ESCANABA — A candidate forum for contested primary races in the Delta County Commissioner District 3 and 108th State Representative District was held at the Escanaba City Hall Wednesday night. The forum, which was hosted by the Delta County League of Women Voters, gave Republican candidates for these two positions an opportunity to answer questions from voters.

Not all local contested races were presented Wednesday night due to the League of Women Voters’ “empty chair” policy. In order to host a forum, more than one candidate for a position must participate. If a candidate chooses not to attend a forum, or backs out at the last minute, no candidate for that position can appear at the event.

The forum began with the Delta County Commissioner District 3 position, in which Bob Barron, current Delta County Commissioner District 5 incumbent, and Christine Williams were present.

After a quick introduction, the candidates were questioned on what their top three priorities would be if elected. While Barron stated that he does not like to list top priorities, because one issue may “intersect” with one another, he stressed that the high rate of turnover in people who work for the county has led to a lack of continuity, efficiency, and a hike in costs.

Williams, on the other hand, committed herself to understanding the drug use and mental health crisis that is currently affecting the area, along with creating job opportunities for young adults and addressing the rising cost of living.

While the candidates held similar positions on many of the discussed topics, both candidates voicing their support for the Second Amendment and need for improvements in transportation infrastructure, contention arose over topics such as county parks and renewable energy sources — like solar and wind.

When asked what they believe to be the most effective way to operate, maintain, and improve our county parks, Barron stated the commission’s collaboration with the Soil Conservation District, which recently acquired a 10-year contract extension, has had a positive impact on the condition of local parks.

“[The Soil Conservation District] was asked to take over the parks 12 years ago to see what they could do. The parks were in a decaying and decrepit condition and they weren’t a destination for campers or people to stay,” Barron said. “The parks are now a place of destination. They just turned those things around and did a fabulous job.”

While Williams agreed the parks’ conditions have improved in the past 12 years thanks to the Soil Conservation District, she disagrees with the nature of the recent 10-year contract extension, which was a no-compete contract that had no bidding process.

“We have no idea if we are getting the best deal for management of our parks or not,” Williams said. “I am very concerned about O.B. Fuller Park and the loss of resident’s rights to use that park for [waterfront] day-use … I think the Conservation District has taken away taxpayers’ rights. Those taxpayers are paying for those county parks, they should have those rights.”

In terms of renewable energy, both candidates support the industrial development of solar and wind energy in the county, just on different scales. Barron, whose neighborhood will be receiving a solar energy source in the next two years, believes the developments are “fabulous.”

“It is an industry that doesn’t require the county to put up a lot of infrastructure to enhance the industry, actually little to none,” Barron said. “Delta County for years has been an importer of electricity. But with these developments that are taking place, Delta County will be an electrical powerhouse in the U.P. It will be an exporter, and that should enhance some other development in our county.”

While Williams supports renewable energy, she cited the different categorizations of solar energy — small, medium, and large — and how they should be regulated and utilized accordingly. Williams believes that large-scale solar, which would be utility scale, should be limited, the two smaller categorizations should be open to the public.

“Where I am really focused is small and medium, this would be rooftop and side-yard solar, and that is because there is a huge saving to the residents who can install sideyard and rooftop solar,” Williams said. “What I would want to focus on is opening up the grid so that the public has access to it.”

The second half of the voter forum welcomed candidates Casey C. Hoffman, David Prestin, and Mark H. Simon for the 108th State Representative District. Topics that were addressed at the forum include suspending the Michigan gas tax, vaccine/mask mandates, and the current teacher shortage.

All three candidates are in support of suspending the Michigan gas tax, which currently rests at 7 percent, due to it’s restrictive nature on individuals. Hoffman, however, provided a clear method to offset the loss of revenue that would come from this elimination — taxing marijuana sales.

“Let’s tax marijuana … tax the people who are coming into our state and they are bringing all of this marijuana with them,” Hoffman said. The difference between now and maybe a decade or two decades ago is that we didn’t have a $250 million pot of money to tax … I think getting rid of the gas tax is completely responsible and I am okay and comfortable shifting that burden onto the marijuana industry.”

Medical privacy, bodily autonomy, and freedom of choice when it comes to healthcare decisions was a frequent topic of discussion. In terms of decision-making powers during a the COVID-19 pandemic, all candidates were vehemently opposed to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to shut down the state, particularly the Upper Peninsula.

Furthermore, the candidates are against all mask and vaccine mandates at state universities and other government entities. Prestin, who is an experienced paramedic, stated that these health decisions should be left to the individual.

“As it pertains to the vaccine mandates, I think the autonomy of each individual person is for themselves. Let me do me, and I’ll let you be you,” Prestin said.

Later in the forum, Prestin added to his stance on vaccine mandates.

“Measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, you name it … these are bellwether vaccinations that have been around for decades,” Prestin said. “This COVID vaccine, all three of them, are still unproven and I do not support mandating them in any way, shape, or form.”

However, the candidates believe that this freedom of choice and bodily autonomy does not apply to reproductive health, particularly abortion care. With the Supreme Court’s recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, which left decisions regarding abortion care up state legislatures, the candidates cited that they were anti-abortion and committed to solidifying an abortion ban at the state level.

Candidate answers varied when asked how they would address the current shortage of teachers in Michigan. While all agreed that some level of training should be required to allow unlicensed teachers to work within Michigan school systems, Simon provided a student debt forgiveness plan to make the teaching profession more attractive to young adults.

“My idea is once you achieve tenure, which means you prove that you can do that job effectively, then half of that debt would be eliminated … and at your 10th anniversary, you would take that number and cut it in half again. After 15 years of being a teacher, you don’t have anymore college debt,” Simon said. “We have to recruit good people and teachers and get them in the industry, then we wouldn’t have to worry about uncertified and under-qualified teachers.”

The candidates agreed on several other issues as well, including the belief that there was some level of fraudulent behavior during the 2020 presidential election. Candidates provided solutions, like required photo ID for voters and the sole use of paper ballots, to combat this issue in the future. Additionally, candidates’ methods to curb gun violence in American schools included limited ingress and egress on school property, metal detectors, and improvements in mental health care.

To watch the full Delta County League of Women Voters candidate forum, visit the City of Escanaba’s YouTube channel, “City of Escanaba.” More information about the August 2 Primary Election can be found at lwvdeltacounty.org.