- The race heats up between State Representative Kathy Schmaltz and Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney for Michigan's 46th House District.
- Two different attitudes toward public service, two different approaches to solving problems.
- Video shows excerpts of interviews with both.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
They're going door to door in the race for Michigan's 46th House District, which spans Jackson and Chelsea.
I asked incumbent, Republican State Representative Kathy Schmaltz, and Democrat challenger, Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney to each choose a location for a conversation. And when we got there, I asked what each is hearing from neighbors.
"Most important right now is affordability. Because when you talk to people at the doors especially — they can't afford anything."
— Kathy Schmaltz
"I mean, roads and infrastructure is always a major one. Safety is a major one that we hear throughout the community. People want to feel safe. People are concerned about the health and well-being of our education."
— Daniel Mahoney
Between them: two very different attitudes toward public service.
Former newscaster Schmaltz: "I'm not a career politician. I didn't run for something, then turn around and run for something else."
Mahoney doesn't mind that label. He talks about being a County Commissioner for 7 years, then a two-term Mayor, and says this is an important differentiator: "It's great to tell the news, and telling what's going on in politics is much different than being involved and doing the work that it takes to get results. Over the last ten years, I have been doing the work, and I have shown that I can get results."
Those results, he says, include support for the homeless and housing, economic development, and reductions in crime.
Republican Schmaltz's philosophy is people should keep more of what they earn. her mainstays are tax credits, lower taxes, less regulation…
As for supporting law enforcement, Mahoney claims: "I made sure that I did everything that I can do to support our law enforcement, to make sure they had the tools necessary to produce the results that our community wanted to see."
Schmaltz emphasizes: "We need to support our police. Give the police the tools they need to do the job."
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