TRANSCRIPTION:
Decky Alexander: This is 89.1 WEMU, and welcome to our weekly conversation on equity and opportunity in our county and in our community. I'm your host, Decky Alexander. And as we lead up to Election Day, we at Washtenaw United are expanding and shape-shifting our focus from those who move and shake the nonprofit advocacy world to those who move and shape our policy world: our electeds and candidates for state Senator and state House. Today's guest is Tawn Shawnelle Beliger, who is running for state Senate in Michigan's 14th district, a district that encompasses parts of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Township, Chelsea, Dexter, Scio, Salem, Sylvan and Northfield Township. A couple of quick notables about our candidate, Tawn: she is a lifelong Michigander, community leader from Northfield Township, where she served as township trustee from 2016 to 2020. She is literally running through this district as she campaigns across its vast geography. Welcome to Washtenaw United, Tawn! We are so thrilled to have you here!
Tawn Beliger: Thank you so much, Decky! And learning more about Washtenaw United, I am very pleased to be here, and I thank you for what you are doing.
Decky Alexander: Thank you so much! Well, we have a couple questions for you today, and as this is a program in tandem with the United Way, our focus is on the social safety net and how porous it is these days. Most specifically, the United Way focuses on helping families who are asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed families, or ALICE for short. These families make too much money to qualify for social programs, but not enough to meet their basic needs. What would or could you do from a policy standpoint? How would you repair or shift the safety net so that it supports ALICE families and those in poverty, Tawn?
Tawn Beliger: What I'd like to see is a lot of what you are already doing: local community helping people within that community. I would, from a policy standpoint, look to find ways to encourage people helping people within the community to fill those gaps, as you mentioned. I find that money that stays within the community where it is intended to help those in the community is money better spent. Less of it is lost in the process of transferring of funds. More of that money will help those in need that need it. It's pretty evident that when money is pulled out of a community, taken to a capital, whether it's Lansing or D.C., and it changes hands multiple times through bureaucracies, before that ever returns, much of that's already spent and gone. So, for every dollar that's taken out of a community, much less of it is returned. So if that money can remain in the community and be incentivized to create programs or to help those programs that are already in existence to grow and foster more aid to those in need, that's the kind of policies I would be looking to encourage.
Decky Alexander: So, to clarify, it's really an investment in sort of the local county or community ecosystem, like nonprofits versus really having entities or support run through the state. Is that what you're sort of saying?
Tawn Beliger: That's a good way to summarize it. Thank you.
Decky Alexander: Okay. Well, that's what I heard. So you were talking about nonprofits. And so I wanted to lift that up as well. One question is data helps us understand and address a lot of issues, as you know, facing everyday Michiganders, whether it might be SNAP cuts or housing crisis or water shutoffs. How might you use data as a policymaker?
Tawn Beliger: You need to understand what is, where is the weakness, where is the problem. You need data in order to come up with, "Hey, we have a problem here!"
Decky Alexander: Sure.
Tawn Beliger: How can we address this and solve this? So yes, obviously, you need information and factual data.
Decky Alexander: And you would then use that as a policymaker to make whatever those decisions, including investing in some of those community organizations and nonprofits in those communities to help people who are at ALICE-driven.
Tawn Beliger: Well, then data is essential. You really can't make a decision just based on whims. You need to have solid information in order to help figure out a solution for the problem at hand.
Decky Alexander: One of the things, Tawn, is that H.R.1, otherwise known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is forcing some of our state to implement some work requirements for Michiganders who rely on SNAP and Medicaid. So more than 105,000 fewer Michiganders received SNAP in August, compared to January of this year. So do you have a platform to strengthen maybe the SNAP system at this pivotal time?
Tawn Beliger: I do not at the moment have details to answer that question. I do understand that the work requirements are actually to help the society as a whole. You need people to help in some manner to contribute to society in a manner that they can do. Obviously, you can't try to get somebody to do something they physically cannot do or mentally cannot do. But to be a contributor in order to receive what one is receiving is actually, I think, a very good policy. Now, that being said, there are always going to be cases and situations where there are people that need help no matter what. They're going to need the help, and they do need to be taken care of. That is compassion. That is a part of what is essential to a strong society and a good, strong community. You need to have that. You know, it's actually Biblical in a sense. Love thy neighbor as thyself. You have to take care of one another. But also, there needs to be an understanding of responsibility. One needs to want to contribute as much as they can in the sense of being a part of the community in whatever way they can help society. We all need to work in a sense to help one another, if possible.
Decky Alexander: You are listening to Washtenaw United on 89.1 WEMU. I'm Decky Alexander. And today, we are talking with candidate Tawn Beliger for State Senate District 14 on actions and policies she would take to support some of our county's most economically vulnerable residents. So, Tawn, one of the notable things is that the ALICE report shows that 36% of Washtenaw County families don't make enough to even afford a basic budget. And more than half of the families in the county spend more than three out of every 10 dollars they earn on rent. How might you ensure working families or young Michiganders and people even exiting homelessness can find entry-level housing?
Tawn Beliger: That is a great question! One thing that has raised the cost of housing is excessive red tape – permitting, licensing, various bureaucratic measures that have added to the cost of housing. There's been some reports that claim about a third of the cost of new housing is directly connected to government or, shall we say, licensing or mandates of one kind or another. Those should be reviewed and reduced when and where possible, so that the cost of new housing is less to begin with. The cost is increased due to slow permitting processes, due to excessive licensing, as I mentioned, and permit fees, and standards, government standards, that are forced upon those that are making homes, creating and building new homes. And some of these things should be reviewed and, quite frankly, eliminated, so that would help. And, yeah, I mean, I remember when we were younger and parents struggled. We had the green stamps and all those fun things as a child. And then my mother had to work when the children got a little older. She worked, and I started babysitting as she worked, and we got more money. And then things progressively got a little better. But, yeah, tight times do happen, I think, to just about every new family, and there is little pockets here and there, like, say, the stamps, the green stamps. They helped, so there's measures that still do need to be in place temporarily to help people get on their feet.
Decky Alexander: Since many of the sort of licensing and permits are local or in counties, what role might you as a state senator have in sort of improving some of those policies or sort of the compliance related to housing and building?
Tawn Beliger: I would need to review and study that. I don't want the state government to trample the local government. But also at the same time, we don't want the local government running roughshod over the people. So there does need to be a balance. And where there is problems, state government needs to be made aware of these problems and help to find a solution, as you're mentioning.
Decky Alexander: Is there any particular bill or proposal or policy that you have worked on, even as a trustee, or want to work on, that would address some of our community members, those who have those limited assets, but not so limited that they're eligible for resources and benefits? Is there something you'd like to construct or work on or reinforce?
Tawn Beliger: What I would like to work on is help a lot of what you are doing, connecting people to the available resources. There's a lot things out there that I don't think people are aware of. And you've mentioned in previous shows. You have this Yvonne Fund thing and you've got the Avalon Housing and such. You have outfits and organizations that are doing things and connecting people and helping people. And I'm very intrigued by that, and I'm actually very inspired to find that there really is people helping people and they're not all looking to the government for handouts. Quite frankly, I'm going to be quite honest here. Government handouts should be the very last, very last resort because they are the furthest from the people, they're the least efficient and it's not the job of government. The community is to help the community. And I see a lot of what you are doing, what you're sharing and inspiring others to do, is exactly that. And I would do all I could to help encourage, and my office would also help to connect people with you and others like yourself that can help further connect people to the resources that are presently available but little known of.
Decky Alexander: So, really, serving as a connector between people and programs and possibilities in a community. Is that it?
Tawn Beliger: That honestly sounds great. That is where I would feel very empowered and very motivated. I'm very inspired to be a part of that.
Decky Alexander: Well, one thing that I know is inspiring for a lot of people is you running through all of your ... the vast amount of your sort of district. Can you talk a little bit about that as we close out?
Tawn Beliger: Yeah. Yes, it's very inspiring meeting people right at their doorsteps or out in their driveways and so on and so forth. Every type of community you can imagine, from the ones that you really can't get through the gate to the people that are really struggling, and it's obvious they're really struggling. And I tell you what. There are great people across this community. They have a big heart, they're genuine, they are real and I'm very much enjoying running for office and running this race across the district. It's been extremely educational and extremely encouraging. Very, very encouraging.
Decky Alexander: Tawn, is there anything else you'd like to sort of leave us with, any sort of policies or programs or possibilities as it relates, particularly to some of United Way's initiatives in ALICE and serving the more vulnerable economic parts of our community?
Tawn Beliger: Well, the one thing I definitely would like to do, first and foremost, when I get in office, is to reduce the cost of living for us in Michigan, obviously in Washtenaw and Jackson County, which is where this district lies, but throughout Michigan in general. There are some things that occurred in 2023, like the clean energy mandates, which have resulted in our utility costs and our electric bills going up. I would do all I could to repeal that and reduce our electric rates back to a more reasonable level as they were before the 2023 mandates went into place. That should help everybody across the board with bills. Your utilities cost less, your electric costs less, your goods and services are going to be lower and, of course, your bill will be less. So, that's one thing I would love to do, anything I could to help reduce the cost of living, reduce the taxation burden on all of us here. Am I allowed to mention votetawn.com is the website?
Decky Alexander: We definitely will have that as part of our sort of website information as well. So yes, absolutely.
Tawn Beliger: Okay. Well, thank you so very much!
Decky Alexander: Well, that was wonderful! So, that was candidate Tawn Beliger, literally running for state Senate in District 14, sharing her platforms and policies as it relates to our county and community's social safety net. Washtenaw United is produced in partnership with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and you can hear it right here every Monday. I'm Decky Alexander, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU Ypsilanti.
ABOUT TAWN BELIGER:
Tawn Beliger is a lifelong Michigander, proud Republican, and community leader from Northfield Township. She and her husband Gerry have been married 36 years, and have made Northfield Township their home since 2015.
She previously served as Northfield Township Trustee from 2016 to 2020. Tawn currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Washtenaw County Republican Committee (elected by precinct delegates), sits on the Executive Committee of the 6th Congressional District Republican Committee, and was a delegate to the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Tawn is committed to fighting for lower taxes, stronger public safety, pro-life values, parental rights, and protecting our constitutional freedoms. In Lansing, she will repeal the energy mandates that are driving energy costs up, reinstate right-to-work, and restore local control back to cities and townships where it belongs. She is running for State Senate District 14 to bring common-sense conservative leadership back to Lansing.
RESOURCES:
WEMU has partnered with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to explore the people, organizations, and institutions creating opportunity and equity in our area. And, as part of this ongoing series, you’ll also hear from the people benefiting and growing from the investments being made in the areas of our community where there are gaps in available services. It is a community voice. It is 'Washtenaw United.'
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