State Representative 60, 61, 63 Dists.

State House of Representatives
Two-year term — Vote for one

Q1) What economic policies will you champion to promote job opportunities that will take advantage of the skills and talents of our state residents? [70 word limit]
Q2) How will you promote intelligent land use decisions in order to avoid wasteful and uncoordinated land consumption in the State? [70 word limit]
Q3) What actions should be taken by the legislature to make 4-year college education more affordable for state residents? [70 word limit]
Q4) What are your most urgent legislative priorities? [70 word limit]

60th District
Townships: Cooper, Kalamazoo [precincts 1, 10-14]. City: Kalamazoo.

Nicholas Fedesna
Republican. Age 55. Kalamazoo resident. Doctor of Chiropractic. B.S., M.A., D.C. I also own Nick’s Tavern & Grille.

1. (a) Try to reduce the size and cost of state government. (b) Resist increasing fees and taxes, especially for small businesses. (c) Support Brownfield and other ways to encourage business growth. (d) Encourage this District to look at Genesee County’s policy regarding abandoned property.

2. I strongly support landowner rights. If they are banned by some government from using their property the way they want, they should be fairly reimbursed. I also think that the concept of a development belt around a city is a great idea. It slows urban sprawl and increases existing property values. I think we need to watch what percent of the property in a city is allowed to be owned by non-profit entities.

3. Forbid the state universities from raising tuition more than the cost-of-living. The fees are also an issue. The Legislature recently blackmailed WMU into returning 1.6 million to students in unfair fees. Kudos to the Legislature.

4. Start-up and incubation of small businesses. They provide the jobs and fuel the economy. This could include, but not be limited to: (a) easier tax breaks for small business, (b) easier grants for small businesses, (c) more efficient handling of license requests and health department inspections. Everyone forgets that Pfizer and Stryker started out in someone’s garage or basement as a small business. Small business will continue to be our future.

Alexander C. Lipsey
Democrat. Age 53. City of Kalamazoo. State Representative, 60th district, 2000–present. Loy Norrix H.S., 1968. B.A., Kalamazoo College, 1972; J.D., U of Michigan, 1977. Served on numerous city boards and commissions; Kalamazoo City Commissioner, 1989–93; Vice Mayor of Kalamazoo, 1994–95. Born 11/07/50, Houlka, MS; Kalamazoo resident since 1954; married to Anne Wend Lipsey 06/17/72; 2 children, Margaret 29 yrs old and Anthony 24 yrs old.

1. I will champion policies which assist our existing companies in competing in the global market. They located in Michigan for a reason and we need to provide incentives for them to stay and grow. I would encourage schools and businesses to form partnerships to ensure that the products of our schools are the raw materials our businesses need. If tax breaks are to be used, we must verify their effectiveness.

2. Land use decisions are a matter of regional concern and I think we should encourage local governments to work cooperatively on a regional basis. This would include special state incentives (like additional revenue sharing) to those local governments who develop regional land use plans and tax-base sharing agreements.

3. I happen to agree with the Mackinac Center that one way to make schools more accessible is to let them charge tuition based upon market forces. While this sounds counter-intuitive, it is really quite logical. If schools receive adequate income from tuition, there is less pressure for the state to supplement funding. This would free up state money for loans and scholarships for truly needy students. It’s worth exploring.

4. My most urgent priority continues to be fixing our tax structure to provide fair, stable, long-term revenue sources. We need to pay for the services we demand but we also need to understand that the costs of government must be borne by all of us in a way that doesn’t cripple one segment of our community. Locally, my top priority is to finally clean up the Kalamazoo River!

61st District
Townships: Alamo, Kalamazoo [precincts 2-9, 15], Oshtemo, Prairie Ronde, Texas. Cities: Parchment, Portage

Jack Hoogendyk
Republican. Age 49. Texas Township. State Representative, 61st district; first term. High school diploma, Parchment; attended KVCC. Spent 15 yrs in sales and marketing, 12 with fortune 500 company; director of faith-based non-profit organization, 7 yrs. County Commissioner, 2 yrs. Formerly on zoning board of appeals, various boards for non-profits. Born in Kalamazoo, married 28 yrs, 5 children, 3 grandchildren, (2 more on the way).

1. Michigan lags behind the nation in employment growth because taxes and regulations on business are too high, prevailing wage stifles construction business. I will work to eliminate the Single Business Tax, streamline regulatory policy to make it easier for new businesses to start and expand. I will introduce legislation to improve educational quality, get more kids through college and ready for the work force sooner.

2. Most of these issues are properly handled at the local level with zoning regulations. Communities need to be encouraged to work together to coordinate their efforts for sensible development. What we don’t need is more extreme environmental policy at the state level forcing unrealistic restrictions on residential and business development. This will just exacerbate the problem of low employment.

3. Pass HB5791. This bill allows parents to send their high school junior or senior to community college at state expense. In two years, the child will have an Associate’s degree and high school diploma. By the time they are 20 or twenty-one years old, they will have a four-year degree at the cost of two, and be ready for the work force two years earlier!

4. (a) Passage of HB5791 (see above). (b) Create an equitable higher-ed policy. For example, Wayne State University gets twice the dollars from the state per student as Western Michigan. This makes no sense. The dollars should follow the student rather than go to the school. Michigan tax dollars should not fund non-resident students. Taxpayers want their dollars to go to Michigan students. (c) Create better environment for economic development.

James H. Houston
Democrat. Age 61. Portage. Retired. Worked for about thirty yrs in finance and accounting; later in mental health field. B.B.A., accounting and finance; Master’s and Doctorate, public administration. Active in community activities: parent advisory committees in Kalamazoo public schools, sub-committee chair for Kalamazoo Charter Review Committee. NAACP member. Married to Marianne Houston, 36 yrs; two sons; daughter-in-law, Sharla; three granddaughters. Lived in Portage/Kalamazoo area since 1962.

1. I will work with the governor to encourage companies to keep their jobs in Michigan, as well as bring additional jobs to Michigan. Secondly, I will suggest to the legislature that more funds are needed to educate and train our citizens so that they have the skills that employers are looking for when they consider Michigan as a place to locate their companies. This is extremely necessary for the Bio-Tech industry.

2. It is important that we look toward lands that are no longer being used or abandoned, and consider them for redevelopment before considering undeveloped lands for new uses. There must be a coordinated plan developed between various levels of government to ensure that development of land does not occur unless it is necessary, and in the public interest.

3. In order to make a 4-year education more affordable we have to consider putting more money into our community colleges, and reducing the cost of attending them; such as, reducing the cost of tuition by 50% to those attending community colleges.

4. My most urgent legislative priorities are reducing the cost of healthcare for all Michigan citizens, making education affordable, protecting the Great Lakes, and protecting the jobs of Michigan citizens.

63rd District
Townships: Brady, Charleston, Climax, Comstock, Pavilion, Richland, Ross, Schoolcraft, Wakeshma. City: Galesburg.

Lorence Wenke
Republican. Age 58. Richland. State Representative (incumbent) & Greenhouse Owner. Business degree, WMU. Chairman, House Tax Policy Committee. Member: House Judiciary, Commerce, and Local Government & Urban Policy committees. Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners, 8 yrs; chairman, 3 yrs. Chairman, Kalamazoo Valley Plant Growers Cooperative; cooperative board member, 14 yrs.

1. I have worked as a state representative to keep and retain workers in Michigan, including securing funds for the Kalamazoo Innovation Center, which provides jobs and opportunities for displaced workers in the life and bio-sciences. I also believe in reducing taxes and regulations to entice new business to the area.

2. Governor Granholm’s land use study is a good start and merits discussion. We must protect personal property rights of individuals and their neighbors. Land use decisions are best made by local governments with public discussion. The development of inner cities for housing and reclaiming of brownfields will help slow urban sprawl.

3. We have developed incentives for higher education institutions to hold tuition increases to inflation rates or less. State government needs to find a more equitable way of distributing funds among our higher education institutions. Private colleges are a good bargain for the state so attendance at private colleges should be encouraged.

4. (a) A strong economy and the creation and retention of jobs for our citizens is my number one priority. (b) We must have good results from our K-12 education system. (c) We must have excellent health care available to citizens at a reasonable cost.

James H. Geary
Democrat. Age 57. Ross Township. Lawyer. B.A., political science, U of Michigan, 1968; law school, U of Michigan, 1972. I have been a lawyer for 32 yrs, representing business of all types.

1. I support Governor Granholm’s suggestions for job retention and retraining and for encouraging “corridors” and “business triangles” focused on developing particular businesses or areas of research where there are appropriate skills and talents, e.g., WMU’s business and research park.

2. Give incentives for the redevelopment of brownfields and for refurbishing or replacing affordable housing in cities. Expand existing programs to keep farmland in production to acquire development rights. Require developer to pay a greater share of infrastructure.

3. Provide more state money to universities, revitalize and MEAP scholarship fund.

4. (a) Balance the budget. (b) Improve funding for K–12 schools and universities. (c) Support the Governor’s jobs programs. (d) Lower the cost of health insurance.

VOTE TUESDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2004