Rep. Gary McDowell vs Jay Duggan

Oct. 25, 2006

In our continuing series of email interviews of political races in Northern Michigan, we turn our focus to the race of state Representative Gary McDowell and Jay Duggan for the 107th State House District.
McDowell has followed the Bart Stupak model. He’s a pro-life Democrat with high ratings from the National Rifle Association–some politicos believe his high NRA rating may have clinched his last victory.
McDowell is a life-long resident of Northern Michigan, co-owner of his family’s hay farming and brokering business, and a retired UPS driver.
His public service experience includes 22 years as a Chippewa County commissioner, a seat on the War Memorial Hospital Board, the E-911 Central Dispatch Board, the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation, the county recycling committee, a volunteer firefighter and EMT, a member of the Elks Club, Lion’s Club, Sault Area Chamber of Commerce, Eastern U.P. Wildlife Coalition, Chippewa County Farm Bureau, and the Rudyard First United Presbyterian Church.
He and his wife, Carrie, have three daughters.
Jay Duggan, 39, is the Republican contender. He was sent an email for this article, but declined to respond saying he was too “squeezed for time.” An interview that ran in an October 13 Petoskey News Review article said that Duggan, a stockbroker, runs Edward Jones Investments office in Boyne City and teaches American government at North Central Michigan College in Petoskey. He holds a master’s degree in public policy. The article reflected that one of Duggan’s greatest concern is jobs, and he wants to borrow good ideas from other states to help solve Michigan’s problems such as high tuition rates.
Here’s what McDowell had to say:

NE: What motivated you to get into politics?

McDowell: My desire to serve my community and better the quality of life for my community motivated me early on to become a member of the county board of commissioners, which I served on for 22 years. I felt that my years of local public service experience would provide a good background for working at the state level to improve this area.

NE: What’s the number one thing you seek to accomplish?

McDowell: My main goal is to improve the quality of life for the residents of northern Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula – with better job opportunities, affordable health care, quality education and protecting our land, air and water.

NE: The topic of health care ranges from pricey premiums to emergency room abuses to little coverage for mental illness. About 45 million Americans have no health care at all. Will you address this issue, if elected?

McDowell: Yes, this is not only a moral issue, it is an important economic issue for our state.

NE: What’s your take on Michigan’s job problem?

McDowell: Too many of our jobs have been shipped to other states and countries. We must reward companies that invest in Michigan, not ones that send our jobs overseas. We also can boost our efforts in promoting tourism, which contributed to more than 190,000 jobs in 2000. In this area, our focus should be on building small businesses and family businesses and getting MEDC involved in providing more grants for small businesses, because this is where our area has the most economic potential.

NE: Do you think legislators who voted to cut the single business tax were doing a “cut and run”-- taking credit for slashing taxes, but no blame for a replacement tax?

McDowell: The SBT is a job-killing tax that taxed businesses for health care, inventory and payroll. It must be replaced to give our state a tax climate more conducive to business growth. The tax should be replaced with another business tax that has a broader base and is more equitable, and it should be done as soon as possible so that businesses that are looking to invest in Michigan will know the tax structure.

NE: Canadians dump trash in Michigan because it’s cheaper than any other state. What are the pros and cons of raising our dumping tax (tipping fee) so they keep trash in their own country.

McDowell: Increasing our state’s dumping charge will reduce the flood of out-of-state and Canadian trash pouring into our state that is putting our land, air and water at risk. My legislation was part of a plan to do this and to put a moratorium on the expansion of landfills, so we do not become the Great Waste State. (Editor’s note: The state Supreme Court ruled the legislation unconstitutional).

NE: The legislature this year passed a law that requires all high school students to take four years of college-prep math, although waivers are possible. What do you think of this law? Did you take four years of math?

McDowell: In order to make Michigan competitive and attractive to businesses, we must create the best-educated workforce. Stronger high school graduation requirements will better prepare our students for the good-paying jobs of the future and help attract businesses to Michigan. In answer to your question, I took three years of math.

NE: There is a state law that bans specific local regulation of animal factories that carry an overpowering stench and threat of water pollution. Do you think local governments should have a say of where these farms go?

McDowell: The legislature is currently working on this issue. Local governments need some assurances that this type of agriculture will not pollute our water, land and air.

NE: Some experts say that Lake Michigan is at the “tipping point,” thanks to alien species, global warming, and zebra mussels (the mussels have cleared the water allowing for greater algae growth). Ideas?

McDowell: Michigan officials must do everything possible to convince Congress to enact the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act to fund a comprehensive restoration plan that includes specific recommendations for action to address critical problems. In addition, the state Legislature should ratify the Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact to provide long-term protection against the diversion or overuse of Great Lakes Basin water.

NE: Per student spending in wealthy districts like Bloomfield Hills is nearly twice that of northern districts. How can we even things out?

McDowell: Those representing Northern Michigan must work to inform all the other members of the Legislature and the Governor of the importance of equity funds to Northern Michigan and Upper Peninsula schools, which I have been doing. Students in the northern portion of the state deserve the same opportunities as downstate students. The schools in my district received an additional $3 million in the last budget, and I will continue fighting to ensure northern Michigan and the U.P. get their fair share from Lansing.

NE: Do you think there’s anything you as a state legislator can do about global warming or the war in Iraq?

McDowell: We can increase investments in alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel that will lower our dependency on foreign oil, create jobs, and help reverse the trend of global warming. I introduced legislation to do this. I support the troops. My job as a state legislator is to make sure they have good-paying jobs and great schools to come home to.

NE: What were your biggest accom-plishments as a state representative?

McDowell: I fought to keep jobs in
Northern Michigan and brought federal gov-ernment awareness and assistance to the sewage problem in the St. Mary’s River. I also worked to assist many constituents with their individual situations, which I consider an important part of my job as state representative.
NE: Your favorite TV show?
McDowell: I haven’t watched much TV lately, but I liked West Wing when it was on.
NE: Your favorite saying?

McDowell: “You never stand so tall as when you bend down to help a child.” – Author Unknown.

NE: Do you have any other concerns?

McDowell: For the past few weeks, my opponent has been airing radio ads with baseless attacks against me.
It is unfortunate that he has felt it necessary to use these negative attacks in his attempt to gain voters, but I would like to respond to these falsehoods with the facts.
Jay Duggan accuses me of wasting $14 million by voting for appropriations bills that provide money to downstate schools. In fact, these bills (House Bill 4887 and Senate Bill 1095) provided student funding for all public school students in Michigan. The most recent school aid bill brought over $3 million in additional funding to schools in the 107th District, and I am proud to have supported more funding for our public schools.
The hypocrisy of this attack is that nearly all of the legislators, both Republican and Democrat, supported these bills. You can visit www.michiganlegislature.org to read the bills and see who supported them.
An October 6, 2006 Detroit Free Press opinion column discusses this issue, saying “seldom has the distortion been so blatant or wrongheaded…” It also said, “This is the kind of garbage that keeps Michigan divided when the state so desperately needs to pull together.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Mr. Duggan’s ad also criticizes me for supporting a one-cent increase in the state’s sales tax and doing nothing to stop the attempted takeover of the Mackinac Bridge – both of which are false claims. You’ll notice in these ads that there is not one citation for these claims because the claims are absolutely false and cannot be cited.
In fact, I have voted 107 times to lower taxes and fees, and I worked very closely with Mackinac Bridge Authority members to establish a formal agreement to reinforce their management of the Mackinac Bridge.
As a county commissioner for 22 years and as your State Representative for the past two years, I have always put the interests of this area first. I have supported both Republican and Democratic legislation based on what was best for the 107th District.