11-01-2018 State Senate Races on the November 6 ballot… continued from Page 8

State Senate Races on the November 6 ballot

LaSata vs Haight for State Senator – 21st District

Kim LaSata was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in November 2016 and now seeks to be a State Senator for the 21st District which includes Berrien County. She graduated from Lake Michigan Catholic High School, has a Bachelor of Science degree, Cum Laude, from Western Michigan University, and a Master’s degree, Summa Cum Laude, from Western Michigan. Kim and her husband have four children and reside in Bainbridge Township. Prior to being elected representative, she was a teacher. As a representative she worked to raise the personal exemption on Michigan’s personal income tax from $4,000 to $4,900 by 2021, saving $170 per person per year on state income taxes. She voted to reduce and eventually eliminate Michigan’s Personal Income Tax. While she voted for a plan to lower auto insurance rates and provide greater choices for drivers in Michigan, that effort failed due to a lack of votes to pass. LaSata, however, states that she remains committed to delivering a meaningful rate reduction. If elected she seeks to attract jobs and talent to Southwest Michigan by providing a low cost, high-amenity area to live work and raise a family. She will continue to ensure that kids have access to a high-quality education and will do everything she can to tackle the problem of Michigan’s broken infrastructure. Democrat Ian Haight is the 8th generation of his family to live in Southwest Michigan. He currently resides in Saint Joseph with his wife and their two young sons. He attended Kalamazoo College where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and received his teaching certificate. He states that after Governor Snyder slashed school funding, he decided to focus on Instructional Technology and attended Wayne State University for his Master’s Degree in Information Science. He currently works for Berrien RESA providing Instructional Technology services for all of the public schools in Berrien and Cass counties. He got his start in local politics when he helped lead a successful recall effort against several township officials that had stopped listening to their constituents. After that, he was elected twice to be the Clerk of Hagar Township where he served on the finance committee and chaired the election committee. He was also appointed as the Treasurer of the North Berrien Fire Rescue Board. He notes that there is an inherent value to having a fresh perspective and an open mind while confronting the problems facing all of us here in Michigan.

Nesbitt vs Lewis for State Senator – 26th District Aric Nesbitt of Lawton is seeking the Senate seat. The former Representative is currently the state lottery commissioner. He had served three terms as a representative before he term limited in 2016. As a representative, Nesbitt led the effort to balance budgets, lower the state’s debt by $20 billion, eliminate nearly 2,300 government rules and regulations, end lifetime healthcare benefits for politicians, require able-bodied welfare recipients to work, and reduce the tax burden.

Nesbitt grew up on a six-generation family farm in Van Buren County. Following graduation from Lawton Community Schools, he obtained a degree in economics from Hillsdale College and a master’s degree in international business. He and his wife still reside in Lawton. If elected to State Senate, he will work to strengthen our economy, limit government, ban sanctuary cities, pay down government debt and be a Pro-Life, Pro-Second Amendment leader. Nesbitt faces Democrat Garnet Lewis. Lewis is a small business owner. She has a bachelor’s degree in animal science/ animal husbandry from Truman State University and a master’s in education from Northern Michigan University. Ultimately she received a doctorate from the University of North Texas. Residing in Saugatuck, she is chairwoman of the Saugatuck Planning Commission and a member of the Saugatuck Board of Review.