Job creation important to 99th district candidates Sessoms, Cotter

• Tweet
• 

Kevin Cotter and Toni Sessoms agree the biggest issue facing Michigan is creating jobs — specifically jobs in Isabella and Midland counties.

Cotter, the Republican candidate, and Sessoms, the Democratic candidate, are vying for the 99th district state House seat, or term-limited seat of incumbent Rep. Bill Caul, R-Mount Pleasant.

Their strategies differ on how to best accomplish their jobs-related goal.

Sessoms supports fully restoring the Michigan Promise scholarship to its previous size and function.

“The Michigan Promise was originally developed for community colleges,” she said. “It was designed to help middle income families to give them help paying for college.”

Cotter, however, said he believes funds which could go toward the scholarship can be better spent by stimulating job growth.

“I don’t think we’re doing anyone a service if we can provide them a good quality education, but at the same time don’t have the jobs to keep them in Michigan,” Cotter said. “The Michigan Promise provides some minimal assistance toward education, but in my mind, providing a good paying quality job right here in Michigan is much more beneficial to our students.”

Both Sessoms and Cotter agreed whoever wins the election needs to work closely with Central Michigan University as Caul has to secure funding.

Business tax and jobs

Both support lessening governmental regulations; Sessoms wants to re-evaluate and condense the Michigan Business Tax and eliminate it if she feels necessary. Cotter said he thinks the tax should be scrapped as a whole and thinks its adoption was a mistake.

Cotter and Sessoms both wanted to study the repercussions of eliminating the tax and alternative methods of generating revenue for the state before making any campaign pledges. They also expressed concerns over instituting a 6-percent flat tax.

The main focus for both candidates is the creation of jobs, because of their background as owners of their own law practices. Sessoms emphasized her belief in small business through her own experience.

“There is no doubt jobs are the number one issue,” Sessoms said. “Small businesses are the heart of our economy.”

Outside of jobs, education and revamping the state’s infrastructure, Sessoms said her main concern is public safety. This includes food and drug safety and repealing a drug immunity statute.

Sessoms said the law states drug companies cannot be sued if a known side effect of a regulated drug results in someone’s death.

Cotter agreed with Sessoms’ on the largest priorities, but also emphasized more efficient spending in law enforcement so criminals are not released from prison early to save funding.

One of his main messages was efficiency in spending, from education and human services to roads and taxes.

“What we need to do with the budget is take a microscope, question every allocation in it,” Cotter said.