LANSING, MI — Two-term Republican state lawmaker Graham Filler will campaign to keep a seat in Lansing against Democrat Jeffrey Lockwood in the Tuesday, Nov. 8, election.
Filler, of St. Johns, was elected twice by residents in Clinton and Gratiot counties to serve in the Michigan House of Representative. A redistricting effort, though, landed him in District 93, a region that includes much of the existing Filler district as well as parts of Saginaw County.
Lockwood, a plumber and pipefitter from Saginaw Township, will campaign for the first time in a general election. He faced no competition in the August primary election, where he received 4,211 votes.
Filler bested fellow GOP member Alan Hoover, 4,482 to 2,985 votes, in August.
Lockwood has responded. Filler did not.
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EDUCATION: What should Michigan do, if anything, to 1) provide an equitable, quality public education for all students and 2) address the shortage of teachers?
Lockwood: We must fully fund our schools. Our teachers and all support staff need to be paid a reasonable wage so that we can attract the best talent available for our schools. Our schools need major repairs and improvements to the infrastructure as well. I would also support bringing shop classes back to the public education as a path into the skilled trades.
ECONOMIC SECURITY: What policies do you support to help Michigan residents improve their economic positions?
Lockwood: I support policies that would require corporations to pay their fair share of taxes so the burden can be lifted from the hardworking taxpayers in our communities. I also support policies that provide these types of tax breaks to small and local business owners. I believe that these are the real drivers of our economy not the huge corporations who send our jobs overseas and drive down our wages.
ELECTIONS: What state policies do you support regarding Michigan elections, campaign funding and voting rights?
Lockwood: I believe voting is a right and should be made easily accessible to everyone no matter your demographic. I believe campaign funding should be very transparent and that our elections secure from tampering by outside parties. That being said I think Michigan has done well with the policies already in place. I would support new policies dealing with election security so long as it does not affect people’s access to voting.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY: What actions or policies do you support to protect Michigan’s water, air and land for current and future generations? What is your position on energy efficiency and renewable energy?
Lockwood: Everyone is entitled to clean drinking water, and I will fight to see that that is provided to everyone. Our natural resources are what set us apart and I will support policies that protect our forests, and our Greatlakes. we have a very big agriculture industry in this state, and I think those folks should be heard when making policies that deal with environment since their livelihoods depend on a healthy clean environment.
SOCIAL JUSTICE: How would you address racial, economic, health and education inequities, including Michigan’s 23% of children and 17% of seniors living in poverty?
Lockwood: We need serious tax reform where big businesses pay their fair share of taxes and start making policies from a bottom-up approach. The trickle-down policies and trade policies have failed the bottom 80% of folks and it is time to change those policies
GUNS: What steps, if any, should be taken to curb gun violence in our communities?
Lockwood: I do not support banning weapons. It hasn’t worked for any other prohibitions. I due support common sense gun laws and background checks as well as closing loopholes in the system. I think the idea of arming our teachers is absurd. I do believe we have a mental health problem in our communities that needs to be addressed as well.