metro >> on the cover 4-Ar a s io vd O u 0 k Jewish state reps share an interest in helping citizens. Shari S. Cohen I Special to the Jewish News CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Moss and Wittenberg serve districts with sizable Jewish populations, both located in Metro Detroit. Schor repre- sents the Lansing area and Callton serves rural Barry County and part of Ionia County, located west of Lansing. Despite the focus nationally and in Michigan on the sharp divisions between Democrats and Republicans, Callton and Schor cite positive examples of bipartisan efforts during the last legislative session. Callton mentions passage of the "Grand Bargain" legislation, which helped to off- set pension cutbacks and facilitate reso- lution of the city of Detroit's bankruptcy. "The outcome is always better when there is bipartisan support," he said. Schor led Democratic efforts to expand Medicaid in the state. Despite resistance from some Republican legislators, bills were passed with Gov. Snyder's support that enabled many Michigan residents to afford and acquire health insurance for the first time. While Callton and Schor each have different areas of legislative interest, they joined together last year to cospon- sor legislation to support Holocaust and genocide education in Michigan's public schools. The bill was approved by the Michigan Senate in December, but it failed to make it through the House dur- ing the lame-duck session. Schor is particularly interested in attracting and retaining talent in the state. He has re-introduced a bill (HR 4118) to encourage Michigan's college graduates to remain here by providing them with tax credits of up to $2,000 for qualified student loan payments for five years. While a comparable Senate bill was introduced, Schor noted that Snyder doesn't support such a tax credit, partly because of its unpredictable impact on state revenues — the number of gradu- ates who would use it is unknown. Callton chairs the House Committee Positive Outlook on page 10 Meet The Representatives State Rep. Mike Callton, R-Barry County Callton, 56, grew up in Oak Park and West Bloomfield, had a bar mitzvah at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township and was active in BBYO. However, for most of his adult life, he has lived in Nashville, Mich., a vil- lage of 1,701 without a traffic light and where he is the only Jew. He earned a degree in biology from Michigan State University and a doctorate in chiropractic medicine from the National University of Health Sciences. He moved to Nashville to purchase the Nashville Chiropractic Center at terms that fit his tight budget. Not knowing anyone in Nashville, Canton visited the library often and eventually became a board member of the Friends of the Library. Local teachers then convinced him to run for the school board, and he became its president. Subsequently, Canton was elected to the Nashville Village Council and served as a Barry County commissioner and chairman for six years. He was first elect- ed to the state legislature in 2010, repre- senting Barry and part of Ionia counties. As the only Jew, Callton says he is a "stranger in a strange land" One local minister told him he couldn't vote for him because he was Jewish. Most voters felt otherwise, as Callton has won elec- tions by large margins. He is married and has two adult sons. He attends the Chabad House in East Lansing. 8 February 26 • 2015 JN State Rep. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield Prior to his election as a state rep- resentative in 2014, Jeremy Moss, 28, was the Southfield City Council's youngest member ever. His legisla- tive district includes Southfield, Lathrup Village, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms and Franklin. "I was always interested in public affairs:' he said. "I wanted to provide a voice for people under 50 and the Council didn't have that representation at the table" A lifelong resident of Southfield, Moss graduated from Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills and Michigan State University, where he majored in jour- nalism and political science. During college, he participated in a race rela- tions program and served as a commu- nity volunteer in South Africa as part of MSU's Michigan Political Leadership Program Fellowship. He also worked for former Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence while still a college student. After graduation, he served as district director for State Rep. Rudy Hobbs. When Hobbs entered the U.S. Congressional race, Moss ran successfully for his seat in the state legislature. Moss is a board member of Congregation Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield. He is single. State Rep. Andy Schor, D-Lansing Schor, 39, was born and raised in Long Island, N.Y. He came to the Midwest to attend the University of Michigan, majoring in political science and his- tory. His career has been devoted to gov- ernment and politics. He was an Ingham County commis- sioner for 10 years, including serving as its vice chair. Schor notes that Ingham County has a small Jewish population, and he remembers initiating the commission's first recog- nition of Holocaust Remembrance Day. At the state level, Schor was assistant director of the Michigan Municipal League and worked for former State Sen. Gary Peters for five years, as well as for State Rep. Paul Condino. His first term as a state legislator went very well, Schor said. He led the Democratic effort to expand Medicaid through the Healthy Michigan pro- gram. More than 500,000 people who previously lacked health insurance acquired coverage — exceeding the projection of 380,000. He is also proud of saving the city of Lansing $1 million in tax revenues that were in jeopardy due to a "glitch" in the bill that changed the tax exempt status of Blue Cross Blue Shield. Schor and his wife have two children and live in Lansing; they are involved with Kehillat Israel. State Rep. Robert Wittenberg, D-Oak Park Wittenberg, 34, represents a district that has had a Jewish representative for many years. It includes Berkley, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak Township and Oak Park, where he lives. He received a bachelor's degree in business manage- ment from Indiana University, where he was active in student government and founder of the Hillel Business Leadership Initiative. After college, Wittenberg returned to the Detroit area where he worked as a life and health insurance agent for nine years. His father was politically active and served on the school board; his mother teaches first grade. "I was frustrated with what I saw in Lansing:' he said, especially the state's priorities and its negative impact on public education, so he decided to run for State Rep. Ellen Cogan Lipton's seat as term limits prevented her from run- ning again. Wittenberg serves on the board of the Oak Park Jewish Community Center and has been active in NEXTGen Detroit and Partners in Torah. He is single.