Bill Schuette is the Republican running to be Michigan's next governor. He is currently the state's attorney general.
*Responses have been lightly edited for grammar
1. Tell us about your personal life and your personal background.
My family moved to Midland in 1941. Tragically, my father died of a heart attack at 47 years of age when I was just a boy of six. When I was soon to graduate college, my mom remarried. From my dad, mom and step-dad I learned the importance of family, faith and community.
Growing up in Midland, I also learned what it means to be a Michiganian: tough, resilient, optimistic and always working. My early jobs included yard work and summer construction. And I was the head potato boy at Ponderosa Steak House, where I learned to mop a floor from a grizzled Marine who taught me the important lesson: if you have a job, do it right. I’ve carried that ethic through all my endeavors.
My wife, Cynthia, and I still live in Midland, and are parents to two grown children, Heidi and Bill.
2. What inspired you to run?
Having lost my father at a young age, one of the things on my mind always was trying to live up to his example. I made public service my calling so I could spend my life serving other people and try to honor my father’s legacy by contributing to my community and my state.
3. What are the biggest issues affecting Michigan right now?
The choice this November is between moving Michigan forward or sliding backward to the devastating economic policies of the Lost Decade. To keep growing, Michigan must become a more attractive place to live, work, start a business and raise a family. My “Paycheck Agenda” will make us nationally competitive and rebuild our population by cutting taxes, repairing our roads, slashing auto insurance rates, building world class schools and training people for real jobs.
My full policy agenda can be viewed at www.BillSchuette.com.
4. What will be your biggest priority if you are elected?
My top priority as governor can be summed up in one word: growth.
There isn’t a problem facing Michigan today that couldn't be solved with more people living and working here. Yet, 55 counties lost population this decade, and we still have 300,000 fewer workers than before the Great Recession.
Michigan needs a growing population and growing paychecks to become a leading state economically. More growth means our kids don’t have to leave to find jobs and we can invest in better roads and other public services.
We need more boots on the ground and cranes in the sky. Airplane loads of people arrive in places like Austin and Nashville daily and it isn't because of the weather. It’s because those states have better economic environments and more opportunity.
5. What experiences will make you an effective Governor?
My unmatched level of experience in state and federal government – as a member of congress, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture, a state senator, a judge on the Court of Appeals and as attorney general – means that I understand our state and I know how to work with the legislature, local leaders and other partners on needed reforms to advance Michigan.
6. What characteristics or principles will make you an effective Governor?
From my father, mother and stepfather, I learned the basic values of honesty, hard work, the importance of your word, strength of family and the need to give back to your community. I’ve carried these values forward into all of my pursuits. America and Michigan desperately need more civility in public discourse, and I have a long history of respectful, successful bipartisan cooperation that has benefited Michigan citizens.
7. What will most inform your decisions as Governor?
As attorney general, I have been a voice for victims, women, children, seniors, veterans, consumers and all Michiganians, because I believe everyone should be treated equally under the law with dignity and respect. As governor, I will ensure such practices within my administration, and approach the laws and budgets I sign with the same standard in mind.
8. What is the most important duty of a Governor?
A governor’s role is to lead the state and establish a fair, consistent, welcoming environment for job creation and economic growth. Republican leadership in Lansing has stabilized Michigan financially. Now it is time to reach higher and become an economic powerhouse once again. As governor, I’ll set policies that help our businesses expand and thrive and attract the people needed to fill all the jobs we are creating.
A governor also has a responsibility to ensure public safety, deliver learning opportunities through public education, and provide a social safety net for the well being of our most vulnerable citizens.
9. How much do you value bipartisanship and compromise?
I’ve worked side-by-side with Republicans and Democrats to stop the scourge of opioids and combat the heinous crime of human trafficking. My former political opponent in the 2010 election for attorney general, Democratic Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton, has been my partner in creating Michigan’s first opioid interdiction unit and investigating the Flint Water Crisis. I also provided funds for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to test abandoned sexual assault DNA evidence kits and ensure justice was served. And for eight years, I partnered with the Granholm administration on an initiative my wife and I founded, the Michigan Harvest Gathering, to raise food and funds for Michigan's food banks and pantries.
10. Why should people vote for you?
I have a proven record of accomplishment and the strongest policy plan for Michigan’s future.
As governor, I will implement growth-friendly policies that take Michigan from good to great. I will promote greater economic development in both urban and rural areas, eliminate burdensome rules and regulations for innovators and job-providers, and cut permitting times to maximize economic growth.
My ethics reforms will bring the highest standards to Lansing and make Michigan first in the nation for transparent, accountable government. My health care plan protects coverage for preexisting conditions, preserves public resources for our most vulnerable citizens, puts people back to work for better lives and better health insurance, and helps small businesses afford quality insurance for their employees.
