The UP’s Blue House District Goes Red, Dark Stores Loophole, a Tax Bill to Help Local Communities, and Whooping Cough Increase
– INFORMED BREVITY –
This Week in RI
On Wednesday we will be publishing “Left Behind Places: The Example of the Upper Peninsula” by Michael Broadway, in which he examines whether or not the UP has experienced the growth in incomes, jobs and productivity that other more successful places have enjoyed.
From Around the Upper Peninsula
The Upper Peninsula’s Blue House District 109th Goes Red:
For the first time since the 1950s, the 109th House District elected a Republican to that office. Incumbent Democrat Jen Hill was defeated by Republican Karl Bohnak, a former local television personality. He will now serve a two-year term and with other House members will seek re-election in 2026.
The voters will now await to see what his legislative priorities are and how they can work with him on their priorities. When he runs for reelection in 2026 he will have been the incumbent for two years and that is a big, big help to his reelection. His victory was a big win for the Republicans and helped turn the state House from a Democratic-controlled legislative body to one now that will be controlled by the Republicans.
The 109th sits right in the middle of the Upper Peninsula and includes the largest county and city in the Upper Peninsula–Marquette.
Let’s fast forward to mid to late next year and take a look at who the Democrats might put forward to again put the 109th back in the Democratic column. So who will might run against Mr. Bohnak in the 2026 general election.now the question is who will the Democrats run against Bohnak in 2026? There will most likely be a primary to select the Democrat in 2026. Several names that pop into our head.
Jeremy Hosking is Governor Whitmer’s Director of her Upper Peninsula office. He has a big resume that includes working in Lansing for former 109th State Representative Lindberg, US Senator Stabenow and also for a Upper Peninsula union. Lots of policy and political experience. He comes into the race with lots and lots of political and policy experience. He hails from Palmer and has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Northern Michigan University.
Incumbent 109th House member Jennifer Hill who lost this election has a big email list, lots of contacts and fundraising experience. She also now has Lansing policy and politics experience. Does she want to try again?
A newcomer to the Upper Peninsula political scene is Kevin Corkin of Ishpeming. He ran for the Ishpeming City Council this time but did not quite make it. Folks were impressed with his campaign skills, outgoing personality and knowledge. He has a last name that is well known in the district in political circles. He works at Northern Michigan University.
So who else would you add to the list? Alger or Baraga folks who might be lining up? Marquette names? Let us know what you think. We will be adding to this list because the 109th election in 2026 promises to be hotly contested and the Democrats will want to get it back in the blue fold and the Republicans will want to keep it red. More to come on this.
Dark Stores Loophole
You have read here for a couple of years as well as other sources how the so-called dark store loophole causes local governments and school districts to cut budgets and face budget deficits. Legislators have tried repeatedly in the past several years to fix this tax loophole but have never been able to get it corrected. Now during the upcoming lame duck session in the state legislature they will try again to fix this very unfair tax loophole that benefits big box retailers like Meijer, Menards, Walmart, etc..
The loophole allows these mega retailers to appeal their property taxes that are assessed by local governments to the Michigan Tax Tribunal. The Tax Tribunal has consistently sided with these retailers and allowed them to have their vacant stores to be “factored into the market value of their stores that are up and operating” (Michigan Advance). This ruling by the Tax Tribunal is what has caused such financial problems for communities throughout the Upper Peninsula.
HB 5865 is among a package of bills seeking to close the loophole cosponsored by Rep. Hill, Rep. Markkanen and Rep. Brixie. Also in this package of bills are HB 5866 and HB 5867
Upper Peninsula local government and school district leaders are working hard to get this legislation passed this lame duck session. If you are interested in helping, talk to them and talk to your UP legislators.
Another Tax Issue to Help Local Communities Reduce Homeowners Tax Bill
Tourism is great for a lot of folks in the Upper Peninsula, including small businesses, hotel owners and people who are employed in the tourism industry. However, that same tourism brings with it additional costs to local governments and these costs are passed onto homeowners.
There is a proposal being floated that we have written about before that could also generate millions in new local tax revenue. It is being used very regularly in communities below the bridge. It is called a tourism tax and it is a tax that is placed on hotel bills, Airbnbs, etc., and is paid by tourists checking into these facilities. This would be in addition to hotel taxes currently in place. A hotel owner acquaintance of mine says he never heard of a hotel guest saying that he/she would not check into a hotel because of various taxes.
The good news is that this type of tourism tax would help keep local homeowner taxes down and provide big relief to local governments, local libraries and schools. Again if you are interested talk to your local government leaders and state legislators and ask them about this type of tax relief for home owners and other tax payers.
Cough, Cough
The Michigan Health Department says whooping cough has increased tenfold so far in 2024. That is compared to the average from 2020-2023.
Quotes That Make Us Go Hmmm
“Speaking truth to power is even more necessary when the power isn’t speaking the truth.” Kerry Kennedy.
“Liberty dies in the hearts of men and women and when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it.” Justice Learned Hand.
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HB 5865 is among a package of bills seeking to close the loophole. Who is opposition of this?
HB5865 desperately needs to be passed and signed into law. Any one who opposes this bill needs to be voted out of office. Hopefully you will give us an accounting of how the UP legislators voted on this.
Anti vaccer wins just how ignorant is that? Reagan since 1980 has done a good job of dumbing down the population..wow so sad for the UP.
Agreed. Not hard to figure out his priorities.
Rupert Murdoch did a lot of damage to Aussie and English Democracy and has badly damaged ours by having a dedicated propaganda network called the Foxes news.
The diptheria (whooping cough) increase is a huge warning sign. I am surprised it is 10x in Michigan. Other states showing increases as well. We also have seen measles outbreaks in states, and the polio virus is being found in NYC sewage systems. The bird flu H5N1 virus has spread to cows (dairy workers also contracted it) and now reports of spread to hogs. (it also was a major reason for price inflation on eggs/poultry in the past 2 years due to significant culling of farm populations of poultry) Pigs are a common mutation ground for viruses that then effect humans, as pig systems have some similarities to ours. Winter is coming?
There are tried and true vaccines for diptheria, polio and measles that have been around for years and are available to everyone free or at very low prices. There would be no reason to fear these viruses if it weren’t for the plethora of anti-science and anti-vaccine nutcases and plain old dumbos out there who believe and repeat thoroughly debunked claims that these vaccines are either ineffective, dangerous or unnecessary.
Right On!
“FDA does not require clinical trials to measure vaccine clinical effectiveness.” This is a disturbing fact. Why do we trust vaccines, which are injections of a combination of substances, into healthy humans? I encourage all to be skeptical of what you are told to believe.
I’m old enough to remember the swine flu vaccine which disabled many. Here’s a link to a 60 Minutes transcript along with a video link if you’re interested in learning more about this one: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/cmte_testimony/2021/ecm/1HkJ-pZl3zAbSssdy22nrHiu-A-MrONZ3.pdf
This article is a good overview of data on vaccinating older adults. https://realhealthflash.substack.com/p/adult-vaccines-reconsidered?r=1cd1p&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true
As a member of Rotary of Marquette, I promote Pennies for Polio and other means of raising money for polio vaccines around the world. I grew up without polio vaccine when you saw classmates on crotches struggling to get along dragging their legs. And then there was President Roosevelt a victim of polio. You did not go swimming during the summer for fear of getting polio. Marquette and the UP had terrible polio outbreaks. I had two adult friends who died because of reoccuring polio in their 60s. When we heard that an antipolio vaccine was available it was like a heavenly gift. Then there is fluoride in drinking water that people are against. Without fluoride in the drinking water I had a mouth full of silver fillings by the time I was in high school. So tell me about the “horrors” of polio vaccine and fluoride in drinking water and then tell us what life was like in the 1950s and earlier. Then we could discuss smallpox, whooping cough, measles and rabies that killed millions of whites and Native Americans, but those are horror stories for another time.