See who’s running in the Republican primary for the new 35th District Senate seat - mlive.com

2022-07-23 08:26:09 By : Ms. Elva Xia

Republicans Martin Blank, Annette Glenn, Tim Kelly, and Christian Velasquez will be facing off in the Aug. 2 primary for the newly created 35th District. The new district encompasses communities in Bay, Saginaw and Midland counties. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

BAY CITY, MI - Four Republicans are vying for a chance to run in November for the new 35th District Senate seat.

Republicans Martin Blank, Annette Glenn, Tim Kelly, and Christian Velasquez will be facing off in the Aug. 2 primary for the newly created 35th District. The new district encompasses communities in Bay, Saginaw and Midland counties.

The winner of the August primary will move on to face Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet in the Nov. 8 general election.

Blank is a graduate of the US. Army War College. He currently is a medical doctor and is also a law school graduate and holder of four master’s degrees. Blank has served 23 years in the Army Reserve with tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Vote411.

Glenn currently serves in the Michigan House of Representatives and she represents District 98, which includes portions of Bay and Midland counties. Glenn holds a BA in public administration, according to Vote411.

According to Kelly’s LinkedIn, he served as a state rep. for Michigan’s 94th District from 2013-2018, as a Saginaw County Board of Commissioners member from 2011-2022, a chairman to the Saginaw County Republican Party from 2006-2011.

He has also served in public capacities such as the special advisor to the Director of the Michigan Department of Career Development and education policy advisor to the office of the governor.

Velasquez is involved in numerous community organizations including the board of directors of the Midland Rotary and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

According to his campaign website, he has also been involved in groups such as the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce, the Michigan STEM Advisory Council, the Northwood University International Business Advisory Council, the Delta College Foundation, the SVSU Henry Marsh Institute for Public Policy, the Down Corning Foundation, the Midland Area Community Foundation, the Little Forks Conservancy Board of Directors, the Council of Michigan Foundation, and the United Way Leadership Circle.

Velasquez established Points North Consulting, where he currently serves, according to his campaign website. He also worked from Dow Corning from 1991-2020 and served on the board of directors of Impact Analytical from 2018-2021.

MLive/The Bay City Times partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information for readers.

Each candidate was asked to outline their stances on a variety of public policy issues listed below. Each candidate was asked to outline their stances on a variety of public policy issues listed below.

Information on other state, county and local primary races can be found at Vote411.org.

All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for necessary cuts if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.

Blank and Glenn responded to the questionnaire. Additional responses from candidates will be added as they are received by Vote411.

What should Michigan do, if anything, to 1) provide an equitable, quality public education for all students and 2) address the shortage of teachers?

Blank: 1. Parents must be in control their children’s education. Also, educational outcomes are not dependent on only spending. Some poor performing states have high per-pupil spending, while some better performing states spend less. A better answer is to make educational plans more flexible and designed to help each student reach his or her fullest potential -- and not geared toward test taking or an arbitrary, one-size-fits-all outcome. Vocation education can also play a role.2. As for teacher shortages, one reason is demand too much from educators. They shouldn’t be psychologists or sexuality advisors or CRT propagandists. Let them teach.

Glenn: The # of teachers statewide is up 2%, while enrollment has declined 300,000 since 2006. Shortages exist in urban and remote rural areas and subjects such as science, technology, engineering, math, special ed, and foreign languages. Schools should be allowed to offer different salaries and bonuses for different subject areas and to pay teachers based on performance rather than merely years of service. We should expand approved alternative certification programs, and schools should be allowed to hire qualified individuals regardless of certification status, such as the many retired scientists, chemists, and engineers who live in our district.

What policies do you support to help Michigan residents improve their economic positions?

Blank: 1. Stop government overspending, which fuels inflation2. Temporarily suspend all consumer energy taxation to give families relief at the pump and with home heating/cooling expenses3. Encourage -- not discourage -- energy production4. Reduce government regulations on small businesses5. Focus state spending to benefit the broad majority of taxpayers, and not well-connected special interests or political donors.

Glenn: As state representative, I voted for or introduced legislation to: Reduce the state income tax. Suspend collection of the state gas tax. Eliminate the automatic annual gas tax increase that started this year, a time-delayed provision of a tax hike bill enacted in 2015. Repeal the pension tax and exempt up to $40,000 in seniors’ retirement income from taxation. Increase the Earned Income Tax Credit and the per-child tax credit, helping young and working families in particular. Help restore America’s energy independence by upgrading Line 5. As senator, I will also press the Biden Administration to renew the Keystone Pipeline project.

What state policies do you support regarding Michigan elections, campaign funding and voting rights?

Blank: Elections 1. Require driver’s license or state ID to vote 2. Bar private funding for public elections 3. Tighter monitoring of absentee ballot drop boxes. Campaign Funding 1. 24-hour disclosure of all campaign donations 2. Disclosure of any personal financial connections to campaign donors. Voting Rights 1. Ensure CITIZENS’ right to vote in elections 2. Guarantee our military personnel’s access to voting is not hindered by deployments or distance

Glenn: As state representative, I voted in favor of these election reforms: Require a photo ID to vote, a measure supported by 80% of the population, plus state funding to provide photo IDs at no cost. Prohibit connecting voting machines to the Internet and block private individuals and entities from having access to the voter file. Remove dead people from the voter file. Make it a felony to knowingly provide false information on an absentee voter application. Use state records to verify absentee ballot signatures. In order to restore and maintain voter confidence in our elections, they must be safe, secure, and available to all qualified voters.

What actions or policies do you support to protect Michigan’s water, air and land for current and future generations? What is your position on energy efficiency and renewable energy?

Blank: Conservation and economic progress go hand-in-hand. Capitalism’s technological advances result in more efficient use of natural resources and a cleaner environment and should be encouraged, not discouraged. I believe in letting the marketplace and sensible policy guide us in the correct mix of traditional fossil fuels and renewable energy. We can give future generations BOTH a clean environment AND a thriving economy in which to live, work and raise a family.

Glenn: As chair of House Appropriations Subcommittee on Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, was honored to receive 2021 Legislative Appreciation Award from Michigan Ground Water Association. WSGW Radio reported: “She has consistently fought for clean water initiatives throughout her legislative career.” I supported state grants to help Auburn, Midland, and Pinconning upgrade water purification systems. Supported funding to test our water supply for PFAS and other toxins. Supported holding govt. officials accountable for failing to act on serious threats to clean water. Support energy efficiency and local control re: wind and solar projects.

How would you address racial, economic, health and education inequities, including Michigan’s 23% of children and 17% of seniors living in poverty?

Blank: The best social program is a good paying job to help a parent raise children or a senior to retire comfortably. Bad government policy that hurts our economy has a negative, downward spiral effect throughout society. People can’t provide for themselves or their family because they can’t find decent work. Government is pressured to tax more to redistribute money and benefits to help them. This makes our society poorer overall and our economy less competitive, which leads to fewer good paying jobs and still more need.... And the downward cycle continues. The goal should not be more regulation and state control, but more freedom and opportunity

Glenn: I am committed to ensuring all citizens are treated fairly, equally, and respectfully before the law without regard to race or income. I voted in favor of increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, targeted to assist middle- and lower-income working families, in favor of a $500 per child state tax credit, and to suspend the state gas tax for six months. I support repealing the Pension Tax and voted to exempt up to $40,000 of retirement income from state tax. I also believe we should establish a mechanism by which all parents are free to choose the best and safest schools for their children, regardless of race or zip code.

What steps, if any, should be taken to curb gun violence in our communities?

Blank: It’s not gun violence, it’s people violence. Some 80 million Americans own guns. They’re responsible and law-abiding. They should not lose their rights because others’ mental health issues were not treated, and/or social media warning signs were ignored, by local authorities. As Ronald Reagan once said, “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.”

Glenn: The city of Saginaw has the 5th-highest murder rate in the nation, and residents there have an equal right to safe streets and neighborhoods. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on State Police, I voted in favor of increased funding for law enforcement personnel, including $7.5 million for mental health programs, $20 million for signing and retention bonuses, and $10 million for more School Resource Officers. As vice-chair of the Subcommittee on School Aid, I voted for an additional $300 million in school safety risk assessments and initiatives, including grants for firearm detection software.

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