For the last time... at least until next month, when the whole race begins anew, the candidates vying for Todd Courser's former seat took the stage together to field questions from their potential constituents. Republican Gary Howell, Democrat Margaret Guererro DeLuca, and Libertarian Tracy Spilker all attended Tuesday night's forum, in which virtually all the questions were about education. As always, you can watch the video here if you have about 90 minutes to spare, and I'd highly recommend that you do. But as an ongoing public service for those of you who don't, once again we have every question asked of the candidates, and their responses.
First, the candidates were asked for one specific solution they'd offer to fix any of the current issues with education in the state. DeLuca wanted to look at providing proper funding for schools, noting that the money the state gave to schools over the last four years is going primarily to legacy costs. Spilker claimed "the government shouldn't be involved in forcing parents to send their child to school if they don't want to" and that the state shouldn't be as involved in education as it currently is. Howell stated that he'd like to see the legislature step in and increase their contribution towards legacy costs so local districts aren't so burdened by them.
Next, they were asked what school funding should look like in the future. Spilker once again called for less state involvement, acknowledging "I know I sound like a broken record." It's hard to disagree with that self-assessment. Howell, noting that the legislature can't do much, if anything, to change Proposal A, and that he doesn't foresee the state opening up more funds to schools, also stated he would be in support of allowing local school districts to propose millages as a way of increasing additional funds. DeLuca called him out on that immediately after, pointing out that the state legislature has indeed changed the state constitution of late, specifically the senior pension tax. She went on to state that Proposal A needed to be reformed, noting that there's about 50 wealthy school districts that are exempt from its regulations.
The Detroit Public Schools mess was the next subject addressed, as candidates were asked whether the state should be allowed to appoint emergency managers to school districts, and how they would avoid putting schools under state management. Howell noted that Detroit has seen ten superintendents in the last seven years, and that "no school district could operate in that kind of a situation." He went on to add that while no school district in Lapeer County was in danger of that happening anytime soon, whether or not state management is warranted depends on the situation. DeLuca came out firmly against state emergency financial management, pointing out that voters overturned the emergency manager law in 2014, adding that it's an issue of lack of proper funding, not mismanagement of funds. Spilker also argued against state management, going back to her primary point of local autonomy over education.
School district consolidation came up next. DeLuca stated that the state shouldn't be able to force a merger between school districts, but that local districts should be allowed to make that decision if necessary as an absolute last resort. Spilker agreed with DeLuca on those points, while going on to decry the very concept of taxation. Howell argued that there is a better solution, through the Lapeer County Intermediate School District helping individual districts to work together to defray their costs, noting that Imlay City, Almont, and Dryden districts have shared costs on certain programs, and in the case of Imlay and Dryden, a shared superintendent.
Candidates were then asked about using School Aid Fund money for public community college, career and technical education programs, which was. Spilker, naturally, was against, calling for privatization of the above, including college loans, following that with a tangent that went from teaching to standardized tests, to common core. Howell criticized Proposal 1 as a whole for being a "road proposal that had a hundred other things in it, that had no chance of passing," but offered that he would be in support of using school aid funds for vocational programs and community colleges, calling them "an integral part of the high school program." DeLuca was against the idea, blasting it as "robbing Peter to pay Paul," bringing it back around to her point that schools aren't being properly funded as it is.
When asked about separate funding for transportation costs, Howell was in favor of putting it to the voters. DeLuca pointed out the inequality of the current per-pupil funding, in that it doesn't take into account transportation and other costs. Spilker came back to local control, emphasizing that the state doesn't account for the needs of individual districts.
Unemployment was the next subject, as the candidates were asked what role schools districts can play in bringing more jobs to Lapeer. DeLuca gave particular praise to the Lapeer ISD's Ed-Tech program. Spilker touched on teaching job skills briefly before coming back to her ridiculous proposal to eliminate licensing requirements that are in place for certain professions, again using the electrician example from the last debate. Howell also mentioned the Ed-Tech program, particularly the three-year program that allows high school students to obtain an associate's degree at no cost through Ed-Tech.
From there, the topic turned to school safety, and what role the state should have in securing schools from armed intruders. Spilker defaulted to her standard position of letting local governments handle things. Howell was in favor of state appropriations to provide assistance or guards in schools. DeLuca started by informing the audience of pending legislature to eliminate gun-free zones and CPL training, before calling for the state to "put their money where their mouth is" and create appropriations to fund school liason officers.
Funding for charter schools was brought up next, with Howell asserting that charter schools should continue to be funded at the same level as public schools, using Lapeer's Chatfield School as an example, claiming that they are actually funded as a lesser rate already because they don't have access to the same funds to cover their building costs. DeLuca criticized the very idea of taxpayers supporting for-profit charter schools (she did note that the aforementioned Chatfield is a non-profit), bringing up the example of Muskegon Heights, where the emergency manager sold the school district to a for-profit charter school company which then turned around and shut the doors due to lack of profit. Spilker essentially repeated the same answer she has all evening thus far.
Next, the candidates were asked if they agree with policy that would ban or limit the sale of junk foods on campus. DeLuca and Spilker disagreed, saying that local administrators should make those calls. Howell took it a step further, saying there should be no federal regulations on the same. When asked about the increasing role of technology in the classroom, Howell warned of getting too far away from the traditional classroom setting, DeLuca stressed providing enough funding, and Spilker emphasized the importance of exposing children to technology in the classroom.
When asked about using standardized testing as measurement of student achievement, Spilker disagreed with schools being forced to teach to the tests, using a story about her kid's Halloween party that didn't exactly relate to the question. Howell pointed out that as a state representative, he won't have any effect on college admissions, and does not support using standardized test as a basis for teacher pay, but would support merit-based pay for teachers, blaming union contracts for not being able to do so. DeLuca also opposed the idea of using test scores to determine teacher pay, and supported merit-based pay, but also pointed out that schools are still waiting on test results from last year.
Non-traditional programs like virtual learning, year-round calendars, and the like came up next. DeLuca was in favor of the year-round calendar, but somewhat skeptical about virtual learning because of a lack of human interaction. Spilker naturally was in favor of all of the above, though she too expressed skepticism of the effectiveness of virtual learning. Howell made it clear he doesn't think the state should have any role in deciding on this issue. When asked about promoting training in the STEM fields in Lansing, Spilker once again stressed local control, Howell again emphasized not allowing Lansing to dictate local education. DeLuca strongly suggested her opponents' responses simply didn't reflect the reality of the current situation, explaining "In utopia... yes, the state should not be involved in local education, but that's not the case," and that voters should send someone to Lansing who will lessen the negative effects of the current state legislation.
When asked what recommendations they'd have for the state superintendent, Howell mentioned a lack of school funding and overabundance off bureaucratic red tape; DeLuca said she'd suggest ignoring the legislature altogether and listening to teachers and school boards, again citing Phil Pavlov as an example of that; and Spilker yet again advocated lessening government interference.
Next, candidates were asked how they'd fund the mandated-but-unfunded-by-the-state Michigan Public School Employee Retirement System. DeLuca suggested removing privatization from transportation, custodians, and school cooks, citing that as a reason the legacy costs have risen, as well as addressing the other issues that have caused teachers to flee. Spilker argued the opposite, calling for more privatization. Howell pointed out that this is one area in which the state does have authority, but that this mandate needs to be funded by the state instead of placing the burden on local districts.
Another question asked what can be done to reach parents of students that need help. Spilker, naturally, emphasized personal responsibility, and that this is an issue that shouldn't be the role of government, stating "You can't save everybody." Howell stressed doing as much as possible to identify early on students that will need more assistance. DeLuca pointed out that it's not always a case of parents just needing to do more, relating the story of a single mother of two children working two jobs and not having enough time to help the children with school work as much as she'd like to.
When asked how to fund any programs that they've suggested need more funding, Howell stated that there's only two ways to do that: tax increases and reallocating money in the budget, and that he'd choose the latter. DeLuca suggested that Proposal A needs to be reformed and reformulated to take inequalities between districts into account, and go closely over every line-item in the budget. Spilker -do I even need to say it?- emphasized more local control.
Once again, the two front-runners came off well in spots. Howell shined when he was able to point to his successes at the Lapeer ISD, but not so much when asked how he'd fund many of the programs he suggested, and was directly called out by DeLuca in regards to Proposal A when he claimed that legislators couldn't change the amendment. DeLuca came out strong in asserting that the amendment put into place via Proposal A can and should be amended, undermining the narrative that more privatization is a good thing for schools, and pointing out that while less involvement on the state level would be nice, it's at best a pipe dream that simply doesn't reflect the current reality. That would hit particularly hard at Spilker's platform, which is entirely based on less (ideally, nearly zero) involvement from the state on everything, and really showed just how unrealistic that platform is. Think about it: a candidate is running for a state government position whose stated goal is to effectively dismantle state government? While one almost has to admire the optimism required to conclude that such a candidacy could even be viable, it's not exactly crazy to suggest that such a legislator might actually be less effective than the last occupant of the position, who at least had an ally or two in his party.
And with that, election day is a little over three weeks away, and at long last, Lapeer County will actually have representation again for the first time in over a year.
Not that there'll be much time to recover, of course; the next election is only another eight months away.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Rounding Up The First Post-Primary State Rep Debate
And then there were three.
The candidates that will be fighting for Todd Courser's now-vacant office in less than a month are set, and the first debate since November's primary circus was held on Tuesday night. Gary Howell and Margaret Guerrero DeLuca were in attendance, of course, along with a third candidate, though not the one I was expecting. (Back during the primary, a local resident by the name of Ann Cowan threw her name into the ring as an independent, but has since deleted her campaign page and gone radio silent.) Tracy Spilker entered the race as a Libertarian, and also took part in the debate. The video from the debate can be found here, but in the interest of saving you a couple hours, I've once again broken it down here for your convenience.
First, the candidates were asked which two issues they'd first address upon taking office. DeLuca touched on roads and education, bringing up the implementation of stricter weight limits and holding contractors accountable for their work on the roads. Howell chose job development and education, pointing out specifically vocational-training programs like the Lapeer County ISD's Ed-Tech center. He also brought up a theme he'd refer back to throughout the night: bureaucratic red-tape. He used the specific example of Kamax in Lapeer, which is attempting to expand its current Lapeer facility and move jobs there from their current Troy location, and has had said expansion halted by a drain that needs to be moved by 300 feet, which all the pertinent local officials have approved, but the Michigan DEQ and EPA have held up indefinitely. Spilker would hammer home a recurring theme of her own about eliminating government interference in free markets, and getting rid of state and federal involvement in education.
Next, the topic of gravel mining at the old D-Bar-A Boy Scout camp east of Metamora came up. Howell owned this issue from the beginning, as he was quick to point out that he'd successfully fought a lawsuit brought against Metamora Township by a gravel mining company 25 years ago, and had just held a forum at the White Horse Inn the day before about that very issue. Spilker's take was that the company has the right to do whatever they want on their property, but should be held accountable if it effects surrounding areas. DeLuca's main point was that the mining company isn't concerned about the best interests of the surrounding environment, so voters need to elect officials that aren't bought and paid for.
The next few questions focused on the Flint water crisis; namely, how much blame falls on the emergency manager, and what can be done to fix it. This is where Spilker went off the rails, with an odd call for free-market competition for water. If this sounds like it makes no sense, that's probably because it doesn't. While some cities have privatized their water services with varying results, to the knowledge of your humble correspondent, none have ever had two competing water services serving the same area. She would later go on to suggest that "we the people" can fix this problem. One can only assume she doesn't intend to have Flint residents tearing out lead piping themselves, but one can't be entirely certain of this.
In regards to the EM law, DeLuca questioned why the legislature isn't held accountable for overturning the will of the people through referendum-proof legislation. As far as solving the problem, DeLuca returned to talk of accountability, asking why nobody at any level has lost their jobs over this, apart from a few resignations, while calling for the DOJ to investigate, as the "independent" investigators appointed by AG Bill Schuette are donors of Snyder's. She also slammed Snyder for his staged photo op/signing of the bill, surrounded by his smiling supporters: "He should have had his eyes crossed and been handing the check and looking in shame!"
Howell said he'd look at the EM law, but that the situation in Flint is not necessarily an indictment of that law, but rather an indictment on all levels of government. Referring back to his earlier call for less governmental red tape, he pointed out that the current regulation "failed us miserably," and called for an independent committee to establish what went wrong, while pointing out that this isn't going to be a cheap fix, and will require a great amount of spending on the fed and state level to fix the flawed infrastructure.
Staying on the topic of Flint, candidates were also asked if they believed racism played any role in the water crisis. Spilker and DeLuca both agreed that it wasn't necessarily a race issue, but a class issue, with DeLuca pointing to an example of classism by State Senator Phil Pavlov in a recent exchange they'd had in regards to Detroit Public Schools, in which he essentially asked DeLuca why she should even care about another community. (More on Pavlov, and this particular issue, to come in this space next week.) Drawing attention to the fact that Lapeer is also considered an economically depressed county, she pondered whether Lapeer would get the same dismissive treatment if something like the Flint or DPS crises were to happen here. Howell had a somewhat different view, stating that "I am sick and tired of everything being made into a racial issue," and that he believes "we treat Americans equally in all cases." (As a side note: it took me a bit by surprise to hear Howell refer to Asians as "orientals" during his rant about racism. Seriously, this is still a thing?) Shockingly, this got applause from the all-white audience.
Minimum wage was the next topic, with both Howell and Spilker against an increase (Spilker's take: "If people want to make more money, they need to go and learn more skills"), and DeLuca taking on the narrative that only high school kids work minimum wage jobs; of the 643,000 minimum wage employees in the state of Michigan, 80% of them are over the age of 21, and 70% of those over 21 are single mothers. On the topic of straight-ticket voting, all three candidates were against, with Howell referring to it as "a fundamentally bad practice" and DeLuca taking time out to rail against redistricting.
Gun control was the next subject, and the one where the candidates' answers differed the most. DeLuca who supports a "common-sense" approach to gun ownership, started by producing a copy of the NRA's official questionnaire to the candidates and reading a few select points from them, including their claim that if candidates don't complete the survey, they will be assumed to be "hostile" towards the Second Amendment, and that their favored answers include repealing background checks and making it easier to transfer any gun to anybody at any time. Howell would consider restrictions placed before him for a vote, but noted he would be "very reluctant" to approve them, while calling for open-carry to be disallowed in schools, but for concealed-carry to be permitted. Spilker stood against any restrictions, but went on to talk about the need for mental health to be addressed.
Later, they would be asked about guns in schools; Howell was in favor of concealed-carry, but not open-carry; DeLuca came down against open-carry as well, but expressed that teachers and parents should be asked what they'd be in favor of, while Spilker somewhat side-stepped the question, saying she can see both sides of the argument, but that more people should be trained on the safe use of guns.
Investing in improvements and expansion for the Polly Ann Trail was the next topic. Howell noted that the trail has been successful, and that he would not be opposed to improvements where it exists, but it shouldn't be forced on governments where it hasn't been approved, noting concerns from private land owners in Arcadia Township over expansion there. Spilker seconded Howell's thoughts, while DeLuca pointed out that she's supported Polly Ann Trail since the beginning, had to push Imlay City to care for their section of the trail and since then has been working with Oakland County and advocate groups to maintain and expand it.
Next was the issue of student loans, college debt, and college administrators' salaries. Howell started by pointing out that when he attended college, it only set him back $120 a semester, which he was able to finance through a summer job, but now believes that "higher education has gone off the rails in this country," and the reason is that public education has become too "top-heavy"; too many high-paid administrators, not enough professors in classrooms. His solution involves programs similar to the one implemented at Ed-Tech, where high school students can take college classes over a period of three years and obtain a two-year associate's degree free of charge to them. DeLuca agreed that students shouldn't have to endure 20 years of financial hardship to get a college education, and called for a salary cap to be set on public administrators proportional to the salaries of their professors. Spilker, as was the case throughout the evening, decried government interference in college loans and college presidents' salaries, and once again invoked the free market, claiming government involvement in student loans is causing the cost of tuition to rise.
The controversial gas tax increase then came up, with all three candidates stating they'd like to see it repealed, but admitting that realistically this is unlikely to happen. Howell and DeLuca both noted that it won't be til 2021 that a single dime from the new taxes and fees will go towards road construction, Howell pointing out that most of that money will probably go to DPS and Flint first, and DeLuca adding that originally, House Republicans wanted to double the increase in the gas tax, while Spilker questioned why the roads couldn't be maintained on strictly the local level.
From there, the topic turned to the state legislature's exemption from the Freedom of Information Act, with all three candidates decrying said exemption, and Howell and DeLuca promising to introduce legislature to remove it. All also opposed legislation introduced to reduce competition for public utilities. On term limits, DeLuca admitted she's not passionate on this issue, and would put it to the voters. Howell was in favor of them, adding "I probably wouldn't be here if not for term limits." Spilker agreed with DeLuca and Howell, but also wants more power in local government, and brought up her support for overhauling the electoral system though proportional representation or runoff voting.
The next question concerned Senate Bill 571 (which I wrote about here last month). Howell referred to it as a poor bill, that nobody read or analyzed, that was changed at the last minute, adding that he believes there is room for legitimate neutral information to be promoted by local governments. Spilker called for legislation to prove that legislators understand the bill they're voting on (which I mentioned in that last writeup). DeLuca pointed out that Pavlov voted yes on the bill, and was not happy about her calling him out on it. All three agree this bill prevents municipalities from sharing information about a bill, and oversteps its bounds in doing so. However, it's rather disappointing that only the part of the bill mentioned was that prohibiting local officials from giving information about ballot proposals before an election; while that certainly appears blatantly unconstitutional, there were other similarly terrible provisions in this bill that apply to political donations.
The current legislature's tactic of inserting appropriations into bills to shield them from public referendum also came up, and all three candidates stood strongly against. Spilker argued that there should never be a case where the public cannot have a referendum on an issue, DeLuca commented that "appropriations should never be attached to a bill. Period," adding that she would push to be placed on the appropriations committee, and that Imlay City had never had a line-item budget until she took office there. Howell agreed, declaring that "the denial of the right to vote on an issue is a misuse of the Michigan Constitution."
Finally, all three were asked what would be the first bill they'd enact if elected. Spilker offered up her requirement that legislators prove they know the content of a bill they vote on; and a left-field proposal to remove professional licensing requirements. She gave as an example, an electrician who learned the trade from a parent shouldn't need to be licensed by state "as long as he is openly and honestly stating what his qualification to do that is." How one would verify that said person is indeed qualified to do the job, however, is anyone's guess. DeLuca vowed to attempt to lessen the negative impact in regards to the gas tax by instituting warranty contracts on work done by road contractors and stricter weight limits on semis. Howell stated he'd set absolute deadlines, similar to those enacted in Indiana, for state regulatory agencies to approve or deny permits, referring back to his Kamax example from earlier.
Howell finished by stating he would not run for higher office if elected; "I'm willing to serve my seven years and come back to the farm in North Branch. Consequently, the lobbyists, the special interests, and the pressure groups, can kiss my ass." DeLuca reminded the audience that she's a fighter and has the research and facts to back up her stances, adding "I'm not afraid to vote against my party if it hurts the people that I represent." Spilker finished reading her prepared opening statement, then went on to the need for more than two political parties and positions to be represented in government.
The candidates that will be fighting for Todd Courser's now-vacant office in less than a month are set, and the first debate since November's primary circus was held on Tuesday night. Gary Howell and Margaret Guerrero DeLuca were in attendance, of course, along with a third candidate, though not the one I was expecting. (Back during the primary, a local resident by the name of Ann Cowan threw her name into the ring as an independent, but has since deleted her campaign page and gone radio silent.) Tracy Spilker entered the race as a Libertarian, and also took part in the debate. The video from the debate can be found here, but in the interest of saving you a couple hours, I've once again broken it down here for your convenience.
First, the candidates were asked which two issues they'd first address upon taking office. DeLuca touched on roads and education, bringing up the implementation of stricter weight limits and holding contractors accountable for their work on the roads. Howell chose job development and education, pointing out specifically vocational-training programs like the Lapeer County ISD's Ed-Tech center. He also brought up a theme he'd refer back to throughout the night: bureaucratic red-tape. He used the specific example of Kamax in Lapeer, which is attempting to expand its current Lapeer facility and move jobs there from their current Troy location, and has had said expansion halted by a drain that needs to be moved by 300 feet, which all the pertinent local officials have approved, but the Michigan DEQ and EPA have held up indefinitely. Spilker would hammer home a recurring theme of her own about eliminating government interference in free markets, and getting rid of state and federal involvement in education.
Next, the topic of gravel mining at the old D-Bar-A Boy Scout camp east of Metamora came up. Howell owned this issue from the beginning, as he was quick to point out that he'd successfully fought a lawsuit brought against Metamora Township by a gravel mining company 25 years ago, and had just held a forum at the White Horse Inn the day before about that very issue. Spilker's take was that the company has the right to do whatever they want on their property, but should be held accountable if it effects surrounding areas. DeLuca's main point was that the mining company isn't concerned about the best interests of the surrounding environment, so voters need to elect officials that aren't bought and paid for.
The next few questions focused on the Flint water crisis; namely, how much blame falls on the emergency manager, and what can be done to fix it. This is where Spilker went off the rails, with an odd call for free-market competition for water. If this sounds like it makes no sense, that's probably because it doesn't. While some cities have privatized their water services with varying results, to the knowledge of your humble correspondent, none have ever had two competing water services serving the same area. She would later go on to suggest that "we the people" can fix this problem. One can only assume she doesn't intend to have Flint residents tearing out lead piping themselves, but one can't be entirely certain of this.
In regards to the EM law, DeLuca questioned why the legislature isn't held accountable for overturning the will of the people through referendum-proof legislation. As far as solving the problem, DeLuca returned to talk of accountability, asking why nobody at any level has lost their jobs over this, apart from a few resignations, while calling for the DOJ to investigate, as the "independent" investigators appointed by AG Bill Schuette are donors of Snyder's. She also slammed Snyder for his staged photo op/signing of the bill, surrounded by his smiling supporters: "He should have had his eyes crossed and been handing the check and looking in shame!"
Howell said he'd look at the EM law, but that the situation in Flint is not necessarily an indictment of that law, but rather an indictment on all levels of government. Referring back to his earlier call for less governmental red tape, he pointed out that the current regulation "failed us miserably," and called for an independent committee to establish what went wrong, while pointing out that this isn't going to be a cheap fix, and will require a great amount of spending on the fed and state level to fix the flawed infrastructure.
Staying on the topic of Flint, candidates were also asked if they believed racism played any role in the water crisis. Spilker and DeLuca both agreed that it wasn't necessarily a race issue, but a class issue, with DeLuca pointing to an example of classism by State Senator Phil Pavlov in a recent exchange they'd had in regards to Detroit Public Schools, in which he essentially asked DeLuca why she should even care about another community. (More on Pavlov, and this particular issue, to come in this space next week.) Drawing attention to the fact that Lapeer is also considered an economically depressed county, she pondered whether Lapeer would get the same dismissive treatment if something like the Flint or DPS crises were to happen here. Howell had a somewhat different view, stating that "I am sick and tired of everything being made into a racial issue," and that he believes "we treat Americans equally in all cases." (As a side note: it took me a bit by surprise to hear Howell refer to Asians as "orientals" during his rant about racism. Seriously, this is still a thing?) Shockingly, this got applause from the all-white audience.
Minimum wage was the next topic, with both Howell and Spilker against an increase (Spilker's take: "If people want to make more money, they need to go and learn more skills"), and DeLuca taking on the narrative that only high school kids work minimum wage jobs; of the 643,000 minimum wage employees in the state of Michigan, 80% of them are over the age of 21, and 70% of those over 21 are single mothers. On the topic of straight-ticket voting, all three candidates were against, with Howell referring to it as "a fundamentally bad practice" and DeLuca taking time out to rail against redistricting.
Gun control was the next subject, and the one where the candidates' answers differed the most. DeLuca who supports a "common-sense" approach to gun ownership, started by producing a copy of the NRA's official questionnaire to the candidates and reading a few select points from them, including their claim that if candidates don't complete the survey, they will be assumed to be "hostile" towards the Second Amendment, and that their favored answers include repealing background checks and making it easier to transfer any gun to anybody at any time. Howell would consider restrictions placed before him for a vote, but noted he would be "very reluctant" to approve them, while calling for open-carry to be disallowed in schools, but for concealed-carry to be permitted. Spilker stood against any restrictions, but went on to talk about the need for mental health to be addressed.
Later, they would be asked about guns in schools; Howell was in favor of concealed-carry, but not open-carry; DeLuca came down against open-carry as well, but expressed that teachers and parents should be asked what they'd be in favor of, while Spilker somewhat side-stepped the question, saying she can see both sides of the argument, but that more people should be trained on the safe use of guns.
Investing in improvements and expansion for the Polly Ann Trail was the next topic. Howell noted that the trail has been successful, and that he would not be opposed to improvements where it exists, but it shouldn't be forced on governments where it hasn't been approved, noting concerns from private land owners in Arcadia Township over expansion there. Spilker seconded Howell's thoughts, while DeLuca pointed out that she's supported Polly Ann Trail since the beginning, had to push Imlay City to care for their section of the trail and since then has been working with Oakland County and advocate groups to maintain and expand it.
On the subject of veterans' care, Spilker stated she believes the VA has abandoned veterans, but yet as a libertarian, she's against government involvement, and as such, would like to see non-profits and community members step up instead. DeLuca expressed that she's glad that incompetent employees at the VA are now being held accountable, but a better job still needs to be done of informing vets where to go for services. Howell, the lone veteran of the three, pointed out that while thankfully not all vets need these services, we owe it to those who do to get them the care they deserve. He admitted that he won't have much effect on the VA as a state rep, but believes that private providers would give better care anyway.
Next was the issue of student loans, college debt, and college administrators' salaries. Howell started by pointing out that when he attended college, it only set him back $120 a semester, which he was able to finance through a summer job, but now believes that "higher education has gone off the rails in this country," and the reason is that public education has become too "top-heavy"; too many high-paid administrators, not enough professors in classrooms. His solution involves programs similar to the one implemented at Ed-Tech, where high school students can take college classes over a period of three years and obtain a two-year associate's degree free of charge to them. DeLuca agreed that students shouldn't have to endure 20 years of financial hardship to get a college education, and called for a salary cap to be set on public administrators proportional to the salaries of their professors. Spilker, as was the case throughout the evening, decried government interference in college loans and college presidents' salaries, and once again invoked the free market, claiming government involvement in student loans is causing the cost of tuition to rise.
The controversial gas tax increase then came up, with all three candidates stating they'd like to see it repealed, but admitting that realistically this is unlikely to happen. Howell and DeLuca both noted that it won't be til 2021 that a single dime from the new taxes and fees will go towards road construction, Howell pointing out that most of that money will probably go to DPS and Flint first, and DeLuca adding that originally, House Republicans wanted to double the increase in the gas tax, while Spilker questioned why the roads couldn't be maintained on strictly the local level.
From there, the topic turned to the state legislature's exemption from the Freedom of Information Act, with all three candidates decrying said exemption, and Howell and DeLuca promising to introduce legislature to remove it. All also opposed legislation introduced to reduce competition for public utilities. On term limits, DeLuca admitted she's not passionate on this issue, and would put it to the voters. Howell was in favor of them, adding "I probably wouldn't be here if not for term limits." Spilker agreed with DeLuca and Howell, but also wants more power in local government, and brought up her support for overhauling the electoral system though proportional representation or runoff voting.
The next question concerned Senate Bill 571 (which I wrote about here last month). Howell referred to it as a poor bill, that nobody read or analyzed, that was changed at the last minute, adding that he believes there is room for legitimate neutral information to be promoted by local governments. Spilker called for legislation to prove that legislators understand the bill they're voting on (which I mentioned in that last writeup). DeLuca pointed out that Pavlov voted yes on the bill, and was not happy about her calling him out on it. All three agree this bill prevents municipalities from sharing information about a bill, and oversteps its bounds in doing so. However, it's rather disappointing that only the part of the bill mentioned was that prohibiting local officials from giving information about ballot proposals before an election; while that certainly appears blatantly unconstitutional, there were other similarly terrible provisions in this bill that apply to political donations.
The current legislature's tactic of inserting appropriations into bills to shield them from public referendum also came up, and all three candidates stood strongly against. Spilker argued that there should never be a case where the public cannot have a referendum on an issue, DeLuca commented that "appropriations should never be attached to a bill. Period," adding that she would push to be placed on the appropriations committee, and that Imlay City had never had a line-item budget until she took office there. Howell agreed, declaring that "the denial of the right to vote on an issue is a misuse of the Michigan Constitution."
Finally, all three were asked what would be the first bill they'd enact if elected. Spilker offered up her requirement that legislators prove they know the content of a bill they vote on; and a left-field proposal to remove professional licensing requirements. She gave as an example, an electrician who learned the trade from a parent shouldn't need to be licensed by state "as long as he is openly and honestly stating what his qualification to do that is." How one would verify that said person is indeed qualified to do the job, however, is anyone's guess. DeLuca vowed to attempt to lessen the negative impact in regards to the gas tax by instituting warranty contracts on work done by road contractors and stricter weight limits on semis. Howell stated he'd set absolute deadlines, similar to those enacted in Indiana, for state regulatory agencies to approve or deny permits, referring back to his Kamax example from earlier.
Howell finished by stating he would not run for higher office if elected; "I'm willing to serve my seven years and come back to the farm in North Branch. Consequently, the lobbyists, the special interests, and the pressure groups, can kiss my ass." DeLuca reminded the audience that she's a fighter and has the research and facts to back up her stances, adding "I'm not afraid to vote against my party if it hurts the people that I represent." Spilker finished reading her prepared opening statement, then went on to the need for more than two political parties and positions to be represented in government.
Ultimately, Howell and DeLuca both had their high points over the course of the night; Howell owned the Metamora gravel mining issue, was able to point to the success of the Lapeer ISD's college credit program at Ed-Tech as a model for making higher education more attainable, and used the Kamax expansion to great effect to underscore his points about bureaucratic over-regulation. DeLuca successfully hammered home the theme of holding government accountable, from crumbling infrastructure to the state legislature, with her recent sparring with Sen. Pavlov being a good example of her willingness to demand accountability and get answers for her constituents. Spilker fell back on the free market as her primary talking point throughout the evening, not offering up much in the way of specifics. I often forget just how much faith the Libertarian platform puts in completely unregulated capitalism and the willingness of corporate entities to act in the public's best interest when that doesn't necessarily coincide with their shareholders' best interest, which might be the one thing I'm more skeptical of than the ability of government to act in the public's best interest; at least government officials can be removed from their positions when they fail to do so.
There's one more debate to be held within the next few days, this one to focus mostly on education, a subject where both Howell and DeLuca are particularly well-versed. Of course, I'll have coverage of that debate later this week, as well as a few words on a state senator who may be running for a soon-to-be-vacated Congressional seat... just because the last state rep is gone doesn't mean there isn't plenty to write about.
There's one more debate to be held within the next few days, this one to focus mostly on education, a subject where both Howell and DeLuca are particularly well-versed. Of course, I'll have coverage of that debate later this week, as well as a few words on a state senator who may be running for a soon-to-be-vacated Congressional seat... just because the last state rep is gone doesn't mean there isn't plenty to write about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)