House District 35, Rudy Hobbs

Rudy Hobbs
Democratic Party
State Representative
35th District of Michigan in Oakland County.

Why are you running for office?

I am running for State Representative because I am deeply invested in the success of Oakland County and Michigan. My wife and I are raising our three young daughters in this community and I want to contribute to the direct success of our state and help create a Michigan in which my daughters can start their careers and raise their own families. Also, my wife Dedra works for General Motors and, like many Michigan households, my family’s economic security depends on the viability of our auto industry. My family’s destiny is extraordinarily intertwined with the destiny of this state; these are they types of leaders Michigan needs right now. The new legislative session will need lawmakers with a similar sense of urgency to put aside hyper-partisanship and the competing agendas that halt progress in moving Michigan forward.

What is the biggest problem facing Michigan residents today and how would you solve it?

Job creation is the biggest problem facing this state today. To
solve it, I would:
- Increase tax incentives to encourage commercial growth
- Expand job retraining programs, especially within our community colleges
- Accelerate the process of diversifying our state’s economy, i.e.
advanced manufacturing and creating a technology sector in Michigan
- Explore repealing the Michigan Business Tax 22% surcharge

What's a better solution: finding revenue or cutting costs to meet Michigan's public education budget? How would you do it?

Neither alternative has the capacity to be a serious solution to adequately address our education budget. Additional revenue is not likely to simply materialize in the next legislative term and further cuts to education next year will deeply impact the operation and administration of public education in Michigan. School district consolidation offers an avenue to increase the efficiency of Michigan’s public education system. The elimination of duplicative services and the increased shared revenue of formerly separate districts will generate millions of dollars in cost savings. However, any realistic school district consolidation framework must invite public partnership throughout the entire process. I believe that the “School District Modernization Advisory Commission” framework put forward by Rep. Fred Miller had merit in addressing school district consolidation while inviting public input during the process.

What's the best way to create jobs for Michigan residents?

Increasing tax incentives to encourage commercial growth and new business investment is a start. However we should look to a portion of these tax incentives targeted towards small business investment. Job retraining programs, especially in community colleges, are also an essential tool to creating a Michigan workforce that will attract outside ventures to create jobs in Michigan. Further, we must accelerate the diversification of our economy that targets expanded advanced manufacturing in our state as well as over the long term creating a technology sector in Michigan. Finally, exploring repealing the Michigan Business Tax 22% surcharge would be a tremendous help in attracting new commercial ventures to Michigan. However, every avenue should be exhausted to either find offsets for the loss revenue or to cut spending in accordance with the revenue that would be lost from the surcharge.

After you leave this earth, what will they say about you?

Rudy was a devoted father and husband who fought to preserve and enhance the quality of life in the community he deeply cared about.