Planet Detroit Candidate Survey
What are the three most pressing environmental issues facing the communities you seek to serve? Please rank them in order of priority and briefly explain why you chose each.
1. Flooding — Issues that impact neighborhoods and quality of life across Downriver.
2. Air Quality — Concerns in communities that have dealt with industrial impacts for generations.
3. Protecting local waterways — Protecting local waterways, parks, and public spaces for future generations while balancing economic growth and jobs.
Michigan law requires utilities to reach 100% clean energy by 2040. If elected, would you support maintaining this law, or would you support revising or repealing it? Please explain your position.
Maintain the current law and timeline
I support the goal of cleaner energy and reducing long term pollution, but I also believe we have to be realistic about costs and reliability. Working families are already struggling with high utility bills, so any transition has to protect affordability, maintain reliable energy, and avoid placing unfair burdens on residents and small businesses.
More than two dozen Michigan communities are considering or have approved large-scale data center developments. These facilities can consume as much electricity as a small city and place significant demands on local water and energy infrastructure. What role should state government play in overseeing data center development, and what guardrails should the state legislature enact to protect communities where data centers are proposed?
I believe the state should play an active role in making sure data center development is planned responsibly and does not overwhelm local communities or infrastructure. These projects can bring investment and jobs, but there need to be guardrails involving energy use, water usage, infrastructure capacity, environmental impact, and local community input before projects move forward. Local governments and residents should have a real voice in the process, not just corporations making decisions behind closed doors.
PFAS contamination has been detected in drinking water, groundwater, and surface water across Michigan. Cleanup efforts are underway, but many affected communities are still waiting for action. What is the single most important step the officeholder in this position should take on PFAS in the next term?
The most important step is making sure communities dealing with contamination actually get action and resources instead of years of studies and delays. As a City Councilman, I’ve seen how environmental and infrastructure problems directly impact residents and local governments. Communities like Melvindale and others in Downriver have dealt with industrial and environmental concerns for generations, and people deserve clean drinking water and real accountability. The state needs to continue investing in cleanup efforts, infrastructure upgrades, and strong oversight to make sure communities are protected.
Michigan residents in some communities face disproportionate exposure to air pollution, contaminated water, and industrial waste. Do you support requiring Michigan regulators to assess cumulative environmental and health impacts on overburdened communities before approving new permits for polluting facilities?
Yes
I believe communities that have already dealt with years of pollution and environmental concerns deserve to have their health and quality of life seriously considered before additional permits are approved. At the same time, I believe the process should remain fair, transparent, and based on real data while still allowing responsible economic growth and job creation.
Utility rate cases directly affect what Michigan residents pay for electricity and gas. DTE and Consumers Energy have requested frequent significant rate increases in recent years. Should elected officials play a greater role in holding utility companies accountable for rate hikes and rising energy costs?
As a City Councilman, I hear constantly from residents struggling with rising utility bills while still dealing with outages and reliability problems. Working families, seniors, and small businesses cannot keep absorbing endless rate increases. Elected officials and regulators need to do a far better job holding utility companies accountable and making sure rate hikes are justified, transparent, and tied to real improvements in service and infrastructure.
Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline runs through the Straits of Mackinac and carries crude oil and natural gas liquids between Wisconsin and Ontario. A proposed tunnel beneath the lakebed to house a replacement pipeline has faced legal and regulatory challenges for years. What is your position on the future of Line 5?
I believe protecting the Great Lakes has to be a top priority, but I also understand the importance of energy reliability and the economic impact Line 5 has on Michigan and the region. I support strong safety oversight, environmental protections, and making sure any long term solution is thoroughly reviewed and held to the highest safety standards to protect both our environment and energy infrastructure.
Drinking water is becoming increasingly unaffordable for Michiganders in both rural and urban areas, leading to water shutoffs. Would you support legislation that caps water bills for low-income Michiganders and adds shutoff protections?
Growing up in Southwest Detroit and serving as a City Councilman, I’ve seen firsthand how utility and water costs can become a real burden for working families and seniors. Access to clean water is a basic necessity, and people should not lose access because they are struggling financially. I would support reasonable protections that help keep water affordable while also making sure local systems remain financially stable and able to maintain infrastructure.
Michigan is home to more than 18,000 contaminated sites. Do you support or oppose legislation to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up these sites?
Support
Companies that contaminate communities should be held responsible for cleaning up the damage they create instead of leaving taxpayers and local residents to deal with the consequences for decades. Growing up in Southwest Detroit and serving as a City Councilman in Downriver, I’ve seen firsthand how industrial pollution and environmental neglect impact working class communities. Too often, the people living closest to these sites are the families least able to fight back.
At the same time, I believe we need a balanced approach that protects jobs and allows responsible economic growth. But there has to be accountability. Communities deserve clean air, clean water, and safe neighborhoods, and companies that violate environmental laws or leave contamination behind should be expected to help fix the problem.