22nd
District Issues
Local Issues
Our
Environment | Our Economy | Our Safety
Our Environment
Stop Unnecessary Airport Expansion
The
citizens of Romulus
and Taylor
have coexisted with the
Detroit Metropolitan/Wayne County Airport for decades.
We understand that the airport provides
thousands of jobs for citizens of both communities.
We simply ask that we be treated fairly, and
that all measures are taken to minimize the impact to
residents.
The current proposed fifth
parallel runway
expansion will displace 15 percent of Romulus
residents, cause taxes to increase after relocation, and damage the
quality of
life for residents of Romulus
and Taylor. All
steps must be taken to increase airport efficiency of operations
of the airport within its existing boundaries without demolishing
hundreds of homes, increasing noise levels and air pollution, and
lowering values in both communities.
Doug Geiss
spoke as a community
leader during the March 20, 2008 meeting of the Airport Authority to
raise these
concerns. Standing
united with
representatives from Romulus,
Taylor,
Dearborn
Heights,
Dearborn
and Inkster,
we successfully
convinced the board to postpone the adoption of the new airport master
plan
which contains the new fifth parallel runway.
While
the discussions and final
resolution are not complete, Doug Geiss stands ready to protect the
interests
of all citizens of the 22nd District.
Continue the
Fight against the Deep Injection Well
Since
2001
when Doug Geiss
became the Chairman Pro-Tem of the Taylor City Council, he has voted to
oppose
the deep injection well in Romulus.
The cities
of Romulus
and Taylor
stood together to oppose
the pollution of the soil beneath our feet.
After a brief period of operation, the well was shut
down.
The
fight continues to oppose any new
re-occupancy of this facility, and Doug Geiss will do everything in his
power to
ensure the operations never resume.
Our Economy
Protect
State Shared Revenue for Romulus
and Taylor
In
the last
eight years, state shared
revenue has significantly decreased for both Romulus
and Taylor. As a State
Representative,
Doug Geiss will
fight any further cutbacks. If
economic
circumstances require decreases, Doug Geiss will ensure that State
spending is
reduced.
If
the cities and their residents must tighten their
belts to meet tough financial times, so must the state as a whole.
Our Safety
Fight for a New/Safer Interchange for I-94 at Ecorse
Nearly
all
left lane entrances to
major highways have been eliminated throughout the United
States.
These entrances are dangerous because vehicles are
forced to merge with
the fastest moving traffic on the highway.
A new interchange is needed with significant
upgrades to the
Inkster/Ecorse intersection. Doug
Geiss
will fight for this sorely needed improvement.
Ensure State
Police Post in Taylor
is Fully Staffed
The
State
Police Post provides
additional Police protection to the citizens of Taylor
and Romulus. If the need should
arise,
State Patrol officers
can provide backup to city officers.
With the real threat of terrorism to Metro
Airport,
the State Police must be
fully staffed and equipped to investigate all threats.
Doug Geiss will fight to ensure our State
Police Post is made a priority in the Michigan
legislature.
Our
Environment | Our Economy | Our
Safety | Local Issues Top
State
Issues
Michigan
Jobs | Michigan Education | Michigan Environmental Issues
Jobs
Support the 21st Century
Jobs Fund
The
21st Century Fund
focuses on areas of business that have job growth potential for Michigan. These include
advanced manufacturing,
alternative energy, homeland security and the life sciences. Michigan
has the expertise to be at the forefront of these growth
industries. Doug Geiss supports the continued funding of
this important program to diversify Michigan’s
economy.
Support the MI Opportunity
Partnership
Worker
retraining is
essential to
find new opportunities for Michigan’s
displaced workforce. By
taking existing
training funds and focusing them on training employees for businesses
that already
operate in Michigan,
but are unable
to find employees with the right skill set, we create a win-win
situation. Businesses
stay in Michigan because the have the right employees, residents stay
because the have a viable profession.
Streamline
Processes
for Businesses to Create Jobs
Too much
bureaucratic red tape
hinders new companies from establishing businesses in Michigan. Clear, concise
requirements and permitting
procedures need to be initiated.
Businesses fear the unknown, especially when it
comes to the time it
will take to get their new business up and running.
By making our processes clear we allow
businesses to provide new jobs in Michigan.
New businesses and new jobs are the key to growing the state
economy.
Create a Competitive Tax Structure
If the cost of
doing
business in Michigan
is higher than other states, why would a company choose to build here? We must constantly monitor
our competitive
position relative to other states to ensure we provide incentives for
new
businesses to move to Michigan
and for existing businesses to stay in Michigan.
Education
Support the Michigan the
Michigan Promise Scholarship
The Michigan
Promise Scholarships provide a $4,000 scholarship for every Michigan
student, funded by the tobacco settlement money the state receives. These scholarships provide
the necessary
incentive for high school graduates
to attend a two-year community college, at minimum.
High school education is no longer
sufficient to succeed in today’s global economy.
Doug Geiss will work to protect this program from
cuts, and
look for new ways
to provide financial help for those
seeking higher education.
Increase
Minimum Dropout Age to 18
The minimum age a person can
dropout of high school needs to be raised from 16 to 18 years of age. High school dropouts hurt
themselves and
every taxpayer in Michigan. The
earning potential is significantly lower for high school dropouts than
their counterparts with a high school or higher diploma. Without the necessary education and
income,
dropouts cause a drain on social services – services that are paid for
with
your
tax dollars. Until
an individual
reaches the age of consent, we must make it mandatory that they stay in
school
and break the cycle of ignorance and poverty.
Increase
Availability of Early Education in Michigan
The
most critical time in a
child’s development is the early years of education.
We must work to expand access to affordable
pre-school programs. These
programs
ensure that every Michigan
child
is prepared for kindergarten and can help address issues which may not
be
discovered until a child is already falling behind in the public school
system. We have a
gap between those that
can afford these “luxuries” for their children, and those that cannot. All children deserve to be
educated equally.
Environment
Support
the Creation of a Renewable Energy Infrastructure
We have the technical know-how to
build anything in Michigan. Why must we import
machinery from oversees
when we can do it ourselves? By
requiring a diversified renewable energy infrastructure in Michigan, we
create
a demand for innovative solutions. These
solutions include wind, solar, bio-fuel and hydro-power. Michigan
is well suited to be at the forefront of identifying and implementing a
realistic energy portfolio that includes traditional sources and
renewables. It is good for the Michigan economy and ensuring
energy security.
Keep Michigan
Waters Clean
We
must fight invasive species,
improve wastewater treatment, and remove toxic sediments from our Great Lakes to ensure that the water we
drink, the water that we swim
in, and the fish that we eat are all safe for all Michigan
residents for generations to come.
Stop
Imported Municipal Waste
Michigan
is not a dumping ground. As the leader
in recycling, beginning with the ten cent deposit, why do we allow
others to
dump their trash in our back yard? We
must institute measures which make Michigan’s
trash import business non-existant.
Clean Up
Leaking Underground Storage Tanks
As
a state, we have numerous old
manufacturing sites, gas stations, and chemical storage sites that pose
a
threat to our health. We must support brownfield
redevelopment
programs which identify, remove and clean-up this contamination before
it poses serious health threats to humans, fish and wildlife.
About Michgian's
22nd
District
The
22nd district of Michigan encompases the cities
of Romulus and Taylor
as well as Metro Airport (DTW) and the future Aerotropolis. The
district is 60 square miles and according to the 2000 decicennial
census statistics, is home to 88,847 residents.
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