State Representative Brandt Iden says his focus is on making sure Michigan continues moving forward. The Republican is running for his second term in the 61st District, which includes most of the city of Portage and several surrounding townships.
Before being elected to the state House, Iden served two terms on the Kalamazoo County Commission He spoke with WMUK’s Gordon Evans.
Economy
Iden says Michigan is moving in the right direction. Unemployment is down, and Iden says he wants that to continue. He’d like to reform bureaucratic departments. Iden says the crisis in Flint showed that some departments need work. He says a proposed civil service reform needs to be reviewed, Iden says there was a breakdown in communication in Flint. He says ultimately state government is a customer service operation and needs to be better.
Emergency Manager Law
Asked about possible changes to Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law, Iden says the law has worked everywhere else besides Flint in his opinion. Iden says other cities have come out from under emergency manager, showing that there has been improvement.
Dark Stores
Iden’s background is in real estate, and he supports a package to reform the tax assessment process for “big box retailers. Iden says the state should make sure that values takes into account the actual assessments of property, and not a potentially vacant store.
Energy
The state is working on a rewrite of its energy policy. Iden says he would like to see users of choice – within a 10% cap – be able to continue to use it, including Kalamazoo Public Schools and Pfizer. But Iden says the state should make sure that existing utilities like Consumers Energy have enough customers so they can build new plants. He says that’s needed to ensure Michigan’s energy independence.
Presidential Election
Iden was a Trump delegate to the Republican National Convention. He says Trump has the business background to lead the country. Iden says Hillary Clinton has done a lot of talking, but hasn’t accomplished anything. He says that’s resonating in the polls in Michigan which have been narrowing. Asked about Republicans who are not endorsing Trump, he says it’s time for the party coalesce around him.
Discussion of other issues can be heard in the extended version of the interview.
Taxes
Asked how he would like to change Michigan’s tax policy, Iden answered reducing the state income tax rate. He says people can make their own decisions about how to spend their own money, rather than the government. Iden did not have specific cuts and/or additional revenue to pay for cutting the income tax rate.
Roads
Iden says the roads package approved last year will phase-in more money for infrastructure. He says since the package was approved, he’s heard from some people who wanted the money for roads to become available quicker, and some who thought the state was spending too much. Asked if the problems in Flint, showed the need for a water infrastructure plan, Iden says local municipalities should be responsible for setting money aside to replace lead water lines.
Straight Ticket Voting
Iden voted to eliminate straight ticket voting in Michigan, although a judge has put the law on hold. He says Michigan is one of only a few states that still has straight the ticket option. Iden says everyone on ballot should be judged on their own merits. An appropriation was part of the legislation, which made it immune from voter referendum. Iden says county clerks needed additional funding to implement the law.
Campaign Finance
The 61st state House district is among the top ten so far, in terms of money raised for the combined campaigns. Iden says he favors more transparency in campaign finance.
