Bill Matt
Lansing City Council, Ward 3
Bill, a member of the Lansing City Council, is a great voice for working families in Michigan. He is running for reelection this fall.
Here are his answers to our questionaire:
Why are you seeking office?: To represent my neighbors and provide leadership for the city.
What qualifies you to represent working families?: Full time employed married father of three.
What are the main issues affecting the people you would represent?: Older housing stock and poor public schools are driving families to the subburbs, straining our revenue and threatening services.
What is your position on the “Right to Work” issue?: Union shops should be allowed to collect dues from employees whether the employee joins the union or not. The employee benefits from collective bargaining and this law weakens unions bargaining leverage.
Do you feel government entities should change zoning laws to accommodate big
block retailers like Wal-Mart? If "like Wal-mart" you mean non union shops, then no. In Michigan we do have a similar "Big Box" store Meijer which allows employees to organize, and they would be welcomed.
How would you use your position to address America's health care crisis?
Universal National Health care subsidized by the Federal Government should be implemented to cover all Americans and help keep us globally competitive.
What is your position on living wage ordinances? Should be required by all municiple governments.
What is your position on trade agreements like NAFTA, CAFTA and the WTO?
Sounds like they hurt our manufacturing as some jobs are lost to cheaper labor markets like Mexico, though I'm not an expert on the subject.