KENT COUNTY, MI – A former Kent County commissioner is operating for an opportunity to take again his outdated seat from an incumbent on the Kent County Board of Commissioners within the Democratic main election on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Former commissioner Robert Womack, who beforehand served three phrases on the board, is difficult incumbent Tony Baker within the Democratic main for the county board’s seventeenth District seat. Baker was elected to the Kent County Board of Commissioners in 2022 after operating for Womack’s open seat.
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The winner of the Aug. 6 main battle will go on to face Republican candidate Jason Gillikin, who’s operating unopposed within the main, for the two-year seat within the Nov. 5 normal election. Gillikin, 47, is a small enterprise proprietor who works as a principal guide at Gillikin & Associates, Inc.
Commissioners are elected to two-year phrases from districts throughout Kent County which can be roughly equal in inhabitants. The seventeenth District seat represents a big portion of Grand Rapids’ southeast aspect.
Baker, 61, is presently serving his first two-year time period on the Kent County Board of Commissioners. Earlier than his election to the Kent County board, Baker served on the Grand Rapids Public Colleges Board of Training since 2008.
Baker works as a professor of sociology at Ferris State College and is the chair of the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the College of Illinois at Chicago. Baker’s marketing campaign web site may be discovered right here.
Womack, 59, was first elected to the Kent County board in 2016 and served till 2022, when he narrowly misplaced a bid for the 82nd State Home District. He’s the CEO of radio station 102.5 FM The Experience and a co-chair of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Black Management Advisory Council. He studied political science at Grand Rapids Group Faculty. Womack’s marketing campaign web site may be discovered right here.
MLive has partnered with the League of Girls Voters of Michigan Training Fund this yr to supply voters with a Vote411 election information. Candidates stuffed out normal details about their campaigns and answered a listing of questions from the League of Girls Voters.
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All responses within the voter information have been submitted instantly by the candidate and haven’t been edited by the League of Girls Voters or MLive, apart from obligatory cuts if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar weren’t corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely within the curiosity of public service and will NOT be thought of as an endorsement. The League by no means helps or opposes any candidates or political events.
Data on different state, county and native main races may be discovered at Vote411.org.
Right here’s how the 2 Democratic candidates on this race responded to the Vote411 candidate questionnaire. You can even discover Gillikin’s responses to the identical questions on Vote411.
What in your expertise makes you essentially the most certified candidate for this place?
Tony Baker: I’ve a long time of expertise in Chicago and Grand Rapids participating with the neighborhood and searching for options to issues. I’m a deliberate researcher, and I make selections after consulting with all in the neighborhood that can be impacted by the coverage being thought of. I additionally leverage the relationships I’ve with county administration, native metropolis and state officers and neighborhood based mostly organizations to create stronger communities whatever the function of county authorities. As an illustration, Senior Housing is a big concern in my district. I linked with non-profit housing orgs, the Truthful Housing Heart and the county to efficiently join assets to help with renovations of senior properties.
Robert Womack: I served three phrases as Kent County Commissioner for District 17. Born and raised within the third ward, I perceive the wants of my neighbors. I alerted small companies when grants have been accessible, growing minority participation to 47% throughout my time period. I used to be the only real Commissioner to assist Black Wall Avenue bid on a Kent County-held constructing on Burton and Jap. That’s now the Black Wall Avenue Constructing. I advocated for $4 million from ARPA funds to create a CDFI that continues to mortgage cash to small companies within the seventeenth District. Financial improvement turned a actuality throughout my time period, as I negotiated unprecedented non-partisan county assist for third ward improvement. I efficiently advocated for language translation for Kent County.
What are your targets must you be elected and the way will you’re employed to perform them with presently restricted assets?
Tony Baker: Firstly, I need to proceed to work with my area people to completely perceive the results of the actions of county authorities.
However, I’ve 4 main targets I need to accomplish past this function.
1. Hyperlink the methods of the county (Courts, Prosecutor, Sherriff and Psychological Well being) to accomplice with area people orgs that assist youth to defer youth away from the felony justice system (earlier than or after bother) into constructive engagement with the neighborhood.
2. Proceed to construct helps for seniors to remain of their properties.
3. Work with native environmental teams to enhance air/water high quality and eradicate lead poisoning within the 49507.
4. Hyperlink financial improvement with native and state places of work.
These will create secure vibrant neighborhood
Robert Womack: To extend reasonably priced housing, we should accomplice with residents, builders, and nonprofits to develop cost-effective housing and decrease the closing prices for first-time homebuyers. For our tech sector progress, I’ll collaborate with instructional establishments and tech corporations to create coaching applications. We will entice startups with tax incentives and promote Kent County as a tech-friendly hub. Our Sustainable Enterprise Park maximizes assets, and we should direct extra companies to make use of recycling bins to cut back the 612 tons of landfill waste per yr. I intention to extend trash-to-renewable power conversion. To make sure secure streets, I’ll enhance jobs and youth applications and enhance community-police relations to decrease violent crime.
What are an important challenges dealing with our neighborhood, and the way do you intend to handle them?
Tony Baker: Vibrant locations for households and seniors to dwell and keep in the neighborhood ought to be the broadest objective for any elected official. There are a number of threats. Many years of disinvestment have led many owners to want assets for house upkeep.
Housing normally can be a disaster for younger households. We have to construct extra housing and supply monetary assets to assist. I work with the County’s Inexpensive Housing Fund to help in constructing properties. Nevertheless, we’d like personal builders, neighborhood orgs and public helps to handle this disaster.
Youth crime can be an enormous concern, not only for the general public, but in addition the youth who lack connection to highschool and neighborhood. I work with county places of work to collaborate with neighborhood.
Robert Womack: The $17.5 million Inexpensive Residence Fund that I voted to approve in 2022 has elevated to $58 million through IFF matching funds. It is going to provide 1000’s of latest housing models. I’ll prioritize house possession as a metric. Lead poisoning, which impacts studying, remains to be a problem. I’ll acceptable extra of the funds I accredited for lead remediation. We’d like a research of the lead pipe poisoning in GR that has been downplayed. I’ll prioritize assets to cease opiate and drug overdoses. I voted down any pay elevate throughout my three phrases; funds ought to be used for safer neighborhoods and after-school applications. Gun locks ought to be offered free for folks with college students. We should fund our Neighborhood Associations for assist in proactive crime prevention.
What’s going to you do to assist a vibrant economic system in our neighborhood?
Tony Baker: Now we have a number of corridors within the seventeenth that want an infusion of capital. Division Avenue, Burton Heights, Seymore Sq., Madison Ave and others want funding at the private and non-private ranges to create quite a lot of locations that enable neighborhood to thrive. I’m presently working with people within the Burton Heights/Garfield Park space to attach with State and County assets to spur funding that may result in stronger financial improvement. I’m additionally encouraging collaborative efforts to assist housing creation alongside the Division Avenue hall.
Robert Womack: I offered $25 million in small enterprise grants throughout my third time period. I’ll prioritize strategic investments to make sure extra grants, loans, and assist for domestically owned small companies. I’ll advocate for certified builders from marginalized communities to have alternatives within the Riverfront and Amphitheatre tasks. I’ll encourage Kent County Authorities to purchase native from extra native distributors. Landfills can be overfilled by 2030 until we recycle and reuse. This precedence can lower your expenses and promote clear air. Now we have to assist hybrid enterprise formations to retain our younger entrepreneurs. We should assist our native poultry farmers and handle the fowl flu and its impact on inflation.