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Page 20 2016 Voter Guide League of Women Voters Biographical Info Michigan Representative – Vote For Not More Than 1 – Two Year Term CYNDI PELTONEN, Democrat Campaign Website: www.cyndipeltonen.com Facebook Page: http://Cyndi Peltonen for State Representative Occupation / Current Position: Graduate Assistant, International Academy, Bloomfield Hills Education: Central Michigan University, Master of Science in Public Administration, in progress; Wayne State University, Bachelor of Music, Music Education K-12 Qualifications / Experience: A unique blend of professional experience - 8 years in the corporate world, 15 years as a small business owner, and 28 years in the education community - lets me look at issues through a multi-faceted lens. Elected to the Clawson Board of Education five times - serving my fellow citizens for over 20 years - I know how to build consensus with other leaders to get things done for the good of all. JIM TEDDER, Republican Campaign Website: www.electjimtedder.com Facebook Page: State Rep Jim Tedder Occupation / Current Position: State Representative, 43rd District Education: Education Specialist in Education Leadership - Oakland University, Master of Business Administration - Oakland University, Bachelor of Applied Arts - Central Michigan University Qualifications / Experience: Incumbent State Representative for the 43rd House District. 29 year small business owner, former school administrator and social studies teacher. More than 26 years of grassroots political experience. TED VILLELLA, Democrat JIM RUNESTAD, Republican Campaign Website: http://runwithrunestad.com/ MARK VENIE, Democrat Occupation / Current Position: Technical Writer Priorities: What are your top three state legislative priorities and how would you address them? HHH District 41 HHH (Cont.) I will work with other legislators who agree serving constituents trumps partisan rhetoric, to: 1. Strengthen our economy by supporting small businesses, workers, innovators, and higher education - and return tax dollars to our seniors, working families, schools and communities. 2. Adequately fund local schools, community colleges, and public universities - and hold charter schools accountable. Legislators must work with educators to do what’s best for kids. 3. Stand up for transparency in government and integrity in public service. The Governor and Legislature should be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. HHH District 43 HHH Fix roads and infrastructure - Prioritize spending and support efficiencies to ensure valuable road funding dollars are allocated and spent properly. Improve Education - Continue to work with parents, students, and local school officials to support education reform where it matters most, at the local level. Improve Economy - continue to support legislative efforts that ease tax burdens on seniors and families, reduce red tape for businesses, and provide an appealing and welcoming economic climate for all businesses. DID NOT RESPOND IN TIME FOR INCLUSION HHH District 44 HHH DID NOT RESPOND IN TIME FOR INCLUSION Raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, end corporate welfare and restore funding to the public school system, repair and upgrade Michigan’s roads, bridges and tunnels. Education: What measures do you support/propose to achieve improved educational outcomes for students and for school districts? 1. Conduct an adequacy study for school funding. 2. Fully fund and clearly establish the purpose of all state mandated testing. 3. Ensure safe and secure schools through state financial support for facilities and infrastructure, including technology. 4. Guarantee funding equal to the rate of inflation for early childhood, K-12 and higher education. 5. Provide universal access to preschool for all 4 year olds, staffed by fully certified teachers. 6. Provide K-3 reading intervention tools - not 3rd grade retention. 7. Hold charter schools accountable to standards of transparency, reporting and treatment of employees. I am a strong supporter of local control and believe that the most important educational decisions should be made by local communities and schools. To that end, I meet regularly with local parents and education officials in support of better educational outcomes for students. I am also a strong proponent of reinvigorating skilled trades education in our schools across the state; I would like to see more opportunities for Michigan’s kids to gain exposure to these valuable skills and career pathways at a younger age. Michigan must restore full funding to the public school system, with more teachers and smaller class sizes. We must also improve testing programs to better reflect the school curriculum. . MICHAEL WEBBER, Republican Campaign Website: www.webberforstaterep.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/staterepwebber/ Occupation / Current Position: State Representative serving the Greater Rochester area. Education: BA in International Relations from James Madison College at Michigan State University. 2006 Michigan Political Leadership fellow Qualifications / Experience: 26 year resident of Rochester Hills, Product of the Rochester Community Schools as a Rochester Adams HS graduate. Spent nearly 10 years as Legislative Staff in MI State Government. Spent over 7 years as a member of the Rochester Hills City Council, the final 3 years as Vice President. Involved in various committees as part of city activities, including the OPC Governing Board and Brownfield Auth. HHH District 45 HHH - Education: As a product of Rochester Community Schools, I am supporter of public education. For the 2015-2016 legislative session, I have supported increases in Per Pupil funding each year. As we continue to pay off DPS debt we must do so without burdening other school districts. - Roads and Infrastructure: I supported a comprehensive road plan that will get needed resources to our local and county roads, ramping up the program so that we can plan projects appropriately. - Oil/Gas exploration: I introduced House Bill 4260 to increase setbacks in urban, residential heavy areas like Oakland County. Education is a critical part of state government and that is reflected in the budget. During this legislative session there has been much discussion about 3rd grade reading proficiency. Some of our students cannot read at 3rd grade and this is setting them up for potential failure as they move forward. Any program dealing with 3rd grade reading will have to come with the proper funding to implement. Another issue is expanding the use of voter approved Sinking Funds to include technology. Many schools are bonding for technology which is not a good approach.
League of Women Voters 2016 Voter Guide Page 21 Michigan Representative – Vote For Not More Than 1 – Two Year Term Elections: What policy changes do you support regarding campaign funding and voting rights for Michigan voters? Economy: What policies do you support to increase jobs and help Michigan residents improve their economic position? HHH District 41 HHH (Cont.) Energy & Environment: What actions or policies do you support to meet Michigan energy needs while protecting our water, air and land for current and future generations? The current system needs reform. Voters need to know who gives large amounts to candidate and issue campaigns. We should: 1. publically finance campaigns. 2. reverse Citizens United. 3. require full disclosure of donations to Super PACs. 4. reduce the amount Super PACs con contribute to campaigns. Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, yet many people don’t vote because they feel it doesn’t matter. We must: 1. promote ballot access. 2. fight voter suppression. 3. expand early voting to all, for any reason. 4. insure sufficient number of polling places and accurate voter records. 5. end gerrymandering. It is important that campaign funding sources and the use of those funds remain open and transparent. Voting is among the most sacred of rights and I will stand to ensure that the security and integrity of the voting process is protected. We must rectify the massive tax shift orchestrated by Gov. Snyder and the republican controlled legislature, which increased taxes on the middle class, seniors and working families by $1.6 billion, while cutting taxes for corporations by nearly $2 billion dollars. I will work to help implement the Democratic Blueprint for Michigan Families. This plan would reinstate the senior income tax exemption, create child tax credits, expand the Homestead property tax credit, and create an income tax credit of 50% of the amount paid on student loans. http://www.housedems.com/article/ blueprint-michigans-families We need to restore funds that were taken from cities and schools, so we can fully staff police, fire, paramedics and other community services, and re-hire teachers and support staff to offer the world class education our children and grandchildren deserve. Putting people to work rebuilding our failing infrastructure is a proven model of growing the economy from the middle out. HHH District 43 HHH I am in support of economic policy that provides needed relief for Michigan taxpayers and businesses. I am in support of phasing out the state income tax with a more equitable, consumption based means of taxation. I do not favor targeted tax breaks and, instead, favor broad based tax policy that supports economic growth and opportunity for all. Continuing to increase Michigan’s clean energy targets creates jobs, controls energy costs and protects the health of Michigan kids, families and seniors - and continues our path to energy independence. Michigan’s successful energy laws have spurred more than $3 billion in investment since 2008 and support over 87,000 jobs in the clean energy sector. Besides lower utility bills for everyone, renewable energy and energy efficiency policies are tools for economic growth. Conservation of our abundant natural resources must become a top priority for Michigan again. To this end we should: 1. strengthen air quality standards. 2. dedicate funding for land conservation programs. 3. invest in public and non-motorized transportation. 4. protect our water from “fracking”. 5. keep oil out of Michigan waterways. 6. stop toxic run off. 7. reduce energy waste. 8. adopt a strong recycling rate target. 9. support responsible food production. 10. return to local control and citizen oversight. As Michigan utilities close older coal-fired energy plants in favor of cleaner, more efficient natural gas plants, we must be considerate of the rate and expense at which this transition occurs. Doing so too quickly will likely be to the detriment of ratepayers. Maintaining choice as part of the energy debate will also be important as we must remain sensitive to cost for Michigan consumers, businesses and government entities such as schools. As Michiganders, we must remain good stewards of our precious natural resources, including our Great Lakes, and allow market forces to continue to incentivize the use of renewable sources of energy. Strict and arbitrary mandates will stifle the continued growth of the economy. DID NOT RESPOND IN TIME FOR INCLUSION HHH District 44 HHH DID NOT RESPOND IN TIME FOR INCLUSION Michigan should have motor-voter registration and mailin voting similar to the law in Oregon. Voters would be automatically registered to vote and would receive a mail-in ballot 2 weeks before the election. I believe that we need increased transparency in campaign finance reporting. I have introduced a bill to increase the fine for candidates who do not get their campaign finance report in on time. The current fine does not seem to get some candidates attention, so we hope that increasing it with incentive them to get their reports in on time. Increased consumer spending is what creates new jobs. Consumers must have an increase in income. To accomplish this, we must increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour, repeal the tax on pensions and restore the earned income tax credit to the previous amount. HHH District 45 HHH I support the governor’s push to have an increased focus on career and technical education to compete with college. These are good paying jobs that were not focused on during the Lost Decade as the push was towards attending a 4 year university. I also support efforts at job re-training as the defense industry and technology intensive industries emerge in Michigan. I speak with employers all the time who have job openings that remain unfilled because workers lack the needed training to do the job. As a state we need to adapt to meet the demands of these emerging sectors. Michigan must stop investing in obsolete technologies like burning coal and gas to generate electricity. Michigan needs to make a complete conversion to renewable energy liked solar and wind power. Consumers should receive a tax credit for installing solar panels in their homes. Michigan must also build offshore wind farms. Businesses that pollute air and water should pay the clean-up costs. For me Energy Policy is all about Reliability and Cost. For our residents, businesses and schools etc. energy reliability effects their productivity and quality of life. If the power is out, businesses cannot be productive, schools remain closed and residents suffer from poor quality of life. But cost needs to be competitive. Businesses look at that when looking to stay or relocate in Michigan. It is one of the biggest costs that we have as residents and businesses. At the same time, since the law changed in 2008 the state has seen increased use in alternative energy like Wind, Solar, and Hydroelectric etc. that continues to be a part of the discussion and balance as we discuss energy policy in 2016. The state will need increased energy capacity as power plants go off line in our state. As stated above I remain concerned about how Oil/Gas drilling affects urban, residential heavy areas in Oakland County. The Flint Water Crisis shows the need for legislative oversight for state dept.
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