr. Cherry denies the speculation that the UAW stiffed him on the
money front when he needed it most. But others in the movement could
not meet their pledges he now reveals in his final exit interview.
"Couldn't or wouldn't?"
"Couldn't" he tells the Off the Record panel on Public TV.
Mr. Cherry needed a bundle of money to overcome his image problem
visa vie the woman he worked for.
With popularity numbers down there with used car salesperson and
capitol correspondents, Mr. Cherry knew that being associated with Gov.
Jennifer Granholm would not boost his candidacy.
But he never got a chance to see if he could rise above that.
On the way out, he says he's giving the incoming governor a
chance to see if he really can reinvent Michigan.
So did he vote for Rick Snyder?
"No. I'm a Democrat," he asserted as he went looking for those
plane tickets to paradise. (See the exit interview at wkar.org.)