3 familiar state candidates, 1 newcomer round out crowded 98th District state House
Three former elected officials and one newcomer round out a crowded four-way Republican primary this year in the upper Thumb’s new State House district.
Huron County’s Kurt Damrow, a one-term state lawmaker, two former Sanilac County elected officials Greg Alexander and Joe O’Mara, and Westley Tahash, a first-time candidate from Tuscola County, will vie for the GOP nod on Aug. 2.
The new 98th District, once dominated by Midland politicians, now encompasses all of Huron and Sanilac counties, as well as eastern Tuscola County outside of Caro and north-central Lapeer County, including North Branch.
The winner will go on to the general election to face Sandusky Democrat Bob Mroczek, the only candidate of his party to file this spring.
For all four Republican hopefuls, there was no single issue propelling their candidacies but each is similarly dissatisfied with the direction of the state. They also all tout their own experience inside and out of political service as qualifications to fill the role in a region that’s historically deeply Republican.
“A lot of the changes that have to be made have to be made at the state level before local governments are able to adjust and federal governments are allowed to adjust,” Tahash said. “I think the state level is really going to set the tone for both areas. (Local lawmakers) try to follow suit with our state government, so they don’t get left behind. … And in turn, the federal government has been overstepping it for a long time, and so it needs to be the state that says, ‘Hey, we’ll take care of our own.’”
Nearly all referenced needs for some measure related to election security, a focus on infrastructure and the economy, and keeping state spending in line.
Former drain commissioner keeps focus on conservatism, infrastructure
Alexander, former Sanilac County drain commissioner, called himself a “big infrastructure guy.”
He cited his role in hundreds of projects in the area among his stronger attributes and talked about the importance of good roads and the drainage system in supporting a growing economy.
Education and fully funded police protection and ambulance services were also among his priorities. Others, however, were rooted in his faith, he said, such as right-to-life issues.
“I’m very strong with the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic church, so they’re obviously helping me, my principles, and my ethics,” Alexander said Sunday. “I’m talking to you in between cleaning up the hall from yesterday’s parish festival. I’m active in the community. I’ve done things to show that I want to support my community.”
Alexander previously ran in the 83rd District, which currently includes all of Sanilac and Burtchville Township, Fort Gratiot, and Port Huron in St. Clair County. It’s currently represented by state Rep. Andrew Beeler.
“My thought process, I’m not running against anybody. This district was drawn up as a new district with no seated legislators. … Of course, my focus is hugely upon agriculture. Agriculture is king in this district, and the economy, the local economy in this area is really important. It relies on agriculture,” he said. “Honestly, I would not have run if there was not a change in the district because Beeler is doing a good job.”
Still, the Sanilac County resident said his priorities from two years ago remained largely the same when he ran in 2020.
“It hurts me that America is so divided at this point, and I think a lot of that is driven by the media and a lot of people’s feelings. I’m not a tweeter, so I never was really offended by the president,” Alexander said, referring to former president, Donald Trump. “I’m not a real big proponent of the president (as an office) because it’s just kind of a place to work. ... But the policies, the policies that were getting adjusted when he was in office was exactly what America needed. Our people were working.”
Huron County candidate touts beliefs and flexibility
Damrow, of Pigeon, has both village and county elected experience in Huron County in addition to his term in the State House in 2010.
He lost in a primary race for reelection in 2012.
While he was a state legislator, he filed a complaint with the Michigan State Police against several Huron County officials alleging a slew of illegal activity based on information he received from constituents. The law enforcement agency later found the claims unfounded in 2011, and a specially assigned Genesee County prosecutor later closed an investigation into allegations of filing a false report of a crime for lack of evidence.
Since his time in state office, when Damrow said he’d weighed issues affecting the region as “a border community,” he’s remained “deeply involved” in working with veterans.
He also pointed to advocating for rural representation in water and sewer grant programs and challenging FEMA’s redrawn floodplain maps, outlining where flood insurance is mandated among property owners, as examples of his priorities.
However, when asked what turned his interest back to state politics, Damrow talked about getting involved with free pop-up food pantries in March 2020 — celebrating his 235th last week — and all the issues that’ve arisen at the state level since.
“People, I think they’re starting to understand how much government can control your life, your family, your finances, your health, and I believe the last couple of years have really been an eye-opener for people,” he said. “They now see how important it is to have candidates and elected officials that have experience instead of sending people there for on-the-job training.”
Damrow supports further investigation into the 2020 president election but would not provide specifics.
And while he identified as a Tea Party Republican a decade ago, Damrow said he has the flexibility to bring people together, crediting his time in the military, particularly at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, post-9/11.
“We just all had a job. We worked together. We talked everything out. We planned ahead," he said. "… We had to be flexible, so we know whatever we put in didn’t have to be in stone. That’s probably the biggest problem in Lansing is they make laws that they believe are cookie-cutter for work in every single situation, and that is never the case.”
Returning hopeful has eye on finances, infrastructure
Joe O’Mara served a two-year term on the Sanilac County Board, also seeking office at the state level in 2020. He’s also served on the Port Sanilac Downtown Development Authority.
The Sanilac resident said his decades of experience as certified public accountant and as a partner with a large accounting firm in will help him use his expertise in fraud investigations, design and testing systems, and financial issues, tax structures, and getting a better handle on K-12 money.
“There’s too much spending, causing too much inflation, shortages in the supply chain because of poor relationships, and a lot of nonsense," O'Mara said. "We’ve lost a lot of jobs, and we’re more dependent upon unreliable partners. I’m just concerned about our competitiveness. If we continue to not make full use of our assets and capabilities, we won’t be as competitive as we once were.”
Unlike his campaign in 2020, and no longer inhibited by the early months of COVID-19, O’Mara said he’s met thousands of potential constituents going door to door.
And there, he said he hasn’t heard too much about fringe politics. Instead, he pivoted to infrastructure, too, with roads, communications and cell towers as examples of ways the Thumb “has been underserved for generations.”
“I will be like a junkyard dog to get the infrastructure straightened out,” he said.
“My focus is on the big impact — the things that are going to affect everybody. Jobs, having good roads up here. I mean, our roads aren’t built for the loads they’re carrying. These simple things,” O’Mara said. “You know, in education and properly funded police. These are so important. These are the big impact items that are going to help us be more competitive. We need to bring back jobs. The extremism, you’ve got the conspiracy theory guys chasing things that are just absurd, and then, you’ve got the liberal side that wants to just spend all our money, and that really weakens our country.”
Newcomer focuses on accountability, constitutional rights
Tahash, of Deford, admitted he was the rookie when it came to elections and campaigning.
“But it’s definitely not my first time being in a leadership position, taking charge when need be,” he said.
The new father of a nine-month-old daughter said he spent five years in the Army, deploying to Afghanistan in 2012. Coming from an environment that yields life or death decisions, he said, “Leadership is a big part of my life.”
“And I own my own construction company, so taking employees that I have and helping guide them, as well, has really been impactful to me,” he said.
Tahash briefly referenced election issues, adding, "Everyone that I've talked to, you know, feels that the (2020) election was stolen, and I believe the same thing." He said there needs to be a focus on accountability and transparency in Lansing and more emphasis on constitutional rights.
He also said he saw a lot of need to accommodate farmers and help the state step back from the shadow of federal environmental and workplace agencies that he alleged have been “operating on regulations they just make up” and weren’t “voted in.”
Then, there was getting rid of the pension tax, among others, and reining in education spending.
“We need to start auditing these schools and figure out where there’s money being wasted,” Tahash said. “There’s so many wasted funds when it comes to our school system that needs to be addressed so that the way we can start directing these funds to the students so that way they can start getting a proper education and really have these schools start competing on what they have to offer academically.”
Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: 4 seek Republican nomination in crowded 98th District House primary
