metro >> politics
Open Seat
Gary Peters wants to fill the shoes of retiring Sen. Carl Levin.
I
Jackie Headapohl
Managing Editor
U S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.,
is retiring after 36 years in the
Senate, leaving an open seat that
will be filled this Nov. 4 at the ballot box.
U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who cur-
rently represents Michigan's 14th District,
wants you to check his name on that ballot.
He recently visited the Jewish News' offices
in Southfield to answer questions. Below
are some highlights of the conversation.
JN: What do you intend to concentrate
on if elected to the Senate?
Peters: For me, it's still about the econ-
omy; it's the No. 1 issue here in Michigan.
We need to grow the economy and create
good-paying middle class jobs. I have three
areas of focus within the economy. One,
I will continue to work to make sure that
we have a strong and vibrant auto industry
and I hope to continue the work I'm doing
as a co-chair of the House Auto Caucus in
the Senate.
Two, I'll concentrate on working with
small businesses, which are the engines
of growth for us in Michigan. My efforts
related to small business have been focused
on financing. I currently serve on the U.S.
House Financial Services Committee. I
have 20-plus years background in business
and in the investment world.
One bill I wrote in the House created the
State Small Business Credit Initiative, which
helps economic development groups in
states across the country provide lending to
businesses that might not otherwise qualify
for lending in a public-private partnership.
That program, passed in 2010, has already
created more than 6,000 jobs in Michigan,
50,000 jobs across the country. In the
Senate, I hope to expand that program.
The third part of my economic frame-
work is infrastructure. I want to make
Michigan the logistics capital of the coun-
try and expand our trade opportunities
with Canada. I've been very aggressive
in my support of the new international
bridge. I've been working to get funding
for the customs plaza, which is currently
the holdup on the project. The Canadians
are fronting about $2 billion, and they are
reluctant to pay for a customs plaza that
will house U.S. officials. I've introduced
legislation that will prioritize customs
plaza funding.
Those border crossings that have the
most trade and the most volume should
have priority. Detroit/Windsor is No. 2 on
that list (behind Laredo, Texas, which just
got funding); Port Huron/Sarnia is No. 4.
I'm also working to secure funding in a
20 October 23 • 2014
JN
U.S. Rep. Gary Peters
public/private partnership to build a new
rail tunnel between Detroit and Windsor.
The rail tunnel there now was built in 1909
and doesn't accommodate double-decker
trains. My ultimate dream would be to turn
that 1909 tunnel into a high-speed pas-
senger rail tunnel. We're also working to
get funding for high-speed rail that would
connect Chicago to Detroit and Detroit to
Toronto. That would be absolutely transfor-
mative for the region.
JN: Could you give us your thoughts
on what's going on in the Middle East?
Peters: The situation in the Middle East
is like a three-dimensional chess board —
it's hard to find any clarity; but it's critically
important to our country and particularly
our area, which has a strong and vibrant
Jewish community as well as the largest
Arab community outside the Middle East.
We need to help stabilize the area, which
is in a constant state of conflict and is of
strategic importance to the whole world,
despite the recent drop in oil prices.
With international terrorism, what
happens in the Middle East often spills
over into other countries and even into
our homeland. I think the U.S. has to be
actively engaged in what happens in the
Middle East, from an economic, diplomatic
and military standpoint.
JN: Your thoughts on Israel?
Peters: I always have been and will con-
tinue to be a strong supporter of Israel. Our
friendship with Israel is of strategic impor-
tance to the country.
JN: Do you support the Obama adminis-
tration's plan to fight the terrorist group
ISIS?
Peters: I do support the air strikes cur-
rently going on. I believe they are neces-
sary to degrade the capabilities of ISIS, but
I also realize the effectiveness of air strikes
is limited without credible ground forces.
You need to have folks on the ground, but
I don't support sending in U.S. ground
troops. We need partners.
The Iraqi government and its military
need to be the ground forces in Iraq. We
also need a strong coalition of other Sunni
governments. It can't be only a U.S. or
western operation. ISIS presents a signifi-
cant threat to Arab Sunni governments
— the Jordanians, the Saudis, the UAE,
Bahrain — they all need to be engaged,
and we're seeing that now. I would like to
see them contribute ground troops as well.
Syria is more problematic. I did vote
to support training the moderate Syrian
rebels in hopes that they will join those
ground forces. But it may take more than
just Syria, that's why we need other Sunni
governments engaged.
We also have to undermine the credibil-
ity of ISIS within the Islamic community.
We need courageous religious leaders to
condemn them and discredit them as not
a legitimate form of Islam. The U.S. can't
delegitimize them; it has to come from
their own people.
IN: How would you support the contin-
ued revitalization of Detroit?
Peters: Transit is one area I particularly
focus on. Transit is a key component of
urban revitalization. I was involved in get-
ting the funding for the M1 Rail in Detroit,
for example, which goes from Downtown to
Midtown. But I don't think it will ultimately
be successful until it goes from Downtown
to Pontiac. Regional transit is a magnet for
jobs. It empowers people to get around.
I met a Detroit citizen who uses DDOT
buses to get to and from work and get her
daughters to and from school. She spends
over six hours on the bus every day! We
have to do better than that. It's not only an
economic development issue. It's a moral
issue.
I will aggressively fight for transit fund-
ing. Wherever we make these investments
in transit across the country, it's a magnet
for economic development. Take Cleveland:
it has a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) — some-
thing we can hopefully do here in Detroit
— that goes from downtown Cleveland
to the Cleveland Clinic, about 8.5 miles.
It was a $200 million investment in 2008.
A recent report shows that there has been
$4.3 billion of real estate investment along
that corridor.
Those kinds of investments require sig-
nificant federal dollars. We need to make
those investments here in Michigan, and
I'll work aggressively to get that
funding.
❑
No Conversation
With Candidate
Terri Lynn Land
Republican candidate Terri Lynn Land
Editor's Note: The Jewish News was
unsuccesful in its repeated attempts
via phone and email (five) with
Republican candidate Terri Lynn
Land's campaign office and the state
Republican party to arrange an
interview with her.