What's in this Guide
U.S. Representative in Congress, 6th Districts
State Senator, 20th District
State Representative, 60th & 61st Districts
Kalamazoo County Commissioners, Districts 3, 6, 11, 12, 16
State Senate, 20th District
Four-year term. Vote for one.
- Provide biographical information, including your qualifications for this office and the reasons you are running. [100 words]
- What are your state budget spending priorities and how would you adjust revenue and expenses to support those priorities? [100 words]
- What are your top two other priority issues, why did you select them, and what actions would you take regarding them? [100 words]
Republican
Larry DeShazor
Website: www.votedeshazor.com
- I have served on a wide variety of boards in Kalamazoo and Portage and know how to bring people together to get the job done. I was a team manager at State Farm Insurance for 17 years and a Portage City Councilman for 6 years. Through these roles I established myself as a community leader who is focused on improving the quality of life for the residents of Kalamazoo County. I am currently the state Representative for the 61st District, where I have set myself apart by giving citizens straight talk about real issues. During my time in the legislature.....
- My priorities for the budget are jobs, economic development and education. These priorities can be achieved in a wide variety of ways. Most importantly, the legislature must look at reforming our government and ensuring the taxpayer’s dollars are being spent in the most effective manner for our current economic situation. I do not believe that Michigan has a budget problem; we have a Jobs problem. With a leaner state government, savings from efficiencies can go towards job creation and retention. At the same time, we need to move education up on the order of priorities to ensure our young people ....
- My top two priorities are budget reform and lowering taxes for Michigan families. Over the past 3 years, Michigan’s government has been shut down because a budget has not been passed on time. In response to this, I have proposed solutions that include the implementation of monthly revenue estimating conferences which are presently held twice a year. I believe that during the ups and downs in the current economy, we must get a better grasp on how much revenue the state can expect. I have also proposed an amendment to the constitution that would withhold legislator and select state officials ....
Tonya Schuitmaker
Website: www.votetonya.com
- I was raised on a family farm in Antwerp Township and have been a lifelong resident of Southwest Michigan. My husband, Steve, and I are raising our two children on the same family farm. Professionally, I started practicing law in 1993. In 2004, I ran for the state House and was re-elected in 2006 and 2008. I’m running for the state Senate because what Lansing is doing with its spending is not right. It’s why people are so frustrated with state government. We need to reduce wasteful spending, reform state government, and turn Michigan around.
- First of all, we need to reduce wasteful spending and reform state government before we can talk about new spending. Just last year, Lansing approved the building of brand new state police headquarters. This year, all state employees got a 3 percent raise. We couldn’t afford these things, and I voted against. There is state spending we can cut and reforms we must put in place. Then, I have a plan to put every saved dollar into Michigan’s Rainy Day Fund, or savings account, to be directed toward the priorities we share like our public schools and public safety.
- Jobs and reform; those are my priorities. Lansing can’t create the jobs we need in our community; instead, it’s actually taxing those jobs. We need to get rid the Michigan Business Tax surcharge and fix the MBT so it doesn’t punish job creators. Then, we need to reduce state spending. Lansing spends too much on things we can’t afford and too much on things we don’t need. Every dollar Lansing spends on extras and perks is a dollar that cannot go to taxpayers, our schools, our roads and our universities—the priorities we all share as a Kalamazoo community.
Lorence R. Wenke
Website: www.votewenke.com
- I am qualified to run for state senate because I served six years in the House of Representatives with considerable success in leadership positions and passing legislation. I was a Kalamazoo County Commissioner for 8 years (3 years as chairman) so I have local government experience. For 38 years, I have been a small business owner of an agricultural company with locations in Michigan and Georgia. I employ 200 people. I want to be a senator so that I can influence the direction of Michigan’s economy and government toward business friendly reforms that will create jobs and reduce the cost.....
- I will reduce spending in all departments of the State of Michigan until our economy improves. I will reform government employee compensation to save 1 Billion dollars per year and use those dollars to reduce business taxes and fund higher education. I will save tax dollars through better management of state government by privatizing where we can for efficiency.
- My second priority is to reduce the cost of government by requiring government employees to pay more of their benefits. Government employees’ compensation is too high compared to the private sector and difficult changes need to be made. My third priority is to stop wasteful spending of tax dollars on citizens who make irresponsible decisions and expect others to pay. I will apply the same conservative principles to government that I used to grow Wenke Greenhouses into the 30th largest greenhouse in the nation with 200 employees.
Democrat
Robert B. Jones
Website: www.robertbjonesforsenate.com
Did not respond in time for publication.
Mark A. Totten
Website: www.marktotten.com
- I am blessed to raise my kids in the same community where I was born and raised. Growing up I saved every penny for college delivering the Kalamazoo Gazette, and by stocking groceries at Meijer. After earning my law degree and a PhD in ethics at Yale University, Kristin and I returned home to raise our family. Today I teach law and ethics at MSU. I am running for State Senate because Lansing is broken. Our politicians serve special interests and not people. We need a new generation of leadership with the conviction to deliver real results.
- We absolutely must make education a priority in Michigan. For me, this issue is a moral priority. Education is the way we give our kids a set of tools so they can reach their God-given potential. At the same time, education is an economic imperative. A trained and skilled workforce is critical to attract the jobs of the 21st century. We must find ways to save in other areas of the budget. I’d start by eliminating lifetime healthcare benefits for our legislators.
- Education is key to rebuilding Michigan’s economy and there is no higher calling than to help our kids succeed. We must protect our schools and universities from cuts, make college more affordable, and work to recruit and retain good teachers. I also believe that government should serve the common good, not personal ambition or special interests. I will work to limit the amount of money special interests can give to politicians, and end the revolving door between the legislature and lobbyists by requiring legislators to wait two years before they can lobby their former colleagues.