“When you lie down with dogs, you rise up with fleas.” — Ottawa County Prosecutor James Bussard, March 1969.
This is the somewhat sordid and salacious story of perhaps the ugliest political campaign I ever covered and failed to cover.
Its protagonist is former State Senator and State Rep. Patty Birkholz of Saugatuck, who burst into the arena of state politics in 1996 when Paul Hillegonds was retired to the sidelines after a lengthy and distinguished career because of term limits.
Ms. Birkholz was able to win three two-year seats in the State House and because of the term limits rules, moved on to try for the senate in 2002. That was the year a new 24th Senate District was created by redistricting. It was to include three counties — Allegan, Barry and Eaton.
Another state representative who decided to take a whack at the senate seat was Terry Geiger of Lake Odessa, who also had just completed th
ree two-year terms. So the primary was to be a serious battle between two seasoned politicians.
Pundits favored Birkholz because she would probably score heavy support in Allegan County, more populous than Barry County, which was guaranteed to go for Geiger. The wild card was Eaton County, but Geiger would have to do some heavyweight catching up in that territory.
Geiger was having personal problems, going through a divorce, and one night was picked up for drunken driving. He didn’t hesitate to let me know about his misfortune. This same mis-step did not hurt State Rep. Bob Genetski in 2012, but Genetski didn’t have an opponent like Patty Birkholz in a primary.
Birkholz seized Geiger’s misfortune to send out a flyer showing him sporting a silly grin and calling attention to his drunk driving. Geiger himself told me after the flyer was distributed throughout the new 24th District, “My (political) life is over.”
Meanwhile, there were rumblings from the west side of Allegan County that could have turned the tide and at the same time could have turned the colossal battle for the senate into an even uglier circus.
Former Allegan County Commissioner Beverlee Reinking DeJonge called to tell me that “Purple Patty” had wrecked her happy home and contributed to the suicide of her ex-husband. She sent me a newspaper feature story with her ex-husband, a Hope College professor, and Patty walking on the beach and working closely together environmentally on behalf of Lake Michigan’s dunes.
Ms. DeJonge maintained that Ms. Birkholz, euphemistically referred to as “Pincushion Patty” in some insider circles, had willfully engaged in an extramarital affair with her husband.
When I called Rep. Birkholz’s office, I was told by her chief of staff, Amanda Price, that Patty indeed had dated Mr. DeJonge, but only after he had separated from his wife. Today, Ms. Price serves as a representative in the State Legislature.
I chickened out of running the story because it seemed just too timely before the upcoming election. I worried about being manipulated by a grieving widow bent on revenge or even by people in the Geiger camp.
“Purple Patty” prevailed at the polls in the August 2002 primary. And as I have stated here so often, the winner of the GOP primary in these parts is guaranteed being returned to office until term limited.
The day after the election, the Grand Rapids Press published the salacious story that I could have as well. On the front page. But the matter had become moot. The election was over.
Barry County, and even Eaton County afterward became a bit cool to Ms. Birkholz. I remember her coming to the County Seat Restaurant in Hastings to sponsor a special presentation by a famous economist, but only a half dozen people attended. Then I noticed that in 2006 she should have won handily in the general election against an unknown Democrat, but won by much less than a landslide. If my memory serves me correctly, she was outpolled in Eaton County by this unknown Democrat.
Patty in her second term rose to greater heights in Lansing, becoming the first woman to be Senate Majority Leader, and there was talk about her being a candidate for lieutenant governor in 2010.
However, the gubernatorial nominee, Rick Snyder, instead chose Brian Calley, who had just completed two terms as a state representative in Geiger’s old district.
I suppose this tale could inspire the comment, “Politics makes strange bedfellows.”
PHOTOS: Patty Birkholz Beverlee Reinking DeJong
