The voting records of northern Michigan’s legislators span the liberal conservative spectrum.

In the 38-member Senate, Minority Leader Mike Prusi (DIshpeming), who represents 13 counties in the Upper Peninsula, had the third most liberal 2009 voting record. SenatorTony Stamas (R-Midland), who represents 10 counties below the bridge – the northernmost being Otsego, Montmorency, and Alpena – had the third most conservative record.

In the 110-member House, Minority Leader Kevin Elsenheimer of Kewadin and Wayne Schmidt of Traverse City were among Republicans with the most conservative records, while Representative Steve Lindberg of Marquette had a liberal voting record exceeded only by three fellow Democrats.

These are among the assessments by Inside Michigan Politics (IMP) newsletter, which for more than two decades has offered annual ratings of lawmakers’ ideological bents on a wide variety of litmus test votes.

There were some exceptions during those years, but Democrats generally have prevailed in legislative races above the bridge. They are making some inroads in local and other races in the northern counties below the Straits, but the region remains fertile ground for the GOP.

A summary of IMP yardsticks on the ideologies of northern legislators, based on how they voted on an array of social, economic, budget, environmental, and other issues:

• Prusi’s 90.3% liberal voting record in the Senate trailed only those of Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor), 93.3%, and Martha Scott (D-Highland Park), 96.4%.

• The liberal ratings for northern Republican senators were 12.9% for Michelle McManus of Lake Leelanau; 12.5% for Jason Allen of Traverse City (whose district includes Chippewa and Mackinac counties in the U.P.), and 9.4% for Stamas.

• Marquette’s Lindberg was among eight representatives with a 97.2% liberal rating. They trailed the 100% rating of Democratic Representatives Alma Wheeler Smith of South Lyon, who is running for governor; Coleman A. Young, II of Detroit, son of the late mayor, and Rashida Tlaib of Detroit, the state’s first Palestinian-American legislator.

• Other ratings of northern Democratic representatives: Judy Nerat of Wallace, 96.2%; Dan Scripps of Leland, 94.4%; Andy Neumann of Alpena and Joel Sheltrown of West Branch, 91.7%; Mike Lahti of Hancock, 86.1%; Gary McDowell of Rudyard, 85.7%.

• The liberal ratings of the voting of northern Michigan Republicans: Darwin Booher of Evart, 22.9%; Schmidt, 13.9%, and Elsenheimer, 11.4%.

Big Broom Coming

The folly of term limits – at least in the form of the constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1992 – is underscored by the fact that 29 of Michigan’s 38 senators will be out the door a year from now, including all of those now representing northern Michigan.

Broomed will be what clout Up North has under the dome: Prusi as top Senate Democrat; Elsenheimer as top House Republican. But our parochial concerns are minor compared to damage that revolving-door leadership does to the state.

The turnstile leadership, shortage of experienced hands, and most of all, the lack of trust and good working relationships honed over the years, contributed last year to the Legislature’s failure to take timely action on the budget.

Compared to the Senate next year, there will be a better ratio of veterans over rookies in the House, which loses 34 of its 110 members.

But if only one change could be made in current term limits, it should be to give House members as much time in office as allowed for senators, the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general – eight years.

Senators can have two four-year terms. Representatives can have three two-year terms.

There are some moves to get a proposal to repeal term limits on the November ballot. It probably won’t happen, and it probably wouldn’t pass this soon.

But one of these years, voters may want to again enforce term limits the old fashioned way – with regular elections.

George Weeks retired in 2006 after 22 years as political columnist for The Detroit News. His weekly Michigan Politics column is syndicated by Superior Features.