Segal seeks to succeed state Rep. Mike Nofs

Nick Schirripa • The Enquirer • October 5, 2008

Kate Segal is seeking to represent her home county in Lansing; the Battle Creek Democrat is running to succeed state Rep. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, who will leave office after this year because of term limits.

Segal, 33, is facing Athens Republican Greg Moore — former Nofs staffer and fellow Calhoun County commissioner — and she said her priorities if elected will be jobs, health care and education.

Michigan needs well-paying jobs in a diversified economy to protect its economy from slumping too much in the case that one industry, such as the automotive industry, takes a significant hit, Segal said.

Lawmakers also need to repeal the Michigan Business Tax surcharge, Segal said, to encourage businesses to come to and stay in Michigan.

"The Legislature needs to be working, first and foremost, on making a situation where we are removing barriers and hindrances to businesses that are growing," she said. "We also need to be using tax incentives to encourage businesses to move here, expand here and hire Michigan workers."

The state budget also needs to be restructured, Segal said, by reforming state spending and encouraging more collaboration and consolidation between units of government in Michigan.

"Let's start with legislators themselves. We have the third-highest paid legislators in the country," she said. "We need to be working full-time for the people of the state and the salaries need to be more in line with what the average Michigan family is making."

That would mean reducing lawmakers' salaries from about $80,000 a year to something closer to $45,000 or $50,000 a year.

Segal helped create the Calhoun Health Plan, a public health care model that leverages local funding and partnerships for more federal funding to reach more uninsured and under-insured county residents.

It's that model, she said, that should be examined on a larger scale to help meet some of the state's health care needs.

"The important part to me is increasing access for the uninsured," she said. "Taxpayers already are on the hook for health care. There's a study that shows, in Michigan, family premium costs are about $800 more a year because of the number of uninsured. That directly affects our businesses, and those costs continue to go up. It's not only hurting our families, but it's hurting our business, as well."

Education needs more state funding, Segal said, but that money needs to be spent more wisely.

"We need to make sure we have enough resources in our classrooms for our teachers," she said. "I think it's good to have standards for our students. I think there are some components of our vocational education program that I want to make sure I address."

Students will need more varied educational opportunities at all levels, Segal said, if Michigan is going to have enough skilled and educated workers to meet the needs of the new economy.

Part of that new economy will come from alternative fuel sources, Segal said, and mandating the use of alternative and renewable energy will help Michigan attract employers who are looking for a skilled work force and a market for their products.

Originally published October 5, 2008
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