Issue Position: Local Issues

Issue Position

I'm proud to be born and raised in Flint. I'm proud to represent such a diverse district in Congress--from the urban cities of Flint, Saginaw and Bay City to the shoreline communities along Lake Huron like Tawas and Oscoda.

In my first year in Congress, I helped to secure $100 million in federal funding to help tear down abandoned residential buildings. This much-needed money is helping to remove thousands of vacant and abandoned homes in cities like Flint and Saginaw and will make our neighborhoods safer and stronger. This is an issue I've long worked on even before coming to Congress -- first as the Genesee County Treasurer and then as the President and CEO of the Center for Community Progress.

I've also worked to increase law enforcement and reduce the risk of violent crime in Flint and Saginaw. Last year, I introduced the Help Communities Fight Violent Crime Act, which would help the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conduct "surge" programs that coordinate intelligence and provide additional personnel to combat violent crime. A similar four-month program in Flint in recent years saw a 50 percent drop in the city's homicide rate during the surge. These successful programs help to keep violent criminals off the streets and help make the streets of Flint, Saginaw and other communities more safe.

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