Janice DuMouchelle
Republican for State Representative
Wayne County, 1st District
Why are you running for office?
As the mother of six wonderful children I am discouraged by the fact that only one of my kids still lives in Michigan. Year after year our state’s prohibitive cost of doing business, anemic economic growth and mounting joblessness drive our most talented residents, new graduates and young people from our state. I am running for State Representative to help rebuild an economic structure in Michigan that retains our talent by fostering an environment of real economic opportunity for businesses and jobseekers.
What is the biggest problem facing Michigan residents today and how would you solve it?
There is no question that Michigan’s largest problem is our unemployment. To solve it we must replace the Michigan Business Tax to reflect Michigan’s true desire to give new and current businesses every advantage they need to grow, build and hire Michigan workers. Furthermore, in order to create a tax structure that encourages employment and economic growth, we must restrain Michigan’s spending, streamline prohibitive and unnecessary regulatory hurdles and learn to make our government more efficient and cost effective; in other words – cut spending. Finally, while MEGA credits have yielded mixed results at best; businesses make decisions to buy new equipment, expand facilities, and hire new workers based on expectations of future growth potential relative to future costs. MEGA credits do not provide this certainty, and often create more opportunities for fraud and graft than actual savings for businesses. I believe that Michigan businesses would benefit from more broader-based tax relief funded largely through direct savings diverted from MEGA credits, a system that would promote stability and predictability in the business tax structure, giving current and prospective Michigan businesses the confidence they need to invest and grow.
What's a better solution: finding revenue or cutting costs to meet Michigan's public education budget? How would you do it?
Simply, our budget should not be balanced on the backs of public schools. I believe that through a combination of structural reforms within the existent public school system, and basic budgetary timetable adjustments, Michigan schools can be improved, even during a time of economic contraction.
One major problem our school districts face is an unpredictable economic climate, which adversely affects state funding for their districts through Michigan’s School Aid Fund (SAF). Lansing must stop the political bickering and buck-passing and adopt measures to ensure any SAF changes are submitted to districts in a timely and uniform manner. Moreover, educational choice is critical to fostering an improved learning environment for all students. I believe the cap on public charter schools need to be raised. Any arguments against the use of charter schools are antiquated and counter-productive, when our only goal is to give every child the chance at a top-notch education. The expansion of charter schools in Michigan will help foster real competition and improve the overall quality of Michigan education. In addition, I propose enacting, at minimum, the three following reforms:
1. Privatize non-instructional functions: our state would save hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds simply through competitive contracting for transportation, food, and custodial services—those are dollars that could offset recent reductions in per-pupil spending.
2. Enact merit pay in underperforming schools: while controversial, it is only logical that better teachers should earn better pay. The current system tends toward perpetuating failure, rather than rewarding success.
3. Close or restructure chronically underperforming schools: schools that fail to graduate 50% or more of their students are dooming whole generations of Michigan students to second-class citizen status. These students will enter the modern workforce without the competitive skills needed to secure a well-paying job or raise a family.
What's the best way to create jobs for Michigan residents?
As stated in an earlier question, job creation is the greatest challenge facing the state of Michigan. To reiterate, it is absolutely critical we replace the MBT with a simplified and streamlined tax and regulatory structure for Michigan businesses. Furthermore, it’s time to eliminate the personal property tax. This tax unfairly taxes business machinery and equipment, furnishings and office equipment. It raises the cost of doing business in our state and serves as a clear-cut disincentive to capital investment. For more information on specific pro-growth policies that will foster job growth, please visit www.dumo4house.com.
After you leave this earth, what will they say about you?
This question is something I have given a great deal of thought to lately, as my mother passed away this July. To know what those you leave
