‘Quit picking the winners and losers, quit giving the special deals’: Michigan House candidates Steve Carra, Erin Schultes participate in ‘Candid Conversation’
“Benton Harbor just replaced all of their pipes,” Erin Schultes said. “There’s absolutely no reason we can’t do the same. And not in 10 years, but now. Because now it’s affecting people. Now it’s poisoning our children.”
Economic development and ways to improve the quality of life were among the topics incumbent Michigan state Rep. Steve Carra, R-District 36, and Democratic challenger Erin Schultes talked about Tuesday, October 29 in Three Rivers.
Carra and Schultes’ election will be decided Tuesday, November 5. The candidates participated in a “Candid Conversation” hosted by Andrew George and St. Joseph County Housing Coordinator Clayton Lyczynski II. Lasting nearly 75 minutes, the conversation happened at HG Real Estate in downtown Three Rivers. It was livestreamed and can be seen on Facebook.
Schultes, whose pronouns are she/they, was asked about specific policies she would use to attract businesses and jobs to Michigan’s 36th District.
“I think tax breaks for smaller businesses would be great,” they said. “It will help smaller businesses be able to thrive. A lot of what holds people back is loan availability.”
While Schultes called for an expansion of Small Business Administration incentives, Carra said he is concerned with tax abatements.
“A tax abatement sounds like a good thing in theory because it’s lower taxes, but it’s also for specific individuals,” he said. “Everybody else in the community has to make up that budgetary shortfall in order to fund our local means of government.”
It’s not fair to give special tax breaks to one company, Carra said. It does not provide equal opportunity for small businesses. He called for a uniform system with lower taxes across the board, which he said would create a business-friendly environment which would attract newcomers.
“Quit picking the winners and losers, quit giving the special deals, and have that local lower tax structure for everybody in our community,” Carra said.
Saying they don’t necessarily disagree with Carra, Schultes also said small businesses might not be able to use advantages because they’re unaware of them.
“They just don’t have the manpower to know about them,” Schultes said. “Corporations can find all these loopholes. We need to find ways so that it’s easier for small businesses.”
Earlier in the conversation, Carra and Schultes were asked about how they would make St. Joseph and Cass Counties a better place over the next two years. Carra talked about reading to elementary students, saying that “continuing to invest in the leaders of tomorrow is a passion of mine.” He also opted not to give a rebuttal when Schultes talked about Three Rivers’ water system.
“I would like to start by, at a minimum, getting replacement of lead pipes in Three Rivers so that this local community can enjoy fresh drinking water again,” she said.
Pipes in communities surrounding Three Rivers should also be checked, Schultes said. There’s got to be checking to make sure no lead is “leaching” into the water system of anywhere in Cass and St. Joseph Counties, they added.
“If there is, find a way to fix it. Benton Harbor just replaced all of their pipes. There’s absolutely no reason we can’t do the same. And not in 10 years, but now. Because now it’s affecting people. Now it’s poisoning our children. One of the things I would like to focus on for the next two years is to make sure we have clean air, clean ground, and clean water for our citizens. Because that’s all we have,” Schultes said.
Frank Stanko is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.
Author
Related Articles
Drew Duncan says policy saved his life — now he’s shaping it
“My life was saved because of the Affordable Care Act,” Kalamazoo City Commissioner and Vice Mayor Drew Duncan said. “Without it, I would not have received care.”
Now 36, Duncan sees that period — when he was diagnosed in late 2009 and underwent treatment through 2011 — as foundational. It was the moment policy stopped being abstract.
“I have a story that is like many people — but maybe not a story people would expect,” he said. “I try to enter the room with a listening posture. I see urgency around the issues that are plaguing my constituents.”
Three Rivers Commission approves early voting update, demolition contract
Commissioners unanimously approved all agenda items, including an amendment to the county early voting site agreement, a box hangar lease transfer, and the demolition of 318 S. Main St.
Three Rivers Promise surpasses $1 million in fundraising campaign
Three Rivers Promise has raised more than $1 million toward its goal of creating a long-term scholarship endowment for graduates of Three Rivers High School.
The organization is in the initial phase of a community fundraising campaign aimed at building a self-sustaining fund to support tuition assistance for eligible graduates.
