108th House District to have contested race for Aug. 2 primary
There are five candidates running for the House seat in the 108th district, four of them are Republicans and one is a Democrat.
The 108th district is located in all or parts of Mackinac, Schoolcraft, Delta, Luce, Menominee and Chippewa counties.
Legislative maps are available to view at www.michigan.gov/micrc.
The Sault Evening News sent questionnaires to all of the candidates to learn more about them. Candidates Casey Hoffman and Kurt Perron did not respond to the questionnaire by press time.
Chris Lopez (D)
Q: Introduce yourself.
A: My name is Chris Lopez and I'm running for State Representative for the 108th district. I joined the U.S. Army at 21 in 2005 as a Human Intelligence Collector and deployed to Mosul in October 2006 as a Team Leader until December 2007. My highest rank in the Army was Corporal and I left the Army December 2008. I worked as a DOD civilian HUMINT instructor from 2008 until 2013 for the Army. I am married with five kids ages 21,18,16,16, and 11.
Q: How long have you lived in the community?
A: I’m 38 and have lived in Escanaba since 2014.
Q: Have you ever run for public office before?
A: This is my first time running for public office, but not my first time leading people.
Q: Why are you running for office?
A: I have spent my entire adult life watching self serving politicians that will actively undermine our country's progress and the wellbeing of our people so they can stay in power. I plan on being a legislator and your representative not a politician. My opponents will talk about what they will or may do one day, but I am already working with the people of our community to make changes now. From school security, student mental health, and creating an environment where our children can thrive; to new opportunities, financial relief for small businesses, inflation and tax relief for struggling families. I am prepared to get moving on day zero and I am the only candidate for the 108th with a plan forward for everyone.
I feel comfortable and confident that this is what I belong doing, serving the people of Michigan.
Q: What are the biggest challenges facing the county today? What could the county government do better?
A: The biggest issues facing not just Delta County, but the entire 108th are costs. From food to housing, everything is prohibitively expensive. It makes me so sad to see so many Yoopers in food bank lines longer than I've ever seen and people struggling to find adequate housing. We need to bring our people relief and we need to prepare future generations to avoid the same problems.
The high costs feed into an already problematic mental health and substance abuse problem that affects all of Michigan. We need a comprehensive mental health plan that includes funding for mental health in patient and outpatient facilities, funding for expanded mental health support in schools, and we need to increase funding for law enforcement mental health services.
The county government is doing the best they can with rising costs and dwindling resources. There are a lot of really good people doing their best to fix things and I fully support our local governments, because their jobs are not easy.
Q: What are the county’s greatest strengths? What is the county doing well?
A: The county governments are doing an outstanding job of fostering plenty of family-friendly events throughout the year, this helps keep our tourism opportunities plentiful.
Q: What will be your top priorities, if elected?
A: When I am elected my top priorities are school opportunities and safety, targeted housing solutions, tax relief for homeowners, inflation relief for small businesses, and consumers. I will represent all Americans regardless of political affiliation and restore integrity to politics. This is not a job to me, it's a duty position. Vote veteran over party.
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David Prestin (R)
Q: Have you ever run for public office before?
A: I currently serve as a Republican Menominee County commissioner. I have held this role for four years. That role consists of passing budgets, writing and passing good policy, and handling constituent issues — exactly what a state representative does.
Q: What are the biggest challenges facing the county today?
A: The oppressive nature of the state government is one of the largest issues facing the county. Whether it's job-killing mandates from the governor or sky-high taxes at the gas pump, Michigan is not a business-friendly environment. As a lifelong entrepreneur, I intend to change that as 108th District representative. I will help grow our economy by putting my unique business mindset to work, supporting key projects such as the Line 5 tunnel and Soo Locks.
Q: What will be your top priorities, if elected?
A: My top priorities, if elected, will be supporting small businesses and job creation by reigning in the bureaucracy and lowering taxes; protecting our constitutional rights from power-hungry politicians like Whitmer and Biden; strengthening our elections by passing stronger voter ID laws; and increasing flexibility in local school curriculums, because local control is key for education.
Mark Simon (R)
Q: Have you ever run for public office before?
A: No, I have never been a politician before.
Q: Why are you running for office?
A: I have a couple of granddaughters now, and I want to make a difference for them. The people in the 108th have treated me very good throughout my life, really made a wonderful life for us. And this is a way of me giving back.
Q: What are the biggest challenges facing the county today? What could the county government do better?
A: We have crumbling roads up here in the U.P. and I would like to address that. I'd also like to address the Line 5 issue, we have some some natural resources issues. I'm also a second amendment guy, school funding is a big one with me too. Long term care for the elderly is a big one with me as well.
Q: What will be your top priorities, if elected?
A: I'm not coming in with any kind of agenda other than to listen and learn from the people of the 108th. And I'm guessing that those issues will have to do with our infrastructure, election integrity and our natural resources.
Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: 108th House District to have contested race for Aug. 2 primary
