Q&A: State Rep. Mark Ouimet on the Issues

With Michigan lawmakers on break for July, Dexter Patch met up with state Rep. Mark Ouimet (R-Scio Township) to talk about the state’s budget, school funding and other issues legislators tackled so far this year.

Dexter Patch: In your opinion, what has been the single-biggest issue in Lansing this year?

Mark Ouimet: Everything we’ve been doing has been looking at one of two things: the cost of government or creating jobs.

Patch: In June, the Michigan House approved legislation reforming teacher tenure laws, including a bill that would end the practice known as “Last In, First Out,” which puts seniority before quality when choosing whom to keep in the face of necessary staffing reductions. Can you explain how these bills will benefit your constituents in the 52nd District?

Ouimet: We spent a lot of time on those bills. What they really do is get at the opportunity to help support children in the classroom by making sure they have the best teachers. I’ve gotten overwhelming support from teachers, administration officials and the Michigan Education Association for this legislation.

Patch: What brought about this legislation?

Ouimet: According to the 2010 ACT test, only 16 percent of students statewide are considered college ready, and 238 Michigan schools turned out no college-ready students last year.

Patch: What causes that to happen? Is it a combination of state funding and lack of resources?

Ouimet: I don’t see it as a funding issue. Everything starts with the parents' interest in their child’s education, I think. It’s the approach that some school boards have taken that allow this deterioration to continue academically. This is not the case in the 52nd District. All the schools in my district are leaders in education.

Patch: You said from day one that you planned to remain connected with your constituency. What, if anything are you hearing from your constituents?

Ouimet: I do a lot of door-to-door discussions, and the feedback overwhelmingly is that we’re on course. People understand the challenges. They understand the financial mess we were left with. I’m impressed that the majority are telling me, “I get it, we have to make sacrifices." In the 52nd District we have a very in-tune, bright population. The more door-to-door I do, the more it validates my feeling of the district.

Patch: How do you explain the cuts to schools or other issues affecting taxpayer dollars to someone? I find it hard to believe that it's as simple as saying that we need to share the burden.

Ouimet: I listen to someone's specific issue and try to put it in context of the larger picture. The one question I get asked repeatedly is if politicians are treated differently. The answer is no. We took a 10 percent pay reduction and did away with lifetime benefits that state representatives had enjoyed for years. We co-share health benefits just like everyone else. I believe that is something we needed to do first before asking anyone else to make concessions.

Patch: How is the state of jobs in Washtenaw County? According to the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, there are still 366,000 people receiving unemployment benefits in the state.

Ouimet: We're actually doing better in Washtenaw County than we are in the state. We've always done better here because of our universities and the spin-off jobs they create. We have a high level of quality of life here. We have very good governmental units by and large.

Patch: Speaking of local government, has your office been contacted with concerns over the state's emergency financial manager law?

Ouimet: We've had some calls, but it's been 2-to-1 in favor. Once people read it and understand it, they tend to agree. The emergency manager addresses a serious process of failures a government has gone through over time. You don’t just wake up one morning and put someone in that position. It takes years of failures. This isn’t anything new. The object is to not get on the list, and if you get on the list, to get you off as quickly as possible.

Patch: Can you explain your bill that addresses the Michigan film incentive?

Ouimet: Sure. My bill gives the authority back to local municipalities to issue tax credits. If the local municipality feels this is really good for their community, I feel they should have a right to go ahead and grant those. But it is a vote of the people; it will be the consensus of the taxpayers in that community.

Patch: What's going on at the state level in terms of clarifying the medical marijuana law for local municipalities?

Ouimet: I think this is one of those things that we passed as voters with good intent and now we have to figure it out. I go to a lot of township and village meetings and they are struggling with the same thing. At the state level we're starting the process of developing a framework municipalities can use as a guide for what works for them.

Mark Ouimet is the state representative for the 52nd District in the Michigan House of Representatives. He can be reached at mark@markouimet.com.