jews in the d
Meet The
Congressional
Candidates
T
he JN couldn’t get to them all, but
we took a look at the landscape
and identified the congressional
races most likely of interest to the Jewish
community. We reached out to the can-
didates, inviting them to return a brief
questionnaire introducing themselves to
the community. Here are their responses,
edited for length and clarity.
9th District
Michigan’s 9th congressional dis-
trict includes Ferndale, Oak Park,
Royal Oak, Hazel Park, St. Clair
Shores, Warren, Bloomfield and
Sterling Heights. Retiring congress-
man Sander Levin currently holds
the seat.
DEMOCRAT
NAME: Andy Levin
AGE: 58
CITY OF RESIDENCE:
Bloomfield Township
SYNAGOGUE/
CHURCH (if any):
Congregation T’chiyah
Andy Levin
PROFESSIONAL
BACKGROUND:
Successful entrepreneur, union organizer
and advocate for workers’ rights and
human rights; former director of worker
training for the state of Michigan; found-
18
October 11 • 2018
jn
ed his own clean energy business.
WHAT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE
READERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I am so proud of my dad and uncle
and their legacy of integrity and public
service, but I’m not running on my fami-
ly’s name. I’m running on my decades of
experience fighting for working people
in this country.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3
PRIORITIES IF ELECTED?
Medicare for all: Health care is a
human right. Period. Having access to
quality health care and affordable pre-
scription drugs shouldn’t be contingent
upon the size of your bank account. I
understand the physical, emotional and
financial toll of chronic illness and why it
is so important that we pass Medicare for
All and address the astronomical costs of
prescription drugs.
Good-paying jobs with benefits: Too
many of our jobs have been offshored,
contracted out, privatized and made
part-time or temporary. Lower pay and
fewer pensions and benefits mean many
among us won’t be able to enjoy a solid
middle-class life and retirement. The
result? Unprecedented inequality of
income and wealth. I strongly support
paid family leave and believe that no one
should have to choose between caring
for their loved ones and risking their
economic security.
Quality education for every child: All
children, regardless of zip code, deserve
a high-quality education that provides
them with the resources, instruction
and support necessary to help them
reach their full potential. I will advocate
for universal public education, starting
with preschool and including excellent
K-12 schools under local control with
well-compensated and well-respected
teachers. We must invest in our kids to
build a strong future for Michigan. We
must also support our skilled trades’
training and retraining programs, so our
workforce is ready to meet the technical
demands of the future.
REPUBLICAN
NAME:
Candius Stearns
AGE: 45
CITY OF
RESIDENCE: Sterling
Heights
SYNAGOGUE/
Candius Stearns
CHURCH (if any): St.
Nicholas Greek
Orthodox Church
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:
Business owner/healthcare agency and
third-party billing for insurance.
WHAT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE
READERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I’m a small business leader who knows
how to create jobs, make payroll and
budget responsibly. I’ve been working
and building relationships to help others
in our community my entire life.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3
PRIORITIES IF ELECTED?
Jobs: Small business creates jobs, not
government. When a small business
owner succeeds, the economy grows and
the community benefits. I strongly sup-
port the tax cuts enacted in December
2017. Since the tax cuts were enacted,
we have seen unprecedented economic
growth, and Southeast Michigan workers
and families have more money in their
pocket to help make ends meet.
Security and infrastructure:
Michigan’s infrastructure rankings are
among the nation’s worst. We ranked
37th and 38th, respectively, for the per-
cent of bridges and urban roads in poor
condition. We need to do much, much
better. I am determined to help boost
federal transportation funding as well as
secure funding for our state cyber tech-
nology and infrastructure for Michigan.
Lower cost of prescriptions and
medical care: I stand firmly against a
single payer medical system. Medicare
for all will not solve our healthcare prob-
lem. The ACA did nothing to lower the
cost of prescriptions and medical care.
It actually did the opposite by requiring
Americans to buy insurance coverage