Oran

metro

work throughout this region; even a bus
system, if it's reliable and safe, people will
ride it."
As Southfield mayor, Lawrence has
worked with diverse communities, includ-
ing the Jewish, Chaldean and African-
American communities. "These are the
people who are in my office all the time
she said. "I don't have to be introduced to
the communities I'll represent."
If elected, Lawrence said she would
seek placement on the Education and
Transportation committees. "It all comes
down to an educated workforce. We also
need to address student loan debt. Unless
we address education, we will not be a
global force in the world:' she said.
As for transportation, Lawrence said it's
about more than just fixing the roads. "It's
about fixing our infrastructure she said,
adding that one reason it took so long
to fix Evergreen was the sewer system
beneath the road, which still used wooden
pipes that needed to be replaced.
Lawrence has traveled to Israel in her
role as mayor. "I met with the prime min-
ister, sat in on a council meeting and was
hosted by the mayor of Jerusalem. I was
amazed at the diversity and struck by how
the Jewish, Christian and Muslim com-
munities were all living together:' she said.
She visited a kibbutz in the middle of
the desert. "After I came back home, it
was bombed — destroyed:' she said. "The
U.S. relationship with Israel is not up for
discussion. Israel is our friend and ally. We
need to keep it safe."
The next representative from the 14th
District will be heading to a Congress
gridlocked by partisanship. How can she
expect to get things done in this climate?
"I'm a strong Democrat:' she said.
"Yet, as a mayor, I frequently stand with
Republicans to lobby our government
for what we need in cities. I don't disdain
Republicans. I'm going to work with them."

HANSEN CLARKE
Hansen Clarke, who grew up on Detroit's
lower east side, can almost be considered
the incumbent in the race, having repre-
sented the 13th Congressional District of
Michigan for the 112th Congress (parts
of which are now in the 14th District). He
also served in the Michigan Senate and
Michigan House of Representatives. He is
an adjunct professor of law at University
of Detroit Mercy.
Clarke, who more or less disappeared
from public eye after his loss to Peters,
announced his candidacy for the 14th
Congressional district at the 11th hour.
A more humble Clarke says he learned
key lessons from his loss to Peters. "I
made some key miscalculations. I always
thought I knew what was best. That didn't
work well with the campaign:' he said.
"I'm more open-minded now and listen
to people. I realize campaigns are a team
effort."

By the time Clarke got into the race,
most of the endorsements had gone the
way of Hobbs or Lawrence, but Clarke is
undeterred. "Women will be voting for
us. Union members will be voting for us
as they did in 2012:' he said. "Our focus is
not trying to appear as if we're running a
viable campaign. Our focus is on winning
the primary."
Clarke says he's the one to bring city
and suburbs together. "My goal is to pres-
ent a unified front:' he said, adding that
problems such as drug addiction, potholes
and the need for a more educated work-
force transcend Eight Mile Road. "We
need to come together to solve these prob-
lems to increase our region's attractiveness
for business expansion," he said.
"What I'm trying to do is attract more
families to the region and more invest-
ment from all around the world to the
metro area; he added. "I'm going to focus
on what unifies us and not play political
games to win an election."
As a legislator, Clarke championed ini-
tiatives to increase investment in the city
of Detroit. He led the effort in Congress
to cut student loan debt for millions of
Americans by authoring the Student Loan
Forgiveness Act of 2012, which garnered
more than 1 million signatures on an
online petition.
When asked what committee assign-
ments he would seek out if elected, Clarke
replied, "Committee assignments are
not that important. My mission is to get
resources and promote financial security
to the region, help improve the quality of
life through better transportation, better
schools and by cutting unnecessary regu-
lations. Because of my broad economic
approach, there are so many committees
that can affect them."
Clarke added he would like to rejoin the
committees he sat on while in Congress:
the Homeland Security and Science, Space
and Technology committees.
Clarke added that as a member of the
Science and Education subcommittee,
he was able to bring home federal dol-
lars to train people in Wayne County for
in-demand IT jobs and provide technical
assistance to local manufacturing firms.
Clarke has been to Israel and said the
threat of the deal between Hamas and
Fatah worries him as it is "so easy to gain
access to nuclear weapons.
"We have to treat Iran as if it already
has nuclear capability:' he said. "Iran is
an enormous threat. If I'm able to return
to Congress, I would tighten sanctions
on Iran. It needs to dismantle its nuclear
program. Also the administration needs
to realize the threat of nuclear terrorism
is real and imminent, and we need to
address it with a global alliance against
nuclear terrorism. We need to partner
with Russia on this"

For CONGRESS

Please vote for my husband on August 5, 2014! He is a good
man with experience, dedication, and compassion. Hansen
has a strong voting record in Congress of defending Israel.
I thank you for your support.

Choi Palms-Cohen

Paid for by Hansen Clarke for Congress

1936080

Send those bugs to the stammer!

Let PEST ARREST eliminate
your bug problems!

We specialize in
• Bedbugs • Fleas
• Spiders • Rats & Mice
• Earwigs • Bees, Wasps & Ants
• Roaches • And so many more!

t" 18% Off any treatment

Exp 8/28/14.

248-246-1850

www.pest-arrest.com

email: info@pest-arrest.com
Residential & Commercial

II r11
III

❑

THE CREW AT PEST ARREST

Read the JN endorsement on page 41.

0 year's experience • Family owned & operated • Certified technicians / Licensed & Insured

JN

July 24 • 2014

37