Editor’s Note: Two candidates are running for the 46th District seat in the Michigan State House of Representatives. They are Republican John Reilley and Democrat Mindy Denninger.

Mindy Denninger (D)

Age: 53

Municipality of residence and number of years you’ve lived there: Oxford Township, 19 years

Current or past occupation: Senior Lead Product Engineer for automotive OEMs and suppliers

Prior government experience: First time candidate

Community involvement: Years of local involvement through school activities and homeowner association.

1) Why are you running for office?

I have seen our state government put special interests, corporate donors, and personal ideologies above the people of Michigan. Instead of waiting for someone else to make change, I decided that I would do it. We need more citizens stepping up and becoming involved. Let’s start with me.

2) If elected, what do you hope to accomplish?

I will promote data-driven problem solving while prioritizing the issues that are most important. Why did a frog-spearing bill make it to the floor in 2017, while we had crumbling roads and undrinkable water? Michiganders deserve representatives who will work on the topics that directly impact our lives.

3) What do you view as the top two issues facing the state and why?

According to my conversations with voters in this area, the future of public education and improving infrastructure are their most urgent concerns. A well-educated workforce, functioning roads, bridges, internet, water systems and public health are the foundations necessary for success and prosperity in Michigan.

4) If elected, how do you plan to address those two issues?

These issues can be addressed by ensuring adequate funding, ideally generated by finding efficiencies in other areas of the budget, and eliminating expenses that do not provide sufficient value to the State, according to feedback analysis. As an engineer, I know how to conserve costs.

5) What do you view as the most important responsibility of an elected official and why?

It is most important that an elected official understand that they represent all of the people in their district, not just the ones that voted for them or agree with their philosophies. They should also be able to comprehend proposals well enough to make informed decisions on them.

John Reilly (R)

Age: 60

Municipality of residence and number of years you’ve lived there: Oakland Township for 18 years

Current or past occupation: State Representative

Prior government experience: None

Community involvement: St. Joseph Church member, involved with Kensington Community Church, and Intercessors for America prayer effort.

1) Why are you running for office?

I initially ran to oppose the state’s overbearance, especially in education policy. Having now served a term, I’m all the more convinced we need representatives that will fight for their constituents, even when doing so opposes the moneyed interests in Lansing. Every politician says this – few consistently vote accordingly.

2) If elected, what do you hope to accomplish?

I want to end the cartel control of our electricity market. We have the highest energy bills in the Midwest, hurting families and repelling manufacturers from bringing jobs into our state. The energy monopolies wield extraordinary financial influence over policy-making, to their financial benefit. We have to break the cycle.

3) What do you view as the top two issues facing the state and why?

Taxes and regulations, because these determine how attractive we are for business, i.e. jobs. Great schools are essential, but the biggest factor in quality of education, and quality of life in general, is the prosperity of the community. Michigan should become a magnet for new and expanding businesses.

4) If elected, how do you plan to address those two issues?

I consistently voted for lower taxes and less onerous regulations, and would continue to do so. However, I also oppose corporate welfare programs in any form. These special interest deals are often sold as innovations, but they disrupt the market and discourage investment in those competing without special assistance.

5) What do you view as the most important responsibility of an elected official and why?

Transparency. I post explanations for all of my votes at RepReilly.com. It’s essential that the public can easily see what we’re doing – this is probably the best place to discover what the Legislature did this year – and having to explain every vote requires that I apply my principles consistently.

Editor’s Note: In order to be consistent with our election letters policy in the print edition, we will not be allowing any online comments related to the Nov. 6 general election. Per our policy, we did not publish any election-related letters after the Oct. 24 edition. Given this, it would not be fair or ethical to allow people to circumvent this policy by posting election-related comments online. Thank you for understanding.