Candidates to square off in state House District 40
Voters will decide who serves in state House District 40 in the Nov. 4 general election. The district encompasses Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and the townships of Bloomfield and West Bloomfield. Running are incumbent Republican Mike McCready and Democrat Mary Belden of West Bloomfield. The following is a look at the candidates and the issues.
Q. What made you decide to seek election to the state House?
Belden: For years, I have been actively involved in advocating for our public schools. When our current representative demonstrated his lack of understanding of educational quality by voting to expand the Educational Achievement Authority statewide, I was moved to run against him. The EAA has been an abysmal failure in Detroit, and should be scrapped, not expanded. District 40 has excellent public schools which are under threat from decreased school funding, and from experiments like the EAA, cyber-schools and for-profit charters promoted by Lansing.
I was also motivated to run by my opponent’s support for requiring women to purchase a special health insurance rider to cover termination of a pregnancy, regardless of circumstances. Our state is now requiring women to foresee sexual assault or life-threatening pregnancy complications in order to purchase additional health insurance in advance to cover their care. As a woman, and the mother of two young women, I am appalled.
McCready: I am running for re-election to see that our state maintains a balanced budget, to ensure road funding is in place to fix our deteriorating roads, to repair Michigan’s transportation infrastructure and to see that our district receives a fair share of education funding.
Q. State and local roads and bridges are in deplorable shape. As a member of the House, how would you address the issue? Explain where you believe the money should come from.
Belden: My approach would be to use several sources of revenue (gas and diesel taxes, sales tax, vehicle fees and heavy truck fees) so that the costs are borne as fairly as possible by all. We need to bring our truck weight limits and fees into line with our surrounding states. We need to evaluate our construction, repair and maintenance processes to ensure that they produce the best value for our dollar. We need to create a funding mechanism that is less dependent on the price of a gallon of fuel, so we are not relying on continued usage of fuel at current rates, and we need to be mindful of those least able to pay more to drive their cars, especially since we do not have affordable and effective mass transportation in most of our state.
McCready: I have sponsored two House bills in particular as part of a seven-bill package approved by the House in April that directs $450 million annually to MDOT, county and local road commissions for road repair, repaving and maintenance. These bills utilize existing revenues, create parity in gas and diesel taxes, and reduce special discounts that were given when registering truck, farm and special vehicle permits. The bills are currently in the Senate for review and approval.
Q. Twenty years after the implementation of Proposal A, there remains a wide disparity in per pupil funding for school districts throughout the state. How would you address this concern? What is your recommendation? Be specific.
Belden: A. The school funding mechanism in Michigan is not working. Lansing’s insistence on spending money on unlimited cyber schools and for-profit charters is taking resources away from our local public schools. We can’t afford to support two systems of education. Also, current funding is allocated entirely on a “per pupil” basis, but many school costs are not accrued “per pupil.” Proposal A has prevented affluent districts from spending more money on their schools, while failing to provide sufficient funding for less affluent districts to succeed. Top quality public education is the most cost-effective investment a state can make, and we must develop and commit to a comprehensive plan to meet that objective – a plan based on facts and best practices, not on ideology. Instead, we are currently proceeding in the opposite direction.
McCready: We need to direct dollars to our public schools (K-12) in a balanced way that allows all schools to educate our children in a classroom environment that is productive and secure. We need to increase our funding to higher education, reducing the amount of money borrowed by students.
Q. What do you see as issues facing communities in the district? How would you address them?
Belden: The single biggest issue facing our communities is the funding of our public schools. Our schools support our property values, educate our children, and reflect the priorities of our citizens, and attract businesses, while preparing our future work force. Whether or not you have children or grandchildren in the public schools, you benefit from their being of the highest possible quality, and our schools are not receiving appropriate support from Lansing.
Another issue that concerns our communities is that of our aging population. The additional retirement income taxes levied on our seniors in 2012 should be repealed, and support for “aging in place” services (which has been reduced) should be restored. We must also stop the decreases to revenue sharing for our local governments. Police and fire protection, parks, libraries, road repair and other local public services are under strain, adversely affecting quality of life in our communities.
McCready: We need to invest more revenue into our infrastructure, namely education and public safety. Investment in these areas will create jobs in Michigan, but we also need to train people in a way that allows people with different skill sets to live and work in our state. Educating and training people in fields such as computer science and health care professions will encourage many talented people to stay and practice in our state. Trade skills such as welding and mechanics that require vocational training often share programs with community colleges and companies, which pave the way for students into the work force outside those who are traditionally college career-minded.
Q. What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Belden: I am not an ideologue. I am a pragmatic problem-solver with a reputation for fairness and thoughtful decision-making. I am also not a politician. I never expected to run for office, but I chose to “stand up and campaign” rather than “sit back and complain.” We are currently at a 20-year low for the representation of women in our state Legislature, so we would be well-served by electing more women. I have skills and experience to offer, which I would like to use to make life better for the residents of the 40th District, and to fully represent their values. The far right has pulled our state off course, and more moderate voices are needed to help us navigate the future. I hope you will support me with your vote on Nov. 4.
McCready: To do my job properly in the state House, I must have a quick understanding of government operations as soon as I step into my role as a representative, which can be a barrier due to the brief term limits my colleagues and I experience. Building relationships and fostering respect between fellow representatives on both sides of the aisle is essential to making positive adjustments in state government. Listening, understanding and communicating with our constituents, local governments, school boards, superintendents and county officials educates us as representatives and allows us to make the best decisions to propose and support bills. The longer we have to maintain and build upon our relationships both locally and statewide, the better prepared we are to make necessary changes in state government that will benefit our constituents and the entire state of Michigan. A final priority is to provide excellent constituent service.
About the candidates
Mike McCready
Occupation: State representative, 40th District
Residence: Bloomfield Hills, 18 years
Family: Married, two daughters
Education: Bachelor of science Western Michigan University, 1983; Seaholm High School, 1978
Summary: My name is Mike McCready and I am the state representative for Michigan’s 40th District. I am the principal owner of McCready & Associates in Birmingham; a small business that has represented commercial furniture manufacturers in Michigan since 1991. I have resided in Bloomfield Hills for 18 years with my wife and two daughters.
Mary Belden
Occupation: Currently a full-time candidate, formerly an IT professional, and senior manager and internal management consultant for the Hartford Insurance Group
Residence: West Bloomfield Township. Resident of the district for 11 years
Family: Married to husband, Steve, for 26 years. Two daughters, Hanna, 22, and Haley, 20
Education: B.S. with distinction in medical technology, University of Minnesota
Community: PTO president, West Hills Middle School and Andover High School; Instrumental Music Booster president, Andover High School, three years; Bloomfield Players Community Theatre; North Congregational Church, Farmington Hills