From left: (1) a puzzle with counting numbers, which was completed multiple times during the meeting by Ann Arbor city councilmember Chuck Warpehoski’s daughter; (2) the voting credential that had to be held aloft at the Dems meeting in order for a vote to be counted; and (3) Robert’s Rules of Order held aloft as the authority determining that a 2/3 majority of votes would need to be counted, in order for the endorsement of Kirk Westphal to be rescinded. (Photos by the writer.)

The party’s executive board had voted on Wednesday to endorse Westphal. But at Saturday’s meeting of the general membership, Jack Eaton – the Democratic nominee for Ward 4 Ann Arbor city council – brought forward a motion to rescind that endorsement of Westphal. His motion was defeated by a vote of the general membership.

Eaton had contested the August primary in Ward 4 with incumbent Democrat Marcia Higgins, and he won the race decisively. He is supporting incumbent independent Jane Lumm against Westphal in the Ward 2 election, as are Democratic councilmembers Mike Anglin (Ward 5) and Sumi Kailasapathy (Ward 1) and some other local Democrats. Lumm served on the council in the mid-1990s as a Republican. Except for Lumm, the entire 11-member council consists of Democrats. The Ward 2 race includes independent Conrad Brown in addition to Lumm and Westphal.

Anglin and Kailasapathy attended the Democratic Party meeting, as did several other councilmembers who have not endorsed Lumm: Sabra Briere (Ward 1), Sally Petersen (Ward 2), Christopher Taylor (Ward 3), and Chuck Warpehoski (Ward 5). Taylor and Warpehoski have endorsed Westphal.

In rising to express her support for Lumm, lifelong Democrat Jane Michener indicated that she felt Westphal was working toward making the world “safe for developers” instead of on behalf of residents, and that’s why she’s supporting Lumm. Westphal is chair of the city’s planning commission.

To vote on the question of Westphal’s endorsement, attendees held aloft squares with a Democratic logo  – a voting credential issued that morning. With 56 people voting against the motion to rescind – that is, to leave Westphal’s endorsement in place – and only 21 voting to rescind it, a simple majority was not achieved. So the required 2/3 majority was also not achieved.

The question of Westphal’s endorsement came in the context of a meeting that had been billed as “Endorsement Saturday” by the party. Representatives for 2014 campaigns at the state and national level were on hand to deliver remarks and to receive the Ann Arbor Democratic Party’s endorsement.

Not every candidate was on hand in person, but the general membership of the Ann Arbor Democratic Party gave its endorsement to the following: Mark Schauer (governor), Mark Totten (Michigan Attorney General), John Dingell (U.S. House District 12), Pam Byrnes (U.S. House District 7), Gary Peters (U.S. Senate), Gretchen Driskell (Michigan state house representative District 52), Jeff Irwin (Michigan state house representative District 53), and Adam Zemke (Michigan state house representative District 55).

Not every candidate who attended the meeting was seeking an endorsement. Ward 1 Democratic incumbent Sabra Briere addressed the meeting, but explicitly stated that she was not there for an endorsement. The fact that she was the Democratic Party nominee was a sufficient endorsement, she said. Briere faces a challenge on Nov. 5 from independent Jeff Hayner.

Briere’s statement helped break a pattern of first hearing remarks of a candidate, followed by an endorsement vote. Washtenaw County commissioner Andy LaBarre also told the group he wasn’t there for an endorsement. But the previous pattern had led some in attendance to expect the same sequence – remarks, followed by a vote – to unfold after Westphal spoke. However, his endorsement had been handled by the executive board a few days earlier.

The motion to rescind Westphal’s endorsement came after Nora Wright, who presided over the meeting, declined to entertain a different motion from Eaton while other business was being considered. Later, after Westphal had spoken, Wright declined again to entertain a motion – that the party not make an endorsement in the Ward 2 city council race – because there was no such motion on the meeting’s agenda.

But when Eaton then put forward a motion to rescind the executive board’s previous action of endorsement, Wright put that question to the membership.

Some back-and-forth between Eaton and David Cahill drew out the fact that a 2/3 majority would be required – as Cahill cited Robert’s Rules of Order on the issue. Cahill is one of the party’s two vice chairs for resolutions, bylaws, and policy. Cahill responded to a question from Eaton about the ability of the executive board to make endorsements, by citing the group’s bylaws that provide for the board to carry out the business of the party between general meetings of the membership. [By way of background, Cahill is married to Sabra Briere.]

The meeting had begun with a misunderstanding about who would be allowed to participate in the endorsement votes. Democratic Party chair Mike Henry first seemed to indicate that only those who were on the party’s list seven days earlier would be allowed to participate. Cahill rose to appeal Henry’s apparent ruling.

The potential disagreement proved to be moot. Graham Teall – who’d assisted in issuing the voting credentials earlier in the morning – pointed out that anyone who had asked to be added to the list that morning had been issued a credential. The party’s bylaws state that: “Residents of the Ann Arbor area who are in sympathy with the general aims and policies of the Party are considered members of the Party and are eligible to participate in Party activities and to vote at Party meetings.” [Teall is married to Ward 4 city councilmember Margie Teall.]

Supporters of both Lumm and Westphal had rallied people to attend the meeting to vote on the Ward 2 endorsement. It led to the observation by several speakers that it would be nice to have that kind of attendance on a regular basis. Democratic Party chair Mike Henry told attendees: “We would love to see you here all the time!” About 80 people attended the meeting.

After the meeting, Westphal responded to a question from The Chronicle – about whether he’d taken an affirmative step to request the endorsement of the Ann Arbor Democratic Party. Westphal said he wasn’t sure he’d taken such a step to request an endorsement of the group, beyond having implicit endorsement of being the Democratic Party nominee. But he allowed that he’d conveyed that he wouldn’t mind having that additional endorsement.

Westphal’s Endorsement

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Kirk Westphal, the Ward 2 Democratic nominee in the Nov. 5 general election. He thanked attendees for all their support with his campaign. “It’s a big fight. It’s all about getting out the vote,” he said. “The city is at a critical point where we may be going into an era of missed opportunities and going backward instead of forward.”

Signs for both Ward 2 Ann Arbor city council candidates were placed at the entrance to the Ann Arbor Community Center on North Main Street, where the Ann Arbor Democratic Party held its Oct. 12 meeting.

From left: Ann Arbor Democratic Party chair Mike Henry and David Cahill, who’s one of the two vice chairs for resolutions, bylaws, and policy. They were discussing the issue of membership and who would be entitled to vote that morning.

Graham Teall assisted with the issuance of voting credentials.

Jane Michener described herself as a life-long Democrat, and spoke in support of Jane Lumm at the meeting.

Peter Eckstein took a photo of Jack Eaton. Eckstein and Eaton are supporting independent incumbent Jane Lumm in the Ward 2 city council race. Eaton is the Democratic candidate in Ward 4.

Nora Wright, one of the Ann Arbor Democratic Party’s three vice chairs for programs. She presided over the endorsements portion of the meeting.

David Cahill held aloft a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order.

David Cahill thumbed through a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order.

Attendees held their credentials aloft to vote.

Graham Teall counted the votes of those who were in favor of rescinding the executive board’s endorsement of Westphal.

Other Endorsements

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Pam Byrnes is running to represent the 7th District of the U.S. House for Michigan. That’s a seat currently held by Republican Tim Walberg. “Tim Walberg is definitely beatable,” she said. “He epitomizes the gridlock that is in Washington. We are calling it the Walberg Shutdown.”

Stephanie White, political director of the Michigan Democratic Party. She spoke on behalf of gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer who was campaigning in the northern part of the state. Wherever he goes across the state, she reported, good crowds are showing up to “meet the next governor of Michigan.” “He has incredibly progressive values,” she said. When asked if he supports gay rights, “he’ll say, ‘Hell, yeah, I support gay rights,’” she told the Ann Arbor Democrats.

Michigan state house representative Gretchen Driskell (D-District 52). She’s running for e-election in 2014. She called her first two years frustrating, because the Michigan legislature is controlled by Republicans.

Travis Gonyou, who’s U.S. representative John Dingell’s field representative for Washtenaw County. Dingell was “stuck in D.C.” he reported, with votes scheduled over the weekend. “Whether that yields us any progress, I’m still not sure,” he said.

Debbie Dingell, who’s married to U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-District 12) also delivered some remarks to the audience. She’d just come from a breast cancer fundraiser, she said.

Alma Wheeler Smith attended the meeting to promote the candidacy of Gary Peters for U.S. Senate. Peters is running in the 2014 election for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Carl Levin. Smith said the answer to the question of “Who’s that guy?” is someone with progressive values, who knew how to use his experience in business to work across the aisle.

Mark Totten is running for Michigan attorney general in 2014. He holds a PhD in ethics. He asked the group: “Who is the attorney general supposed to represent?” The response from the members of the Ann Arbor Democratic Party who were assembled Saturday: “The people!” Totten called the position of attorney general “the people’s lawyer.”

From left: Michigan state house representatives Jeff Irwin (D-District 53) and Adam Zemke (D-District 55). Irwin called Gov. Rick Snyder’s policy one that lowers taxes on wealthy people and raises them on low-income people, which is “wrong for the future of Michigan.”

From left: Michigan state house representatives Jeff Irwin (D-District 53) and Adam Zemke (D-District 55). Zemke called Lansing “a horribly partisan place.”

Elected Officials Not Seeking Endorsement

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Washtenaw County commissioner Andy LaBarre (D-District 7) told the members he was not there for an endorsement. He was there to encourage people to attend the next meeting of the Washtenaw County board of commissioners, on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. to help support a resolution calling for the repeal Michigan’s Stand Your Ground law.

Incumbent Democrat Sabra Briere (Ward 1) faces a challenge in the November general election from Jeff Hayner. “I’m unopposed as a Democrat. What that means is that I have the Democratic nomination. I have your endorsement. I don’t need anything else, except for you to tell me if I step wrong. And for you to tell me when I step right. Because it’s important that I listen to you.”

Other Faces in the Crowd

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From left: Ann Arbor city councilmembers Christopher Taylor (Ward 3) and Mike Anglin (Ward 5).

From left: Ann Arbor city councilmember Sally Petersen (Ward 2) talked with Ann Arbor District Library board member Nancy Kaplan.

From left: Kirk Westphal, Ward 2 Democratic nominee in the Nov. 5 general election, and Ann Arbor city councilmember Chuck Warpehoski (Ward 5).

Washtenaw County commissioner Andy LaBarre (D-District 7) talked with resident Kathy Griswold.

Linda Lombardini, who is newly wed to Sandi Smith, former Ann Arbor city councilmember.

From left on the sidelines: Ann Arbor city councilmember Sally Petersen (Ward 2), Washtenaw County commissioner Andy LaBarre (D-District 7) and Michigan state house representative Jeff Irwin (D-District 53). LaBarre is not sending Irwin in with a play called “Dems Huddle.”

Former Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board member Ted Annis.

Clockwise from left foreground: Mike Allemang, former Washtenaw County water resources commissioner Janis Bobrin (who’s married to Allemang), Ward 2 Democratic nominee Kirk Westphal, Ann Arbor Democratic Party officer David Cahill, and former state representative Alma Wheeler Smith.

From left: former Ann Arbor city councilmember Eunice Burns, current councilmember Sabra Briere (Ward 1) and a longtime Ann Arbor Democratic activist Doug Kelley.

Anne Bannister, past chair of the Ann Arbor Democratic Party.

Resident Kathy Griswold talked with Michigan state representative Adam Zemke (D-District 55).

Ann Arbor resident Peter Nagourney.

Ann Arbor city councilmember Chuck Warpehoski’s daughter Camille completed a puzzle several times during the meeting.

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In District 52, incumbent Republican Mark Ouimet was defeated by Democrat Gretchen Driskell, who currently serves as mayor of Saline, by a vote of 26,646 (52.86%) for Driskell to 23,609 (46.83%) for Ouimet. The district covers western, northern and parts of southern Washtenaw County.

Winning re-election was Democrat incumbent David Rutledge of District 54, representing the eastern portion of Washtenaw County, including Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township. He defeated Republican Bill Emmerich by a vote of 29,869 (76.77%) to 8,716 (22.4%).

In District 55, Democrat Adam Zemke won a three-way race with 26,195 votes (64.33%) over Republican Owen Diaz (13,029 votes – 32.0%) and Green Party candidate David McMahon (1,415 votes – 3.48%). District 55 covers parts of northern Ann Arbor, the townships of Ann Arbor, Augusta, Pittsfield and York, and a northern part of the city of Milan.

Left to right, candidates for the 55th District Michigan House of Representatives: Republican Owen Diaz, David McMahon of the Green Party, and Democrat Adam Zemke. (Photos by the writer.)

Questions from the LWV moderator covered basic biographical background, voter registration laws, partisanship, the state retirement system, and women’s reproductive health.

Diaz is former mayor of Milan, and stressed as a theme his plan to bring good jobs to Michigan and to retain recent graduates from Michigan schools. He was clear that he opposes abortion and favors one-man-one-woman marriage – but said those were the only issues that led him to identify more strongly with the Republican Party. He described political parties as useful for campaigning, but stated, ”My loyalty to the party ends where my loyalty to the voters of the people begins.”

McMahon currently serves on the board of the Lincoln Consolidated Schools district, and offered that perspective on the state’s reduction to education funding. The main difference between him and the other two candidates, he said, is not that his goals are somehow fundamentally different – but rather that he’ll bring a fire to his work as a legislator, based on his own experience, which includes having a home foreclosed on: ”I’m on steroids!”

Zemke stressed his ties to the area as a fifth generation Washtenaw County resident, saying he would take Washtenaw County values to Lansing. He contrasted himself with the other two candidates as a fresh face, and a member of a generation that has seen jobs leave the state – which has led many of his generation also to leave the state. He called the economy the most important issue we face and stressed how other issues are related to the economy – like adequate funding for education at all levels.

Zemke and Diaz have also given responses to three questions that are included on the league’s Vote411.org website.

There are no incumbents in this race for a two-year term. The current District 55 representative, Republican Rick Olson, decided not to seek re-election after redistricting altered the district’s political composition. District 55 covers parts of northern Ann Arbor, the townships of Ann Arbor, Augusta, Pittsfield and York, and a northern part of the city of Milan.

The Oct. 11 candidate forum was held at the studios of Community Television Network in Ann Arbor, and is available online via CTN’s video-on-demand service. Candidates for the 53rd District – Jeff Irwin and John Spizak – were also invited to participate, but Irwin was the only one who attended. His responses to LWV questions are reported in a separate Chronicle write-up.

Information on local elections can be found on the Washtenaw County clerk’s elections division website. To see a sample ballot for your precinct, visit the Secretary of State’s website. The league’s Vote411.org website also includes a range of information on national, state and local candidates and ballot issues, and a “build my ballot” feature.

Opening Statements

Each candidate was given the opportunity to make a one-minute opening statement.

Owen Diaz, Republican candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives in District 55.

Owen Diaz: Diaz introduced himself as an immigrant from the Philippines. He immigrated here in 1972 and has lived in Washtenaw County since 1974. He has served as mayor in the city of Milan, where he said he had turned a budget deficit into a surplus and reduced property taxes. He had worked to make the city government people-friendly. He always reminded employees that it’s the people who pay their salary.

Diaz said he is running because he has plans to bring businesses to Michigan. Details of that plan are included on his website, he said. He also wants to retain highly-educated graduates in Michigan.

David McMahon: He is from Augusta Township, although he noted that he has lived in other locations in the district. He was born in the state of Michigan, he said, and moved to the district in 1960. Other than a brief period at the University of Toledo, he has pretty much lived his life in this part of southeast Michigan.

McMahon is running because he believes he’s the best candidate who can actually empathize with voters – and he stressed empathy as contrasted with sympathy. “I have lived your situation,” he said. He has been a United Auto Workers union member, he’s been publicly educated, and he serves currently on a school board [Lincoln Consolidated Schools] that has actually balanced a budget under conditions imposed by the current state legislature. He feels he understands what voters have been subjected to in the last few years.

Adam Zemke: Zemke described himself as a fifth-generation Washtenaw County resident – he grew up here. He attended Ann Arbor public schools – Haisley Elementary, Forsythe Middle School, and Pioneer High School, he said. He has an undergraduate and masters degree – both in mechanical engineering. He also has some previous experience in the state legislature working with former 55th District state Rep. Kathy Angerer.

The reason he is running is simple, Zemke said: We need to promote an agenda that attracts and retains talent in Michigan. We have a tremendous brain drain problem, he contended, but we can address that in variety of ways, he continued. That includes adequately funding early childhood and K-12 schools, working on urban revitalization, transportation connectivity, and more affordable higher education.

Qualifications

What in your experience and education makes you the best-qualified candidate for this position?

Owen Diaz: Diaz said he was an orphan and had supported himself to go to school. So he believes that education is the one thing that brings opportunity to people. Education can help make people productive members of our society, he said, and education is really important. When he lived in the Philippines he took courses in electronic engineering, and he was an instructor in electronics technology. He also attended Eastern Michigan University, taking courses in economics with a minor in finance. He’s currently a certified financial planner, he concluded.

David McMahon: McMahon agreed with Diaz that education is probably the biggest tool that we have to help all citizens of the district. His educational background includes a master’s degree in science. He’s a degreed geologist and has been working in the health and safety field for about 30 years. He has direct interaction with the state of Michigan and the equivalent of Michigan’s Dept. of Environmental Quality and Dept. of Natural Resources in several other states. As an active school board member, he sees every day what the state legislature has to offer, and what can be done to change it. We’ve created segregation in schools by class and by income, he said. Schools have been undeservedly labeled as failing, he said. His goal is to bring a quality education for all back to the district.

Adam Zemke: He feels that his background as a fresh face allows him a unique perspective on the position of state legislator. He’s a member of a younger generation, he said, that has experienced an economic downturn that has caused many of them to leave the state – because the jobs they might have been qualified for don’t exist anymore. He’s experienced that firsthand more than the other two candidates, he said. Being a local resident and having strong Washtenaw County ties will allow him to bring Washtenaw County values to the legislature.

Partisan Divide

If elected to the House, name one or two goals that you hope to achieve. How would you work to accomplish these goals, given the current partisan divide?

David McMahon: The first thing we need to do, he said, is to end partisanship. As a new fresh face and Green Party member, he’s neutral to both sides, he said. The Green Party is known for the fact that it does not accept any PAC [political action committee] money, he said. Greens don’t belong to any specific group – they belong to the citizens at large. His first goal would be to intensify education and address the educational disparity issues that exist now.

It’s not a matter of just throwing money at education, McMahon said. One of the biggest challenges he faces serving on the Lincoln Consolidated Schools board is the fact that they have not been given a single unified curriculum. What is the purpose of a public school? If charter schools are considered successful, why are public schools not allowed to use the same rules that charter schools do? We need to have equity in funding, and equity in guidance, he concluded.

Adam Zemke: He said he would work across the aisle. He characterized the current situation in Lansing as “interesting at best.” What he wants to see is solid proposals for education and curriculum funding and transportation infrastructure building. He feels the legislature can make good decisions and achieve good growth in those areas. The makeup of the legislature after the November election would determine how he would approach that.

Owen Diaz: When people ask him what party he belongs to, he says that “there’s something good in the Democrats, and there’s something good in the Republicans.” But he leans more towards the Republican Party, for two main reasons: He does not support abortion, and he believes in one-man-one-woman marriage. Those are the only reasons why he is a Republican, he said. If elected, his goal is to bring competitive businesses to Michigan. Some states are doing that, and Michigan is competing with those other states. He believes his plan will attract more businesses. There are numbers and figures on his website that explain his business attraction plan in detail, he said. He also has plans to retain highly-educated graduates.

Access to Voting

What is your opinion of recent House legislation attempting to create tighter controls on voter registration? What changes would you like to see in Michigan voting laws?

Adam Zemke, Democratic candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives in District 55.

Adam Zemke: He would like to see more accessibility to voting and encouragement of people to vote. Proposals that have been promoted in the legislature restrict access, particularly for seniors and younger folks. “I think that’s ridiculous,” he said. He wants to see more people participating in the electoral process. It’s one of the most important processes we have in the United States, he said. We should be encouraging people, not discouraging people from participating. He supports getting more people involved in the process. And in concert with that, he supports getting people more educated about the issues.

Owen Diaz: It’s a right of every citizen to vote on the question of who will lead them – that’s a vital right in our system of government, Diaz said. He supports access for everyone to vote – but he wants to make sure that they are legitimate registered citizens who can vote. That’s what he would work on – to make sure that the process is not tainted with illegal voters. He would work to make sure that everybody has information first before they vote. He told the League of Women Voters members that he felt like that is what they are doing, so they get his support.

David McMahon: He personally believes that we already have adequate voting registration laws in place. We came out of the 1960s when efforts were made to prevent people from voting. The current trend back toward that should be avoided, he said. He believes it might be reasonable to require that a picture ID be provided – or some documents that link a person to their address. But the voter registration process is already in place at the level of local jurisdictions. When you show up at the polls, you’ve already proved that you’re a U.S. citizen, and have proven residency. To say otherwise is to police the polls in a way that drives people away, he concluded.

Women’s Reproductive Health

Do you support recently proposed House legislation related to women’s reproductive health, such as House Bill 5711, which would severely limit Michigan women’s access to safe abortions as well as birth control services?

Owen Diaz: He reiterated that he does not support abortion. However, he leaves it to the woman and her doctor to decide. It’s up to them, and he cannot tell them not to do it if that’s what they want to do, he said. He would not support funding for abortion, but he would work to make sure that adoption is easier. Right now it is easier to abort a baby than to adopt, he contended. So that’s what he would be working on – to make adoption easier.

David McMahon: He characterized it as one of the classic “red herring” bills that has been offered in order to divide the legislature on an emotional issue. Roe v. Wade has long since been decided in the Supreme Court, and we have to move on, he said. As a Green Party member and as an individual, he agrees with Diaz that the government has no role in regulating a woman’s reproductive health or people’s own personal lives at that level. It’s a matter of their personal conviction and it’s between them and their God and their partner, he said. He believes in the idea that we could always try to save a child. But he also recognizes that this is simply a red herring bill. We don’t have legislation that will support a child who is born – and that needs to improve, he concluded.

Adam Zemke: He’s opposed to the bill. He stated that it’s not an issue that the state legislature should be taking on – because it’s a medical issue between a woman and her doctor.

Retirement System Costs

What ideas do you have to control retirement costs in the state of Michigan?

David McMahon, Green Party candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives in District 55.

David McMahon: He said we need to look at how we’re actually investing our money. What mechanisms are we actually using to invest? He thinks there has been a lot of propaganda about how bad the system is – looking at the fact that different investments did poorly over a short period of time. But will they also do poorly over a longer period of time? he wondered. Are investments controlled through a political process, or by professional money managers?

We have to make sure that pension funds are intact, McMahon said. We shouldn’t panic and run to one side. He gave as an example the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS). He said the state has been trying to dump MPSERS retirement funding back onto the local school districts. We need to look at a more sustainable approach, he said.

Adam Zemke: Sustainability is the bottom line, he said. For the last 20 years, people have passed the buck, he said. The system that we have has become unsustainable, because we have been pulling money out of it when we shouldn’t have been, he contended, and that was wrong. He supports making the system more sustainable, because otherwise it becomes a burden on the rest of the taxpayers. He doesn’t think there’s a simple solution to it – it’s a very complex problem. We need to work together to develop a solution over a period of time that is beneficial to everyone, he said.

Owen Diaz: there are two kinds of people he said – current pensioners and future pensioners. With current pensioners we have a contract that we will provide them with income. Those retirees have already planned for that income, and we should not reduce it, he said. But in the future, we should let them know ahead of time, so that they can plan for their retirement. That’s just fair, he said.

Redistricting

The League of Women Voters is very concerned about the highly politicized process for redistricting legislative districts, which takes place every 10 years after the U.S. census. What ideas do you have to make redistricting a more open democratic process, which would benefit the citizens and not the political parties?

Adam Zemke: He supports nonpartisan redistricting. The 55th District is a perfect example of gerrymandering in a partisan political manner, he said. The process of drawing the line should not be done in a partisan political manner, he said. It can be done by a nonpartisan committee. He allowed that he did not have a solution for how to establish that committee so that it can be effective. He is hoping to participate in that process if he’s elected.

Owen Diaz: He allowed that he does not know much about redistricting. But if he had to decide these questions, it would be a fair and equally-balanced process with members from each party. He believes that parties are useful for election campaigns, but after that the focus of elected officials should be on the people, on citizens, not the party. “My loyalty to the party ends where my loyalty to the voters of the people begins,” he said.

David McMahon: He believes there’s been plenty of gerrymandering in the past that has served the two-party system. One of the Green Party’s goals is to see greater opportunity for individual input. Rather than the parties controlling a district, it should be done on a socio-economic basis. We already have census data, he said, and a district should represent a “good bite” of what that area includes. That way a representative’s voice in the legislature can be based on an understanding of what our true needs are based on a unified cause.

Closing Statements

Each candidate was given an opportunity to give a two-minute closing statement.

Owen Diaz: He began by saying that he is “running,” but then stopped himself and said he shouldn’t say that he is “running.” Instead he said he is “volunteering” to bring a plan to bring competitive jobs to Michigan. He also wants to retain highly-educated graduates in the state. He wants to enhance the education of young people – to become innovators and productive members of society. If elected, his actions will be based on the U.S. Constitution and common sense with wisdom, he said, not special interests or lobbyists. He’s not asking for any funding from special-interest groups or lobbyists. He is self-funded, he said. He allowed that he does not have a lot of advertising for his campaign – but it is up to the people. If they decide to elect him, he will also work to make Medicaid efficient, he concluded.

David McMahon: He added his thanks from the other candidates to the League of Women Voters for hosting the forum. But he said as a Green Party candidate he was especially appreciative of the opportunity to participate, because it was not often that voters get to hear from a third-party voice. He felt that his goals in general would be very similar to those of his opponents – with some differences in some of the minor points. The difference between him and his opponents, he said is “I’m on steroids!” He can empathize with voters, he said, because he’s the only candidate who’s lost a home foreclosure in the last four years. He knows people who live in shelters in Washtenaw County who used to work at Borders or for Pfizer. He can understand what people feel because he’s lived it, he said. He will be going to the legislature with that fire, he said, to make sure that those people are heard.

Adam Zemke: He had been asked the other day what he thought the top three issues are in Michigan. His answer had been: the economy, the economy and the economy. He said we sometimes forget about all the issues that tie into economic growth. Education is the number one form of economic development, he said. It’s been tossed off to the side by the state. Early childhood education, K-12, and higher education are very critical for economic success, he said. Road funding is also important, he said. Fixing the brain drain through urban revitalization – not just through programs, but making people want to stay here. Detroit needs to attract young people in the same way that Chicago does. Those are things that the state legislature needs to work on that he feels are nonpartisan issues – and education is a nonpartisan issue, in his opinion. Quality of life is something that attracts people to Washtenaw County, he said. He knows that because his campaign has talked to thousands of voters who have emphasized that.

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From left: Democrats Thomas Partridge, Jeff Irwin, and Adam Zemke. Partridge is challenging Irwin, the incumbent, in the Democratic primary for District 53 in the Michigan House of Representatives, covering most of Ann Arbor. Zemke is running against Andrea Brown-Harrison for the new District 55, which includes the northern portion of Ann Arbor and several other communities in Washtenaw County. Brown-Harrison did not attend the July 9 candidate forum. (Photos by the writer.)

In District 53, covering most of Ann Arbor, incumbent Jeff Irwin faces Thomas Partridge in the Aug. 7 primary. Irwin, a former Washtenaw County commissioner, was first elected to the House in 2010 and is seeking a second two-year term. Partridge, a frequent speaker during public commentary at various local government meetings, most recently ran an unsuccessful campaign for state Senate (District 18) in 2010. Both candidates are residents of Ann Arbor. In the Nov. 6 general election, the winner of the Democratic primary will compete against Republican John Spisak, who is unopposed in the Republican primary.

In the new District 55 – created during the state’s reapportionment process after the 2010 Census – Democrats Adam Zemke of Ann Arbor and Andrea Brown-Harrison of Ypsilanti are competing in the Aug. 7 primary. The winner will face Republican Owen Diaz, the former mayor of Milan, in November. Diaz is unopposed in the Republican primary. The district covers parts of northern Ann Arbor, the townships of Ann Arbor, Augusta, Pittsfield and York, and a northern part of the city of Milan.

Brown-Harrison did not attend the July 9 candidate forum, which was moderated by the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area. League member Judy Mich reported that Brown-Harrison did not respond to repeated requests made by phone, email and regular mail to attend the forum. Zemke answered the same set of questions that were posed to Irwin and Partridge.

The forum was held at the studios of Community Television Network, and will be available online via CTN’s video-on-demand service. The format included opening statements, seven questions, and closing statements. Though the format did not promote interaction between candidates, each candidate was given an optional one-minute rebuttal to use once during the forum.

League moderators noted that July 9 was the last day to register for the Tuesday, Aug. 7 primary. The last day to register to vote for the Tuesday, Nov. 6 general election is Oct. 9. Information on voter registration can be found on the Washtenaw County clerk’s elections division website. To see a sample ballot for your precinct, visit the Secretary of State’s website.

Opening Statements

Each candidate was given one minute for an opening statement.

Opening Statements: Thomas Partridge (District 53)

Partridge said he was at this forum, as he’s been at numerous public meetings over the past decade, to stand up for the most vulnerable residents of the 53rd District, Washtenaw County and the state. He was there to pose a question: Why hasn’t more been accomplished since the 2010 election that brought the current incumbents – both Republicans and Democrats – to the state legislature. Why hasn’t more been accomplished under the administration of Gov. Richard Snyder, who came into office making all kinds of promises?

Opening Statements: Jeff Irwin (District 53)

Irwin thanked the league for hosting the forum, and thanked the voters of Ann Arbor for sending him to Lansing two years ago. It’s been a couple of difficult years, he said, with big cuts to public education. There was a major shift in tax policy, shifting from businesses to individuals. It’s been an honor to be in Lansing and represent the interests of this community, he said. His goal for the next two years is to refocus the state’s priorities, to put education back on a pedestal and increase educational funding. He’s also interested in environmental protection, looking at the areas of clean energy and energy efficiency to improve the environment and provide jobs. Irwin also said he wants to continue his work on equal rights. Michigan should be a welcoming place for folks of any lifestyle or background, he said.

Opening Statements: Adam Zemke (District 55)

Zemke said the 55th District is his home, and has been his family’s home for five generations. He grew up in Washtenaw County, and attended Ann Arbor public schools – Haisley Elementary, Forsythe Middle School and Pioneer High School. He has undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. Zemke said he worked for former 55th District state Rep. Kathy Angerer in Lansing. He’s running because he’s sick of seeing the state’s brain drain, and watching the current legislature not do anything about it.

Purpose and Qualifications

Why have you chosen to run for state representative, and what makes you the better qualified candidate?

Partridge (District 53): He’s running because he’s dedicated to serving the most vulnerable residents of the district and state, Partridge said. In today’s economy, with a slow-to-recover recession, the middle class and senior citizens, the disabled, and homeless people who’ve recently been evicted by the Michigan Dept. of Transportation from Camp Take Notice in Scio Township – all these people need representation.

Irwin (District 53): He loves Michigan – it’s a beautiful state, Irwin said. He grew up in northern Michigan, and said he can’t say enough about the Great Lakes, which the state has an obligation to protect. He’s also running to give back to the state, he said. He’s had tremendous opportunities through the public education he received, including the University of Michigan. “I want to be a positive force for change in Michigan.” As far as experience, he said he spent several years lobbying the state legislature on clean air and clean water policy for the League of Conservation Voters. He spent just over a decade on the Washtenaw County board of commissioners, he said, working on issues that addressed the most vulnerable residents, in areas of affordable housing, mental health care and public health. Having the opportunity to watch the impact of state funding at the local level has given him a lot of tools for his work in Lansing, Irwin said. When funding decisions are made in Lansing, he understands how it affects the local level.

Thomas Partridge, a Democratic candidate for District 53 in the Michigan House of Representatives. Partridge stood to deliver each of his responses during the July 9 forum.

Partridge (District 53) (using his one-time, one-minute opportunity for rebuttal): He said he attended the same Washtenaw County board of commissioners meetings over the last decade when Irwin was a commissioner. Partridge described himself as the lead-off speaker during public commentary at numerous meetings for the county board, Ann Arbor city council, township boards, and Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board. He said he was the person leading the effort to protect and serve the most vulnerable residents of the county, to end homelessness and provide affordable housing. “That was not achieved under Jeff Irwin’s leadership on the Washtenaw County board of commissioners or in the Michigan legislature,” he said.

Zemke (District 55): He said he’s running for the state legislature because he wants to take Washtenaw County values up to Lansing and work with the Democratic delegation from the county – Jeff Irwin and David Rutledge. [Rutledge was first elected in 2010 to District 54, which covers eastern Washtenaw County. He is unopposed in the Democratic primary, and faces Republican Bill Emmerich in November.] Local experience is important, Zemke said. He noted that he’s sat on several boards for the county, the city of Ann Arbor, and Dexter Township. He grew up in Ann Arbor – where his family lived on Spring Street. He again cited his work for former state Rep. Kathy Angerer, saying she supported good policy that he hasn’t seen much of in the last two years.

Public Pension & Benefits

Efforts to balance the state budget often look to reducing retirement benefits for public employees. Should retirement benefits for state legislators be the same as for other state employees? What should be the term required for legislators in order to get that benefit? Other public employees, like teachers and police officers, are getting lower retirement benefits and are threatened with further cuts. How far should this go?

Irwin (District 53): Over the past two years, state legislators have voted to completely eliminate retirement health care benefits for legislators, he noted. As far as other retirement benefits, legislators can participate in a 401(k)-style plan, but it’s no different than other public employees – and in fact, he said, the retirement plan for legislators can fairly be described as worse than for other public employees. More important are the changes that legislators have been discussing for public employees across the board, he said. A month ago, they debated Senate Bill 1040, which would drastically change the retirement and retirement health care benefits for teachers. If this bill becomes law, any new teachers hired in Michigan would not have any retirement health care benefit, he said. In the past, there’s been a social contract with public sector employees – they’re generally paid a little less, but their long-term benefits and security are greater. Now, not only are they being paid less, but their long-term security is worse as well, he said.

Partridge (District 53): The attention given to retirement benefits for state legislators is a red herring, Partridge said. The truth is that Gov. Snyder came into office with a multimillion-dollar fortune and has made a frontal attack on public employees, including legislators. Partridge contended that it’s turned the attention away from Snyder’s failure and the failure of Republicans and of too many Democrats in the legislature – including Irwin – to address the issues of ending homelessness, building affordable housing, affordable and accessible transportation, education, and health care for the most vulnerable residents. He said he’s stood up meeting after meeting and called for the recall of Snyder.

Zemke (District 55): State legislators should be treated like all other public employees, Zemke said. He agreed with the description that Irwin had given of the current situation for public employees. Public employees shouldn’t be vilified, he said, and he’s seen that happening over the past two years. He comes from a family with teachers and they’re upset by it – they work hard, yet people look at them as not being hard workers and as getting paid too much. He said he knows for a fact that teachers don’t make much money. He’s very supportive of public employees.

Great Lakes & Water Quality

The Great Lakes are perhaps the state’s greatest natural asset. Who watches water quality and quantity, and pushes for continued improvement? Does Michigan do this on its own, or is there federal support and partnerships?

Partridge (District 53): The Great Lakes are certainly a renowned resource for Michigan, Partridge said, but the real important factor in all environmental concerns are the residents, especially the most vulnerable residents and families. All are suffering the consequences of lax policies under the current administration and legislature, in neglecting to improve the environment in the Great Lakes, in air and water quality, in protecting inland lakes – even in the 53rd District, he said.

Democrat Jeff Irwin, incumbent for District 53 in the Michigan House of Representatives, is running for a second two-year term.

Irwin (District 53): There are partnerships with the federal government in several areas, including in efforts to get rid of Asian carp – though not enough is being done in that regard, Irwin said. But most of the environmental protection and enforcement is meted out at the state level. Michigan has taken control of its water quality issues, and that’s managed by the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality. One reason why Michigan is struggling to protect water quality is that the MDEQ has been on a 10- or 20-year slide in terms of funding, Irwin said. The number of inspectors and enforcement officers the department has – to determine if requirements for a particular permit are being met, for example – is very low, he said. The state has very poor enforcement. Another emerging issue is with fracking, Irwin said. It’s not just water pollution that’s a concern, but also water quantity. He said he’s introduced legislation that would require all oil and gas drillers to disclose how much water they’re using, and to get a permit for that use.

Zemke (District 55): As with most things, there are definitely partnerships available, Zemke said. The Great Lakes aren’t just “perhaps” the state’s greatest natural resource, he said – he’d argue that they are the greatest natural resource. The state needs to ensure that the Great Lakes are protected. That includes water extraction and invasive species in particular. One area that he doesn’t think the state and federal governments are working on hard enough is getting the Asian carp out of Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes should be kept clean and protected from drilling, Zemke added, and they need to make sure that invasive species don’t continue to be a problem.

Term Limits

Currently, state elected officials in Michigan are term-limited. Do you favor abolishing term limits, changing the limits, or continuing the policy of two terms only for state legislators?

Partridge (District 53): Term limits should be increased, but not abolished entirely, he said. The downside of eliminating term limits is that political machines develop in districts around the state. Those become “safe” districts and homes for lifelong careers for certain legislators, he said – both Republicans and Democrats. He’d like to see term limits kept in place but increased for both the Michigan House and Senate. And “we need to term-limit Gov. Richard Snyder right out of office as of the next election,” Partridge said.

Irwin (District 53): Irwin said he voted against term limits – it’s anti-democratic. However, he said he’s not investing a lot of his time or political capital working on this issue. He’d rather spend time working on education or environmental policy. However, it’s important to understand the political environment in which term limits were foisted upon the state, he said. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce had lobbied for it at a time when Democrats had a stranglehold on the state House, he said. Term limits and the public’s general irritation with public officials were used to break loose that stranglehold. And it worked, he said – now Republicans have control of both the House and Senate.

Zemke (District 55): He’s opposed to term limits, and at a minimum supports extending them. It’s been a revolving door in Lansing over the past several years, he said. A lot of new faces come in who aren’t educated on the issues. They’re constantly running for re-election and by the time they get educated on the issues, they are term-limited out of office. “That doesn’t do any of us citizens of the state of Michigan any good at all,” Zemke said. But he agreed with Irwin that this isn’t a major priority now – there are more important issues to be tackled, such as education, the environment, and Michigan’s economy.

Failing Infrastructure

The state’s infrastructure is getting old. Is there a strategic plan for replacing dilapidated roads, bridges and other infrastructure? What’s needed to guarantee implementation of the plan? Who ensures that competitive bidding occurs, and how does the state eliminate fraud and favoritism? Who monitors the final product?

Irwin (District 53): He began by noting that the question covered a lot of different topics to answer in one minute, but he’d do his best. Michigan does have a plan for its road infrastructure, he said. The Transportation Asset Management Council goes around the state, assessing the quality of pavement and bridges. There’s an inventory of all that information and a plan for spending the limited funds available to meet the need. But there are billions of dollars of unmet needs over the next decade, Irwin noted. When he served on the Washtenaw County board of commissioners, he was a representative on the executive committee at SEMCOG (the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments). “I can tell you there are tremendous unmet needs for bridges and roads across our community,” he said. But the one unmet need throughout all of Michigan is public transit, he said. It’s a particularly acute need in southeast Michigan. This community is fortunate to have the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, he said, which does a very good job for a community this size. But if Michigan wants to take the next step and become the state it wants and needs to be, Irwin said, “we need to solve transit in southeast Michigan.” There needs to be a way to get people from Point A to Point B that’s convenient, safe and accessible.

Partridge (District 53): Failing infrastructure is certainly a problem, Partridge said. The current governor has given all his attention to building a new bridge to Canada, he added, and is not telling the public how many jobs will go across the bridge if it is built – from Michigan factories and businesses, to lower-paying jobs in Canada. That needs to be addressed. The state needs a new revenue base for funding infrastructure, he said. A constitutional amendment is needed to provide a progressive income tax to pay for needed improvements. He said he supports countywide public transportation and region-wide public transportation.

Democrat Adam Zemke is running for the new District 55 in the state House of Representatives, which includes portions of the cities of Ann Arbor and Milan, and the townships of Ann Arbor, Augusta, Pittsfield and York. His opponent in the primary, Andrea Brown-Harrison of Ypsilanti, did not attend the July 9 forum.

Irwin (using his one-time, one-minute rebuttal): Irwin said it wasn’t a rebuttal, but he wanted the extra time because it’s an important issue to him and one he’s worked on a lot. Transit is really the missing piece that’s key to making southeast Michigan the kind of attractive community we want it to be. He said he agreed with Partridge about the need for a progressive income tax. The very first resolution Irwin introduced in the House was to create a constitutional amendment for a graduated income tax in Michigan. Thirty-seven other states have that kind of progressive taxation policy, he said. It would level the playing field for Michigan. He also mentioned that in Washtenaw County, there’s been a long-range planning process that the AATA has been leading to create a broader public transit system. He encouraged everyone to participate in that. If this area waits until the federal government or the state government solves the transit problems locally, “I think we might be waiting too long. We don’t want to hold our breath. Let’s seize our own destiny. Let’s make sure the AATA is the best agency it can be.”

Zemke (District 55): He noted that in his opening statement, he had mentioned the state’s brain drain – the need to keep younger people in Michigan. Young people love urban environments, he said. Mass transit is a critical component to getting people into the urban areas of southeast Michigan, especially Detroit, which he hoped would continue to be revitalized. Mass transit is also critical in Washtenaw County, he said. There are a number of roads and bridges that are crumbling, and those are “killing us from an economic development perspective.” It’s important to invest in the redevelopment of that infrastructure. That’s being done in Ann Arbor [likely an allusion to the rebuilding of the East Stadium bridges], but it needs to expand at the state level too, he said.

Education Funding

Besides reducing money into the state’s School Aid Fund, more is being tapped for for-profit charter schools and online education. Do you see a movement toward privatization of K-12 education? What action would you support?

Partridge (District 53): Under the state’s current conservative leadership, he said, vital money is being taken away from public education and health care for children, adults and senior citizens. “We need to keep a strong public education system and resist the effort to privatize and charter-tize our public schools.” Public schools need to be turned into places of education, starting with pre-school but extending to at least the first two years of university education, he said.

A member of the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area prepares to keep time at the July 9 candidate forum for Districts 53 and 55 of the Michigan House of Representatives.

Irwin (District 53): One of the most troubling things during the last two years in Lansing has been the aggressive move to privatize education, Irwin said. “It’s been heartbreaking, frankly.” The legislature has vastly increased charter schools, including a major increase in cyber-charters – virtual online schools. Irwin said the Republican leadership rebuffed all attempts by himself and other Democrats to amend those bills and require the new charter schools to be of high quality, or to require that new charter schools only go into areas where the public schools were already failing. Those attempts were rebuffed because there’s a full-court press to privatize education in Michigan, he said. It’s not just the charter schools – it’s also an attempt to privatize within the public schools, he said.

When Republicans set the budget last year, they put in a provision that said in order for a school system to receive the full allotment of state money, it had to follow what the Republicans called best practices – and that meant privatizing or attempting to privatize all non-instructional services. So custodians, bus drivers, clerical staff are all being aggressively privatized across Michigan, he said, and that’s one reason why the pension system is so under-funded.

Zemke (District 55): With the current legislature, Zemke said he definitely sees a move toward privatization of K-12 education. He doesn’t support that. He’s a big believer in public education. Curriculum needs to be strengthened, and class sizes should be drastically reduced. The state needs to ensure that students are given then best opportunities in K-12. Michigan also needs to refocus on early childhood development – studies show that if you lose students by the time they’re in sixth grade, “you’ve lost them forever,” he said. Going beyond K-12, Zemke said that college tuition is a real problem – it’s far too expensive. It’s become unaffordable, and for public universities, that’s a major problem. The full range of education – from K-12 through college – is a collective package, and should be approached that way, he concluded.

Support for Detroit

No city is an island. In many ways, Detroit is a symbol of the state of Michigan. What’s being done in Lansing to improve the image and to aid the people of Detroit? Also, please enlighten us about the bridge controversy. Whose ad is lying? [The last part of this question refers to Gov. Rick Snyder's efforts to build a second bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. The existing Ambassador Bridge is owned by Manuel "Matty" Moroun's Detroit International Bridge Company. Moroun opposes building a second bridge.]

Partridge (District 53): Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan, Concordia University, Eastern Michigan University – all of the institutions of higher learning in Washtenaw County are linked with Detroit, he said. Education, ending homelessness, providing affordable housing, access to public transportation, affordable health care – these are the civil rights issues of the 21st century. In meeting after meeting when Irwin was on the county board of commissioners and since Irwin has been in Lansing, Partridge has been the voice standing up for those causes, he said, and he’ll continue to do that.

Irwin (District 53): The most important thing for Detroit, to make it the kind of livable city that people want to move to and contribute to, is improving the schools, Irwin said. Nothing is going to happen in Detroit until the public schools are the kind of schools where you’d want to send your kids, he said. That’s the bottom line. But there are some other things that can be done that are also important. Transit is an important missing link – connecting people and places. Also, legislation was recently passed for the Detroit Public Lighting Authority, to help get more streetlights back on in the city, he said. The state could also help Detroit clear title on abandoned properties. So there are things that can be done at the state level to help the city, he said, but education is the most important. Regarding the bridge, Irwin said the state needs a second span. There are tremendous opportunities for the Michigan economy and the Canadian economy, and building a second bridge is a good idea. Obviously, he added, the person who owns the current bridge doesn’t want that to happen.

Zemke (District 55): The bridge is an excellent economic development opportunity for Michigan, Zemke said. It’s key to help push the economy forward. Regarding Detroit, Zemke said he agreed 100% with Irwin that education is critical for attracting families to any city, and Detroit is no different. Public safety is another critical component – the state needs to work with Detroit to make sure people feel safe walking down the street, no matter if it’s in daylight or darkness. The state also needs to continue to work with private investors to revitalize the downtown Detroit area, he said, and grow the city’s populace.

Closing Statements

Each candidate had two minutes for a closing statement.

Closing Statement: Thomas Partridge (District 53)

Partridge said he’s dedicated to improving the living conditions and opportunities for residents of the 53rd District, Washtenaw County, the southeast Michigan region and entire state. That impetus under Gov. Snyder, the Republicans and even too many Democrats – including Irwin – just isn’t there, he said. Instead, there is an impetus to make backroom deals for reapportionment of the new state legislative districts, which happened during Irwin’s term, he said.

There is still the specter of backroom deals “and even corruption” that could have saved the residents of the 53rd District millions of dollars, he contended. That would have happened if the city of Ann Arbor and the Washtenaw County board of commissioners, while Irwin led the board, had come together to build a common building to hold meetings in, for offices and community events, and for the 14th and 15th District Courts. But it did not happen. Partridge said that lies were told to the public during Irwin’s leadership on the county board – lies stating that representatives from these groups [the city and county] would not speak to each other – and that resulted in a loss of opportunities and millions of dollars. He concluded by saying that the county and region needs public transportation to bring about economic revival.

Closing Statement: Jeff Irwin (District 53)

Irwin thanked the league again for holding the forum, and thanked voters for sending him to Lansing to represent them for the last two years. He said he loves his job and works very hard at it. He hopes to have the opportunity again. The issues he’ll focus on are education, environmental protection and equal rights.

Irwin said he was surprised that one question wasn’t asked during the forum – about voting. About a week ago, Gov. Snyder vetoed the “voter suppression bills,” Irwin said, which had been passed by the state legislature. Those bills would have made it more difficult to register to vote, which is something that’s anathema to the mission of the League of Women Voters, he said, and he was proud of the league’s work to oppose those bills. The next step is to expand voting opportunities in Michigan, he said, and that’s why he introduced a bill that would provide for “no reason” absentee voting. He said he was proud to stand with the LWV on that. It’s been a priority of the organization for years, and it was one of the early bills he introduced when he got to Lansing. The work that the LWV does in promoting voting is important, he said, because the citizens need to be involved at every level of government. Sometimes people don’t have a good appreciation for what’s done in Lansing, and “it’s our job to redouble our efforts,” he said, to educate people about what legislators do and why it’s important.

Education funding needs to be the state’s No. 1 priority, Irwin continued. He’d like to approach the budget by first setting aside whatever it takes to provide quality education in Michigan. He noted that no one has ever done an assessment about how much it costs to provide quality education to our children. The tendency is to appropriate whatever is left over, but “we should be taking care of that first,” he said. Irwin also said there are a lot of opportunities for bipartisan compromise regarding environmental protection and economic development.

Closing Statement: Adam Zemke (District 55)

Zemke thanked the league and the people who were watching the forum on CTN. He explained that District 55 is new, and includes the northern portion of the city of Ann Arbor as well four townships – Ann Arbor, York, August and Pittsfield – and the northern portion of the city of Milan. He’s proud to be a long-time resident of this area.

His legislative priorities would be to focus on the economy and education. Education is the No. 1 form of economic development. Protecting and preserving the environment, and ensuring equality for all are very important as well, he said. In terms of voting, he highlighted the need to find ways for students who are attending college to register to vote in the area where they attend school, not in their permanent address in their home district. It’s important to expand younger people’s participation in the democratic process, he said, and making that change is a critical way to do it.

He noted that a lot of people call him the young candidate, and say that he looks about 13 years old. However, he said he wanted to note that he’s the candidate of choice for a lot of working folks. He then cited several groups and individuals who have endorsed him: the UAW, IBEW, the carpenters’ and nurses’ unions, Congressman John Dingell, former Congressman Mark Schauer, state Reps. Jeff Irwin and David Rutledge, several members of the Ann Arbor city council and Washtenaw County board of commissioners, members of the Pittsfield Township board and leadership team, and Ann Arbor Township supervisor Mark Moran.

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