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uring the last month, gubernatorial candidates Democrat Gretchen Whitmer and Republican Bill
Schuette each visited the JN office where we discussed topics of concern to Michiganders and the Jewish
community. Here are highlights from those conversations.
JACKIE HEADAPOHL MANAGING EDITOR
GRETCHEN WHITMER
DOB: Aug. 23, 1971 (age 47)
Hometown: Lansing
Education: Michigan State University (BA, JD)
Background: Member of Michigan House of Representatives
(2001-2006), member of the Michigan Senate (2006-2015),
Minority Leader of the Senate (2011-2015), prosecutor of
Ingham County (July 2, 2016 – Dec. 31, 2016).
Q: What are your top priorities, if elected?
GW: Our infrastructure crisis. We’re all paying a price for
roads that are falling apart. We have water that’s not clean
enough to drink and rural communities that are not connect-
ed to high-speed broadband. There are 71 communities that
have higher lead in their water than Flint does today. There
are 1.5 million people who probably shouldn’t be drinking
the water coming out of their taps because of PFAs contami-
nation leaching into our drinking water.
If elected, I’m going to create a Department of the Great
BILL SCHUETTE
DOB: Oct. 13, 1953 (age 65)
Hometown: Midland
Education: Georgetown University (BS), University of San
Francisco School of Law (JD)
Background: Member of U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan’s 10th congressional district (1985-1991),
director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture (1991-
1994), member of Michigan Senate (1994-2001), judge on
the Michigan Fourth District Court of Appeals (2003-2009),
Michigan Attorney General (2011-current).
Q: Describe your plans to fix Michigan’s ailing roads?
BS: Roads will be a priority for me. We cannot be a first-
class world economic power if we have Third-World roads.
My opponent’s plan is to raise taxes, period. My plan is first
we need to have a full and complete review of how MDOT
allocates its road funding, so we get more miles paved per
gallon. No. 2, we need to have guarantees and warranties for
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October 18 • 2018
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Lakes and Fresh Water and have a drinking water ombuds-
man in a cabinet level position. I want to create a “Blue
Academy” here in Michigan. We’ve got water and research
universities. We should be a place where people learn how to
clean up drinking water, and we’ve got a crisis that demands
that we get it right.
Q: How would you pay for the roads to get fixed?
GW: The infrastructure package I put on the table is a
three-year, $3 billion package. The first year, I will write a
budget that has $2 billion of state revenue into it and draws
down another billion from the federal government, all run-
ning through the Rebuild Michigan Infrastructure Bank so
that the public has confidence that every dime is going into
the roads. I’m also prepared to go straight to the public and
pass a bond to get it done. It’s not ideal, but we have got to
start fixing our roads because we’re paying a road tax right
now. It’s just in the form of new wheels and new windshields,
and it doesn’t fix the problem.
Q: Will you raise taxes to pay for the roads?
GW: Metropolitan Detroiters are paying more than $800
the roads and bridges we build. Third, we need to have more
federal funds coming back to Michigan. I’ll go to the White
House to get more money for Michigan roads and advocate
for an infrastructure bill passed for the country. No. 4, in
addition to the federal funding, Michigan has a $58 billion
budget that we need to look at to find funds for roads.
Q: Where will you cut from the budget to pay for roads?
BS: All aspects of the budget are going to have to chip in.
Q: If you were governor and the Senate and the House
passed a bill expanding the Elliot Larson Civil Rights to pro-
vide identical protections for the LGBTQ community, would
you sign it?
BS: First, I’d like to say that as attorney general, I was asked
by the Civil Rights Commission to offer a legal opinion on
whether eight unelected individuals could expand the law.
And the answer was no. Our constitution is clear that the law
can only be expanded by the legislature passing a bill and the
governor signing it. That action has been misrepresented.
My dad died when I was 6. I was raised by a single mom
with my two older sisters, and we were taught to treat people
with grace and dignity and respect, and I do. That’s what I