The City of Wyoming will again be represented by Republican State Rep. Tommy Brann in the 77th district after voting Tuesday, Nov. 3. In the 72nd district race, which includes Kentwood and Gaines Township, incumbent Republican Rep. Steve Johnson defeated Democrat Lily Cheng-Schulting — despite the challenger gaining more Kent County votes than Johnson.
Also in unofficial (uncertified) results, two-term incumbent Rep. Brann of Wyoming, defeated Democratic challenger Bob Smith of Byron Center, 29,911 to 19,784. The 77th District House of Representatives seat covers the City of Wyoming, Byron Township and a portion of Cutlerville.
“I want to thank the 77th district,” Rep. Brann said to WKTV on Nov. 4. Rep. Brann’s wife “Sue and I care about your concerns and you personally. We will continue to give back half of my legislative salary to people in my district in need.
“Bob Smith was very classy and called me this morning to congratulate me. I asked him sometime if I can buy him lunch at my restaurant so I can get to know him better. I am the 77th district representative and I know my oath to protect the health and safety of Michigan citizens is for all my district and I carry that part of my oath in my wallet and that is for all of you whether you voted for me or not. I take that very seriously, as I should.”
After the result were in, Smith said to WKTV: “Thank you to everyone who voted me and to everyone who helped me along the way. We made a good run. I wish the best of luck to Tommy Brann as he begins his final term in the state house.”
In Michigan, state representatives are term-limited to three terms.
Allegan voters carry Rep. Johnson to re-election
Overall, in both Kent and Allegan county unofficial results posted on each county’s election website, Rep. Johnson totaled 29,608 votes while Cheng-Schulting totaled 24,159.
However, in unofficial (uncertified) Kent County results, two-term incumbent Rep. Johnson of Wayland, trailed Cheng-Schulting of Kentwood, 20,271 to 20,973. The 72nd District House of Representative seat covers the cities of Kentwood and Wayland, along with a portion of Cutlerville and the community of Dorr.
“Although we were not able to win this election, we are grateful for the record number of votes for our campaign, especially in Kentwood,” Cheng-Schulting said to WKTV. “I would also like to congratulate Steve Johnson on his re-election win. I … hope that he will go on to be a representative who truly looks out for everyone in District 72.”
State of Michigan 72nd District House of Representatives
The 72nd District House of Representative seat covers the cities of Kentwood and Wayland, along with a portion of Cutlerville and the community of Dorr. For a district map, click here.
There are three candidates, one a one-term incumbent, seeking the 72th District House of Representatives. They are, in alphabetical order, Republican incumbent Steve Johnson, Libertarian candidate Jamie Lewis and Democratic candidate Ron Draayer.
Steve Johnson – Incumbent (R) MI State Representative 72nd District
Name: Steve Johnson
Party: Republican
Occupation: State Representative, 72nd District
Why did you decide to run for the 72th District House of Representatives seat?
During the last two years I’ve been working on several key issues, one of them being auto insurance rates. I think that is one of the biggest issues facing our state right now, so I want to continue to be a voice for lower auto insurance rates. We came close this time and I want to continue to fight for those lower auto insurance rates.
If elected, what (other that auto insurance) issues do you want to focus on?
I think we need to get rid of some of the special interest deals we have created for certain industries, certain companies. And I think: ‘How can these special interest deals be good for the people of the 72nd District?’ I am looking out for the people of the 72nd District instead.
Ron Draayer – Candidate (D) MI State Representative 72nd District
Name: Ron Draayer
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Retired classroom teacher
Why did you decide to run for the 72th District House of Representatives seat?
I feel that Michigan needs experienced leadership to solve the many problems that we face in this state.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
There are three top issues that are most important to me: education, repairing our infrastructure, and protecting and preserving our great natural resources.
Note: Libertarian candidate Jamie Lewis was invited but did not participate in the We the People candidate profiles.
State of Michigan 77th District House of Representatives
The 77th District House of Representative seat covers the City of Wyoming, Byron Township and a portion of Cutlerville. For a district map, click here.
There are three candidates, one a one-term incumbent, seeking the 77th District House of Representatives. They are, in alphabetical order, Republican incumbent Tommy Brann, Democratic candidate Dana Knight, and Libertarian candidate Patty Malowney.
Tommy Brann – Incumbent (R) MI State Representative 77th District
Name: Tommy Brann
Party: Incumbent, Republican
Occupation: Owner of Brann’s Steakhouse & Grille on Division Avenue
Why did you decide to run for the 77th District House of Representatives seat?
Because I am good at the job. I own a small business and every night, I comeback and work at that business and through that I bring the issues that I learned about and discuss at that business back to Lansing, which is not something many of my colleagues are able to do.
If elected, what issues do you want to focus on?
I have an animal cruelty bill that I have been working on. Also, I want to continue the work on homelessness by getting that $2 additional per bed for the shelters. Michigan is one of the lowest in the country, $16 per bed when the average is $26, in contributing to shelters. This additional money would help with new bedding and operations. We have more than 60,000 homeless people, so it is a big problem. I also want to bring the concept of free enterprise into the schools to give students more career choices.
Note: Democratic candidate Dana Knight and Libertarian candidate Patty Malowney were invited but did not participate in the We the People candidate profiles.
The City of Wyoming’s incumbent State Rep. Tommy Brann (R-77th District) and the City of Kentwood’s incumbent State Rep. Steve Johnson (R-72nd District) each cruised to easy victories in their respective Republican primaries in voting Tuesday, Aug. 7.
In state Senate primary voting, former state representative and ex-Gov. Rick Snyder cabinet member Aric Nesbitt won a three-way battle in the Republican primary for the State Senate 26th District seat, which represents Kentwood. Also, incumbent State Sen. Peter MacGregor (R-28th District), running unopposed for a seat which represents Wyoming, now knows who he will be opposed by on the Democratic side, retired public-school teacher Craig Beech.
Also now set for the Nov. 6 general election ballot is the two local U.S. Congressional races.
Incumbent Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-2nd District) will be opposed by Democrat Dr. Rob Davidson — no surprise as both were unopposed in the primary — in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched federal races in the state.
And incumbent Rep. Justin Amash (R-3rd District) will be opposed by Democrat Cathy Albro, who defeated Fred Wooden in the Democratic primary.
Election results, by the numbers
According to the Kent County election website at accesskent.com, following are the election results for each candidate for their entire voting district:
In the State House of Representatives Republican primary for the 77th District, which covers the City of Wyoming, Byron Township and a portion of Cutlerville (for a district map, click here), incumbent Rep. Brann totaled 8,974 while Jordan T. Oesch had 814. On the Democratic primary side, Dana Knight totaled 3,943 while Robert Van Kirk had 1,996. Unopposed Libertarian candidate Patty Malowney had 74 votes.
In the State House of Representatives Republican primary for the 72nd District, which covers the cities of Kentwood and Wayland, along with a portion of Cutlerville and the community of Dorr (for a district map, click here), Rep. Johnson totaled 5,971 while Jennifer Antel had 1,806. Unopposed Democratic candidate Ron Rraayer had 6,067 votes and Libertarian candidate Jamie Lewis had 52.
In the State Senate Republican primary for the 26th District, which includes the City of Kentwood along with all of Allegan and Van Buren counties (for a district map, click here), Nesbitt totaled 4,041 while Bob Genetski had 2,331 and Don Wickstra had 1,379. Unopposed Democratic candidate Garnet Lewis gained 6,101 votes and Libertarian candidate Erwin Haas gained 49.
In the State Senate Democratic primary for the 28th District, which includes the City of Wyoming as well as the cities of Walker, Rockford and Cedar Springs (for a district map, click here), Beech totaled 7,688 while Gidget Groendyk had 6,444 and Ryan Jeanette had 4,427. Unopposed Republican incumbent Sen. MacGregor had 30,476 votes and Libertarian candidate Nathan Hewer gained 224.
On the Federal election side, in the 2nd District, Rep. Huizenga totaled 14,219 votes while Democratic challenger Davidson had 12,445. In the 3rd District, Rep. Amash totaled 44,304 while Democrats Albro had 30,969 votes and Wooden had 14,808.
Michigan voters will go to the polls Tuesday, Aug. 7, with several local primary races on the ballot, among them is the Republican nomination for 72nd District State House seat. WKTV has what you need to know about the race between incumbent Rep. Steve Johnson and challenger Jennifer Antel.
Rep. Johnson is completing his first term representing the 72nd District, which includes Kentwood as part a far-flung district including portions of Kent and Allegan counties. He lives in Wayland Township, is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and readily identifies himself as a Christian conservative.
Antel is currently a Wayland City Councilor and has served 13 years on the council, currently as Mayor Pro Tem. She has a Masters in Public Administration from Grand Valley State University, has worked as the Downtown Development Director for the City of Otsego, and Assistant to the City Manager in the City of Kalamazoo. She is a mother of five, and is a guest teacher and track coach at Wayland Union Schools.
Wyoming and Kentwood’s local state government representatives were busy in Lansing in 2017, often on legislative action they felt passionate about. (Michigan Municipal League)
When it comes to working on public policy in Lansing, Michigan state legislators try to vote knowledgeably on wide range of issues. But they often have focal points for their efforts; legislative bills which they champion because they consider them uniquely important or, often, have a personal connection.
As 2017 comes to a close, WKTV asked the two state senators and two representatives who represent the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood to tell us about one of their legislative efforts that rose above the routine job of public policy and governance.
The answers ranged from combating the state’s opioid epidemic to supporting foster care parents, from protecting people by protecting their pets to a deeply held belief in the sanctity of the unborn.
Sen. Schuitmaker seeking an decline in opioid abuse
For Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker — Senate President Pro Tempore, R-26th District, which represents the city of Kentwood and Gaines Township in Kent County — a chance meeting with a constituent who lost her child to opioid abuse led her to focus on the issue and to work on several fronts to combat what some call an epidemic.
State Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R-26th District)
First, Schuitmaker sponsored legislation to allow law enforcement and first responders to carry the life-saving Naloxone, a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. Then, in 2015, she was appointed to Gov. Rick Snyder’s Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Task Force, which issued several recommendations including the use of the Michigan Automated Prescription System to deter over-prescription problems such as so-called “doctor shopping” and “pill mills.”
Senate Bills 166 and 167 are expected to be signed by the governor soon.
“Every community across our state has experienced the devastating effects of prescription drug and opioid abuse,” Schuitmaker said to WKTV. “My colleagues and I have heard from parents of victims, individuals who have suffered from addiction, medical specialists, law enforcement and many others.
“Though many tragedies have happened in recent years, Senate Bills 166 and 167 are a culmination of hard work from every end of the spectrum to help put an end to this crisis. … This legislation will put an end to pill mills and other illegal operations by creating a paper trail for every Schedule 2 through Schedule 5 controlled substance. A quick, three-second search gives health care professionals a complete outline of a patient’s controlled substance prescription history; allowing them to see if something doesn’t look right.”
Rep. Brann takes love of animals to legally protected level
Anybody who knows Rep. Tommy Brann — R-77th District, including the City of Wyoming and Byron Township — knows he often explains his stands on issues with stories about people in his community if not in his restaurant. In this, his first year working in Lansing, he says one of his “pet” efforts was the introduction of House Bill 4332 and House Bill 4333, which increases the penalties of animal cruelty.
“I call HB 4332 the ‘Howie Bill’ because it changes the definition of animals to reflect them as companions in law, which is how I saw my dog Howie,” Brann said to WKTV. But the bill really has more of a backstory than just the legislator’s dog.
State Rep. Tommy Brann (R-77th District)
“While clearing tables at my restaurant and I overheard at booth #99 customers talking about the best way to get revenge on someone was to kill their dog,” Brann said. “This had a major impact on me, because of how much pets mean to me. Animal abuse should not be tolerated, and the proper, humane treatment of animals is good for society. According to multiple studies, there is a correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence.”
According to Brann, HB 4332 and 4333 make it a crime to knowingly kill, torture, or mutilate a companion animal, knowingly administer poison to a companion animal, or threaten to do any of those things, with the intent to cause mental suffering or distress to a person or exert control over a person. The bill also increases penalties for some existing animal abuse crimes, and expands some existing crimes. The legislation keeps some penalties against animal abusers the same but adds three tiers to the sentencing guidelines, and there is no minimum sentencing guidelines.
The House passed HB 4332 (92-15) and 4333 (90-17) and are currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee for review, he said.
Rep. Johnson follows his beliefs with anti-abortion effort
Rep. Steve Johnson — R-72nd District, which includes the City of Kentwood — is also in his first year in Lansing. And while he has had a busy year and been active on many issues, he was Christian conservative before he was elected and will be whenever he finally leaves state government. So his support of right-to-life issues are strong.
State Rep. Steven Johnson, left, talks with WKTV Journal: In Focus host Ken Norris during a 2017 interview. (WKTV)
“The first piece of legislation I introduced that I’m very passionate about is HB 4221, which would prohibit the state from sending money to clinics in Michigan that provide elective abortion services,” Johnson said to WKTV. “Protecting the sanctity of life is a responsibility I take very seriously. Our budget in Michigan should not be used to fund abortion clinics, whether directly through state-generated revenue or indirectly with money we receive from the federal government.”
HB 4221 is currently awaiting a vote in the House Appropriations Committee, he said.
Sen. MacGregor works to support child care efforts
As chairman of the Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, Sen. Peter MacGregor — R-28th District, which includes the City of Wyoming — has been working to reform the Child Care Fund for several years, most recently and specifically through Senate Bills 529 and 530.
State Sen. Peter MacGregor (R-28th District)
MacGregor has “worked closely with the Child Care Fund and the groups involved with taking care of this vulnerable population of children for over five years,” according to a statement from his office to WKTV. “What started out as a meeting to examine slow payments to counties and non-profit service providers from the state, eventually morphed into a two-year workgroup with the goal of changing the Child Care Fund payment system.”
Michigan’s Child Care Fund (CCF) provides financial reimbursement to counties for community-based programming and placement costs for youth with an annual budget of approximately $400 million. The workgroup included the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, county courts and other county representatives, and non-profit child placing agencies.
SB 529 and 530 amend the Social Welfare Act to improve the reimbursement process. The Child Care Fund pays for costs associated with foster care/child welfare and the juvenile justice services.
“Currently, it’s a convoluted system both in function and process where there is a 50-50 cost sharing between the state and counties,” according to the statement. “The goal of this legislation, which will transition to a state pays first system, is to make the system more efficient and to clarify the process relative to what is reimbursed.
“It’s been a delicate balance because separately each member of this group plays a different role in caring for the children and in how they use or oversee the fund. However, the communication, commitment to work on solutions and the time put into the proposed solution has really been amazing.”
SB 529 and 530 had overwhelming support in the Senate and are expected to gain a positive the state House of Representatives vote January 2018.
The House of Representatives defeated an overhaul of Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance system on a 45-63 vote Thursday night after 90 minutes of debate on the House floor but months of political bickering and conflicting advertising efforts.
The Nov. 2 defeat of the house bill also brought conflicting reactions from local and statewide officials.
Wyoming- and Kentwood-area representatives Tommy Brann (R-77th District) and Steve Johnson (R-72nd) split their votes on the issue, with Johnson voting in support and Brann in opposition.
“Tonight, I voted in support of reforming Michigan’s no-fault insurance system,” Johnson wrote in a supplied Facebook post explaining his vote. “Michigan drivers pay the highest rates in the nation for car insurance, which is why this is one of the top issues many of you discuss with me all across the district. While the proposed plan wasn’t perfect, it was a step in the right direction to provide coverage choice, reign in fraud, and lower rates for Michigan drivers. Unfortunately, a majority of my colleagues did not vote in support … (however, I) … look forward to seeing the conversation on this important and meaningful topic continue in the future.”
State Rep. Tommy Brann
While Brann said he thought “90 percent of the bill was good” he said the three-tiered approach to medical coverage limits was just not something he could go along with. “I have the obligation to my constituents,” Brann said to WKTV Friday. “An obligation to protect them and make the right decisions for them.”
He said he thought that if some families chose the lower medical limits and then were in an accident, it could be disastrous. “I’m thinking about the parent with a little girl, and they are in an accident and that little 10-year-old girl needs rehabilitation for the rest of her life.”
“This is important, and I hope we will continue to work on this,” he said. “But I just do not think it (this bill) would protect my constituents.”
Michigan’s high insurance rates in the nation, according to most critics, are because of the current no-fault insurance system’s unlimited medical benefits for people injured in car accidents, as well as insurance companies’ ability to charge different rates based on where people live — a particular problem for urban areas such as Detroit.
Few believed the packages of changes, House Bill 5013, was a complete fix for the many problems of the existing system, but some viewed it as a start in providing rate-payer relief from the highest auto insurance rates in the nation.
Supporters of the bill, including the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, said the bill “could” save motorists and businesses as much as $1 billion a year by allowing persons buying insurance choices on what amount of medical coverage they need buy. It also would have imposed price limits on medical providers who care for auto accident victims.
In general, the bill was also supported by auto insurance providers, but opponents often pointed out that there were not guarantees that insurance rates would go down — something one local insurance agent did not agree with.
“While there are no guarantees, anytime you install a reimbursement schedule that caps charges at a lower rate than today it would seem a good thing” for rate payers, Pat Curran, managing agent of Wyoming’s Precision Insurance Agency, said to WKTV. “One of the hardest parts in insurance pricing is knowing what your costs are going to be. Under the current system there is no such pricing structure.”
In general, the bill was opposed by the state’s medical providers and trial lawyers, but it also was opposed by lawmakers and others who pointed out that there was no guarantee that insurance providers would lower rates as a result of the changes.
“The Michigan Health & Hospital Association has been adamantly opposed to House Bill 5013 throughout deliberations on the bill, and we are encouraged by the fact that the Michigan House of Representatives opted to vote down what was simply a bad bill,” Brian Peters, CEO at the MHA, said in a statement released on their website Thursday night.
“We know that Michigan drivers want lower rates when it comes to their auto insurance premiums, and we would welcome the opportunity to work with legislators if and when they decide to go back to the drawing board when it comes to meaningful rate relief for drivers that protects benefits available to those seriously injured in auto accidents.”
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce also reacted to the defeat of the bill, saying in a statement that it was disappointed in the “63 of the 110 members of the Michigan House who turned their backs on Michigan drivers today and voted ‘no’ on reforms to the state’s broken and costly auto insurance system.”
“Lawmakers had a real opportunity today to drive down Michigan’s highest-in-the-nation auto insurance premiums,” Rich Studley, chamber president & CEO, said in the statement. “Unfortunately, 63 members of the Michigan House chose to turn their backs on their constituents and the state’s 7.1 million drivers and side with a handful of greedy ambulance-chasing personal injury attorneys and hospitals that profit from the status quo.”
“Even though the vote today failed, these lawmakers will need to explain their no vote to their constituents,” Jim Holcomb, general counsel for the chamber, said in the statement. “We remain confident that the drivers of our state won’t find these lawmakers’ excuses acceptable and force them back to the table to tackle the very real problem of Michigan’s highest-in-the-nation auto insurance costs and its primary cost-drivers.”
Local state Sen. Peter MacGregor was one of the state lawmakers who discussed no-fault insurance law reform at Monday’s chamber Government Matters meeting. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The Michigan House of Representatives and Senate are both at work tackling reform of the state’s no-fault auto insurance law, but there are no quick fixes or easy solutions local legislators said at the October’s Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Government Matters meetings.
The monthly meeting brings together government leaders of all levels to discuss issues of importance and presents those discussions through WKTV’s live, delayed and on-demand broadcasts.
At the Monday, Oct. 9, meeting at Kentwood City Hall, state representatives Tommy Brann and Steve Johnson, and state senators Tonya Schuitmaker and Peter MacGregor, each discussed the issue as part of a session that included a local insurance businessperson addressing the government panel.
“I have been working on this issue since 2011,” MacGregor said. “It doesn’t seem like it is complicated, but it is … it is a battle.”
Among the competing interests in any overhaul of the current auto insurance system, which has produced some of the highest rates in the country, are not only the cost to the average insurance customer but also the sometimes conflicting interests of insurance companies, medical providers and trial lawyers. And the problem what to do with uninsured, unlicensed motorists hangs over the reform efforts as well.
At times, the issue seems almost too big to handle in a single act of reform, but, MacGregor pointed out: “Maybe we eat this elephant one bite at a time.”
Among the other multi-level government discussions topics at the meeting were the the status of federal tax reform, the planned grand opening of the City of Wyoming’s 28 West development (set for later this month), and the Kent County and the State of Michigan’s emergency management plans.
The Chamber’s Government Matters meetings include representatives of the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming, Kent County, local Michigan House of Representatives and Senate, and, often, representatives of other regional, State of Michigan and Federal elected officials. The next meeting will be Nov. 13 at Kentwood City Hall.
The meetings are on the second Monday of each month, starting at 8 a.m. WKTV Journal will produce a highlight story after the meeting. But WKTV also offers replays of the Monday meetings on the following Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Cable Channel 25. Replays are also available online at WKTV’s government meetings on-demand page (wktv.viebit.com) and on the chamber’s Facebook page.
