ELECTION UPDATE

By DEBRA HAIGHT

BCR Correspondent

Voters will be faced with a full ballot of candidates and issues next Tuesday as they go to the polls. People will decide races from governor down to city, school, township and village boards as well as statewide, county and local proposals.

Residents of the 37th state house district got the chance to hear from the candidates in that race last week at a forum at the Niles District Library. Students from the Niles New Tech Entrepreneurial Academy organized and conducted the event.

State Representative Brad Paquette and challenger Naomi Ludman are vying for a two year term representing the new 37th state house district which was created after redistricting earlier this year. Most of what was the 78th state house district is now the new 37th state house district, covering central and southern Berrien County and parts of Cass County.

Paquette, R-Niles, is seeking his third and final term in the state legislature. He is a former teacher at the Niles New Tech Entrepreneurial Academy. Ludman, D-Dowagiac, is making her first run for public office. She is retired from a career in education, primarily at Southwestern Michigan College.

Last week’s forum covered a variety of topics and gave the two candidates opportunities to showcase both their own priorities and how they differed with their opponent.

The two candidates had differing views on what the role of government should be and specifically on issues ranging from elections and education to guns and abortion. They did agree on wanting to encourage more young people to get involved in politics and civic life.

The issue of abortion including State Proposal 3 drew the most extensive back and forth between the candidates. Ludman said she supports reproductive freedom for women and supports the proposal. Paquette said that while he’s all in favor of women’s freedom, the life of the baby needs to be protected as well.

Paquette said he believes the proposal is too broad and allows abortion at any time during a pregnancy. Ludman disagreed, claiming that the proposal still allows limits to be placed on abortion. She noted that it is an example of governmental interference, while he said that there are times when government needs to weigh in to protect life.

On election integrity, Ludman said she favored proposal 2 which she said would expand early voting and allow local clerks to accept money from outside organizations. She added that making voting easier doesn’t mean security will be compromised.

Paquette said he doesn’t think there are barriers to voting currently and wants to see more emphasis placed on voter picture IDs. He said he was concerned about what he sees as the “nebulous” practice of allowing voters to sign affidavits and also doesn’t want to see a repeat of 2020 when unsolicited ballots were sent out.

On gun control, Paquette said he’s a strong Second Amendment supporter and noted that it’s not the gun that commits the crime. Ludman said she would like to see gun control measures passed and gun owners required to take a safety course. Paquette countered that gun ownership is a right and not a privilege such as driving and having to get a license.

The two agreed that gay rights should be respected but disagreed on what Paquette sees as the politicization of the issue and conflating it with transgender issues. Ludman said she wants to see students be able to talk to teachers about gender identity without notifying parents while Paquette said parents need to be kept in the loop.

Ludman said the three most important issues for her are supporting public education and not diverting public money into private education, banning the criminalization of abortion and working to protect the vote. She would like to see teachers be paid more and stem the flow of people leaving the profession.

Paquette said the three top issues for him are energy, education and the income tax. He favors the promotion of nuclear energy which he said is the future as the country transitions from fossil fuels. He supports promoting innovative education efforts and merit pay as well as reducing the income tax rate which was promised in 2018 but not done.

The two candidates said they will stay involved in public affairs whether or not they win election to the house. Ludman said she will continue to volunteer at a food pantry, help organizations with grant writing and working to engage young people. Paquette said he would go back to teaching which he called much more fulfilling than politics.

Paquette said in his closing statement that serving in the legislature has been the highest honor of his life and he has enjoyed meeting constituents and engaging in a debate on the issues. Ludman said she wants to change people’s view of politics, saying that it isn’t a dirty word but is about using the government to get things done.

Besides their race, the November ballot features local, county, state and federal races as well as a number of local, county and state proposals. People will choose who they want to serve on local boards and school boards, the county board of commissioners, in the state legislature, in Congress and in the governor’s mansion.

Incumbent Democrat Gretchen Whitmer is being challenged by Republican Tudor Dixon for governor. In the Secretary of State race, incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson faces Republican Kristina Karamo, while incumbent Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel faces Republican Matthew DePerno.

Three statewide proposals are on the ballot regarding campaign financing and term limits, elections and abortion. Countywide, people will be asked to repeal the current public safety millage and replace it with a slightly larger one. The current millage is .3496 mill and runs through 2024, the new one would be for up to .45 mill and run through 2026.