Issues

I will work very hard to advocate for the necessary funding to help our schools and teachers

Education is the foundation of our society. If we as a community support education, then we are supporting jobs; we are supporting the economy; we are supporting innovation; we are supporting stability. Schools are the cultural and learning hubs of every community I have ever seen.  Drive by any school at 7 p.m. and you will not see a darkened building.  You see assemblies, night classes, sports practices, meetings, and community enrichment courses.  Funding of our public schools has been decimated over the years.  Local school districts continue to receive less while being forced to do more. This is unacceptable.  Any attack on public schools and teachers, is an attack on the very fabric of our society.  For this, I will work very hard to advocate for the necessary funding to help our schools and teachers.  The Upper Peninsula has some of the very best public schools and teachers, and I want to keep it that way and help make it even better.

The regional economy is changing; we need to invest in programs and infrastructure...

The Upper Peninsula has a rich history of natural resource-based jobs. From mining to forestry, these industries have provided many generations the ability to stay and raise a family in the U.P.. Growing up in Palmer, and as the grandson of a retired steelworker, I am familiar with ups and downs of the mining industry. Last year, we saw the layoff of too many steelworkers. Mining will continue to play a vital part of the regional economy. Unfortunately, the number of jobs in the mining industry will not be like the past.

The regional economy is changing; we need to invest in programs and infrastructure that help local entrepreneurs create and expand job opportunities right here in Alger, Luce, Marquette, and Schoolcraft Counties. Many areas in these counties still lack access to high-speed Internet. In a global economy, this creates a barrier to compete. We need to be able to conduct business online and have access to crucial information. This is key to our economic development of the region.

I will not support cuts to programs that help the most vulnerable.

Year after year, those struggling to make ends meet continue to fall further and further behind. The social safety net needs to be strengthened to ensure that the young, elderly, sick, and disabled are supported.

One of the most important programs that is currently under attack is Medicaid and the Medicaid Expansion, also know as Healthy Michigan. Over 674,000 people in Michigan receive their health insurance through the Healthy Michigan plan. In the Upper Peninsula, almost 20,000 people receive their health insurance through the Healthy Michigan plan, and in the 109th state house district, 5,828 people receive their health insurance through the Healthy Michigan plan. I will not support cuts to programs that help the most vulnerable.

According to data from the Michigan League for Public Policy, 45.7% of students in the Upper Peninsula receive free or reduce-priced school lunches. Almost half of the students in the U.P. struggle to afford nutritious meals. Luckily, local communities are already stepping in to help students not go hungry on the weekends. For example, the Marquette Area Public Schools has a program called “JJ Packs” and the Negaunee Public Schools has a program called “Miner Packs.” Through volunteers and donations from the community, students at the respective elementary schools are sent home with meals for the weekend. I believe state government needs to make sure that children and students are receiving nutritious meals.