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. Data Centers — S and Sustainable Development: The biggest issue on the mind of voters right now is the environmental impact of data centers. While our communities have not been heavily impacted yet, plans for a data center in Southfield raise concerns about energy use, water consumption, and the long-term effects on infrastructure and sustainability.
2. Climate Change — Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels: Moving toward clean energy is essential for reducing pollution and addressing climate change. Investing in renewable energy can help create healthier communities and a more sustainable future.
3. Air Quality — Protecting and Expanding Tree Canopy: Trees often get overlooked, but they play a major role in improving air quality, reducing extreme heat, and making communities healthier and more resilient. Expanding tree canopy is a practical investment in our future.
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 maintaining Michigan’s current clean energy timeline because transitioning away from fossil fuels is critical to protecting public health, addressing climate change, and building a more sustainable future. I also believe this is a realistic timeline..
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?
Data centers can put major pressure on local communities by using huge amounts of electricity and water while often providing limited long-term local benefits. The state has a responsibility to make sure communities are not expected to carry those impacts. Michigan should require strong environmental and infrastructure reviews, including environmental justice assessments, and a guarantee of meaningful community input before projects move forward. We should force data center construction to be transparent, to use union labor, to create union jobs, and to have all the energy and water costs fall on the builder.
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 speeding up cleanup efforts and making polluters pay for the damage they caused. No family should have to wonder whether the water coming out of their tap is safe. Communities that have been affected by PFAS have already waited too long for answers and action. Michigan needs to prioritize clean drinking water, support impacted communities, and ensure the costs of cleanup fall on those responsible, not on taxpayers.
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
Families who already live near multiple sources of pollution should not have to keep carrying the burden while their health and quality of life are put at risk. Before approving new permits, we need to look at the full picture and make sure communities are being protected, not overlooked.
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?
Many residents feel frustrated by high bills and a lack of accountability from utility companies like DTE. Michigan families deserve reliable, affordable energy service, and I support stronger oversight and accountability for utilities to ensure consumers are protected. Elected officials should make sure rate increases are justified, protect residents from unfair cost burdens, and ensure utility companies are delivering reliable service before asking people to pay more.
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 support shutting down Line 5. The Great Lakes are one of Michigan’s greatest resources, and the risk of a spill is not worth gambling with our water, environment, and local communities. Too many families depend on these waters for drinking water, recreation, and their livelihoods, and protecting them has to come before keeping an aging pipeline in operation.
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?
Yes. Access to clean water is a basic necessity, and no family should lose access because they cannot afford a bill. I support policies that cap water costs for low-income residents and strengthen protections against shutoffs so people are not forced to choose between paying for water and meeting other essential needs. On the Royal Oak City Commission, we passed a resolution in support of the water affordability bill package introduced by Senator Chang.
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 cause pollution should be the ones paying to clean it up, not local taxpayers. It’s important for protecting Michigan’s water, land, and community health.