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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 shapeshifting our focus from those who move and shake the nonprofit advocacy world to those who moving shake our policy world, our electeds and candidates for state senator and state House representative. Today's guest is Brian Ignatowski, who is running for state representative in Michigan's 48th district, a district that encompasses parts of Washtenaw and Livingston counties, including areas like Ann Arbor Charter Township, Dexter, Webster, and portions of Brighton. A couple quick notables about our candidate, Mr. Ignatowski. He owns American H2O, a small business in the water filtration industry that has served thousands of families for nearly 20 years. He served on the board of a division of the Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce and received the 2022 Emerging Leader Award. And like many politicians, he began his political life as part of the Student Statesmanship Institute of Lansing, circa 1988. So, Mr. Ignatowski, what are some of the things notable that we may not know about you and you might want to share at this moment on a public radio show?
Brian Ignatowski: Well, good morning, Decky!
Decky Alexander: Good morning!
Brian Ignatowski: And thank you so much for having me on today. It truly is an honor to be here and to be on the radio with you and all of your listeners. And I would just like to mention that I'm a community person. I'm 44 years old. I live in Pinckney, Michigan. I've been serving Southeast Michigan for nearly 20 years. And for me, I just care about my community. I care about people having clean water. And as a small business owner, my mentality is the mindset that no one's going to get anything done for you. You have to get out there and get after it and get it done. And for me, stepping into this role was not my idea. Many people that are much older and wiser and more achieved, I guess you could say would be the word, had recommended that I prayerfully consider running for position. And it seemed to fit because, again, I care about my community. I don't like the division. I don't like the things that I see in the community, the division. I think that there's so many things that definitely United Way, myself, I'm on the board for Habitat for Humanity. I wanted the listeners to know that because your statistics on your website, 40% of people having struggling with food, housing, and health care. And our motto at the Livingston County Habitat for Humanity is "a hand up, not a handout." So I believe that we need to encourage people to be the best versions of themselves. And I just seek to unify the divide and really just focus on the issues like making things more affordable in Michigan. That's my main priority. That's my main motivator. And supporting public safety. We live in an era where there are things that I don't even think would, I'd feel comfortable saying on the radio because there could be young listeners, but any adult or anybody with a computer could go on to Washtenaw County and see some of the things that they've decriminalized from hallucinogenics to, actually, I hate to say it, but sex work. That's a fancy term for prostitution. So for me, I think that those are very fringe issues that people often put out of their mind. And I really like to focus on the things that need to be done, like making sure that people have food in their cupboards and in the refrigerator. And I think for the rising cost of things, we can really help families out by cutting taxes and making businesses a better regulatory climate to incentivize them to come to Michigan. And so I know that was a bit to say right there in one thing, but I think I hope you understand the heart of it.
Decky Alexander: Mr. Ignatowski, as this is a program in tandem with United Way, our focus is, as you noted, on community and on the social safety net and how porous it is these days. The United Way focuses on helping families who are asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed families, or what they call ALICE for short. And these families make too much money to qualify for social programs, but not enough to meet their basic needs. So what would or could you do from a policy standpoint to repair and shift the safety net so that it supports ALICE families and those in poverty?
Brian Ignatowski: From a policy standpoint, I think that one of the best things that the government can do is to be limited in scope. Because when the government grows, so does our tax bills. And again, if we are giving an economic climate that is good for businesses, then businesses will flourish. More people will have jobs. More people have opportunities. I think that the government's job is not always to be the facilitator of all of those things. But if we can lift those families up and we can give them opportunity, I heard a shocking statistic the other day. And I'm going to look into this a little bit more, but one of the representatives at the Hamburg Township candidate forum mentioned that there was 175,000 males that were on some type of assistance, that didn't have any children or any disability. And the qualifiers for ability to work, right, willingness to work, ability to work were very low, and people in Lansing were challenging the safety of that. And my biggest fear of that is that people who are just unwilling to work but able and receiving, that would be taken from those same families where if we had a strong net for these social programs that they could go to the families that do need them the most. So I would say that there's some regulations that would help business, would give more opportunity. And I think, in turn, we can do right things to make sure that people are not stealing from the government and taking from those that are in the most need. My mindset is to focus on transparency, accountability and really fairness in the system.
Decky Alexander: You are listening to Washtenaw United and 89.1 WEMU. I'm Decky Alexander. And today, we are talking with candidate Brian Ignatowski on actions and policies he would take to support some of our county's most economically vulnerable residents. Mr. Ignatowski, data, and you mentioned it a little bit, helps us to understand and address the issues facing everyday Michiganders, whether they be SNAP cuts or the housing crisis or water shutoffs. How do you use data or how would you use data as a policymaker?
Brian Ignatowski: Data is important, and anything that I've ever cared about, I get into the data when it comes to my campaign, when it comes to anything in regards to my business. And with the data, I think that it's very important, again, that we have some checks and balances. There's a lot of bipartisan support to make sure that kids were getting food in the schools. For me, I look at things from a common sense standpoint. I believe that nobody thinks that kids should be hungry. That's just a very basic-level thing that we should all be able to agree on. I think often we forget whose responsibility it is to ensure that that is done. Ultimately, I believe that is the parent's responsibility. Now, if a parent is on hard times, they should be able to ask for help. You know, it's a humbling experience. My family has been there. We know what that feels like. It doesn't feel great to ask help, but you can't help people that are not willing to ask, or a friend or a family member to say, "These guys are in need. We need some help. We need to lift them up." But at the same time, if you have a family that's making three or $400,000 per year, I don't think that the best solution would be to make sure that their kids are having a free meal at school. That's the parent's responsibility. And obviously, there's times where things are set in place where if a parent is not necessarily being a good parent, there are social services and things of that nature. So we need to have the vessels and the ability to be able to do those things. And I think that the data shows that we don't have a lot of transparency when we have, for instance, representatives in the Legislature who are lawfully allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements with large corporations. I would like to see that go away. And I'd like to be more transparency with the data in regards to these social programs and make it easy for the average homeowner or person applying for benefits to be able to do that in a way that doesn't jeopardize their integrity or respect either.
Decky Alexander: Mr. Ignatowski, you talked a little bit about your own story a little earlier and the ALICE report shows that 36% of Washtenaw County families don't make enough to afford a basic budget. And more than half of the families in the county spend more than three out of every $10 they earn on rent. So, as a representative, how will you ensure working families like yourself, young Michiganders and people exiting homelessness, can find entry-level housing?
Brian Ignatowski: I would definitely say that for 36% is a shocking statistic. When I look at people that I meet in Livingston County, out of the 83 counties, Livingston County has one of the lowest tax rates in the entire state. I live in Hamburg Township. When I go across from the north side of Whitmore Lake to the south side of Whitmore Lake I've had clients, I've got people that I've knocked on the door for my campaign, and these people tell me what they're paying for their taxes. And these people that are living in the exact same square-foot house with the exact same floor plan in Livingston County, they are paying half to a third of the tax rate that they're pay in Washtenaw County. So, I would say from a very basic, common sense standpoint, that doesn't seem to a whole lot of sense to me because that money is clearly not going to those families. And that's a concern for me. 36% is way too many families that have a hardship, and they make too much money to qualify for a benefit. So, I would say that some people should really look at who they're voting for this November and look at where that money is going and why it's not going to these, I would say, almost like the forgotten middle class. And I would say that, for me, the solution is to cut those people's tax bills. And when you're telling me about this 36% of people, I look at that as a very big concern. Where is the money going? What is it being spent on? And when we're talking about something as simple as housing and food and health care, these are the things that people need the relief from. And I look at the tax reductions as a solution to that.
Decky Alexander: Mr. Ignatowski, is there any particular bill or proposal, and you alluded to some policy that you have worked on or want to work on, that would address some of these of our committee members, those who have limited assets but not so limited that they are eligible for resources and benefits? You alluded to sort of maybe where taxes are being directed. Is there any kind of other bill or proposal or policy that you think we should lift up or should be lifted up in this moment to address some of these ALICE communities?
Brian Ignatowski: Absolutely! You mentioned that these people are this 36%. These ALICE families that make money but too much money to qualify for a benefit. There is a bill. And when I knock on somebody's door with my campaign and I introduce myself, they look at my card, and they say "affordability and tax cuts." Everybody wants tax cuts. They ask me, "What does that mean? How is that any different than our current representative?" And there's a specific bill that I will cite if they ask, if they're really caring, they really want to know, what am I going to do to fix that? I said that there is a bill, and this is public information. Anyone can look this up. The property tax cut that our representative voted against. And then there's an income tax cut. And the income tax cuts is House Bill 4170. And our representative voted against cutting income taxes for people. Now, from a very basic standpoint, and that's not going to save them $10,000 a year. That's not going to save them. It's not going to bump them up to the upper class. But it's a very, very basic standpoint that says the state's getting $80 billion next year. They just passed the budget. That's $80 billion next year. And we have a representative who is voting against cutting the income taxes for these working families that you're talking about. And I know that that is money that I want to keep in, especially, those ALICE families' pockets. Keep money for them and give less money to the state. $80 billion seems to be a lot of money. They should be able to get the things done, like fix the roads and make sure teachers have raises and we have police in places like the village of Pinckney. 59% of the budget in the village of Pinckney is the police, and we need people in the state that can help make sure these vital resources are being funded.
Decky Alexander: That was candidate Brian Ignatowski running for state representative in the 48th House District, sharing his 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 BRIAN IGNATOWSKI:
"My family relocated to Livingston County from Lapeer County in 1996. My dear mother Kathy worked for the Register of Deeds there and then transferred and worked for 25 years in Livingston, until her recent retirement. I have been involved in the community of Livingston County for nearly 30 years."
"I attended the Student Statesmanship Institute in Lansing the summers of 1998 and 1999. I had the incredible opportunity to learn about government and the political process and even partake in mock legislatures and debates on the House and Senate floors at the Lansing Capitol. I always knew that my time and place to be involved in the legislative process was inevitable."
"My wife and I, after much prayer and support from both those I align with and those I do not, have made this decision to run for the office of Michigan House of Representatives. So many have reached out and encouraged me to run, to help bring us back to some sort of normalcy compared to the desperate current state of our Great State."
"I own American H2O, a small business in the water filtration industry, and I have served thousands of families in our community over nearly 20 years. I sit on the Board for my local Chamber of Commerce and in 2023 received the 2022 “Emerging Leader” award."
This story is part of a series previewing major local races in the 2026 midterm elections. Click here for more of WEMU's local election coverage.
RESOURCES:
Brian Ignatowski for State Representative
Brian Ignatowski on X (Twitter)
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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