Upon a Time: Anuzis and the Moderates

There once was a time when Republicans were moderate like Governor William G. Milliken (1969-1982), seen here with Saul Anuzis at the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit. The same convention that nominated former California Governor Ronald R. Reagan for president, marking the end of the Democratic Party as the majority party for the next 26 years.

The guy on Milliken's right is (now) former Dearborn District Court Judge William J. Runco who lost his reelection after receiving a public censure in 2001 from the Michigan Supreme Court for "self-dealing contrary to the interests of his (former private) clients." (Convinced a real estate client to sell land at low value to his secret business partner, then flipped the property for a cool $41,000 profit). Until the censure, Runco was considered for the GOP nomination to the Michigan Supreme Court. There's no real story here, we just thought it makes an interesting picture. (Photo: Michigan Journal, September 10, 1980).