Watershed Voice sent out questionnaires to over 30 candidates in contested local, state, and national races in St. Joseph County and the surrounding area for the November 3 General Election. In the days leading up to Election Day, Watershed will publish the answers it has received. Von Peterson, a Democratic candidate for Treasurer of Lockport Township, filled out our questionnaire. These are his answers.
Name: Elvontio Peterson
Age: 39
Address: 18511 S River Rd
Party affiliation: Democratic
Are you an incumbent? No
Family (optional): Married; no biological kids, Foster Care Parents
Background/Bio:
Second generation University of Michigan Alumni, both Parents master’s degrees. 3 educators in family including a high school principal. Previously worked in public education including Three Rivers High School, five years in personal finance, and over 12 years in the financial industry. Married, licensed in Foster Care for the State of Michigan.
Have you previously held public office, or have you served in a public leadership role? If so, what is your experience, and what are some of your accomplishments?
George Washington Carver Community Center President and Treasurer.
In your opinion, what are the three most important issues to the area you are seeking to represent and its constituents, and why?
Transparency with public spending – the public deserves the right to know how much of our monetary resources go into funding certain community projects and or the amount spent in legal fees
Tangible Progressive Change in the community – Lockport is unique in that you have two extremes that exist in a small radius within the community: a vibrant Middle to upper middle class, and a class that is at or below the poverty line. When trying to bridge the gap, I am looking to increase property values by improving existing homes and neighborhoods, build new homes to attract more families and increase home ownership, and to also look to attract more businesses to attract and or train a skilled labor force.
Build stronger relationships with neighboring communities – we rely on resources from neighboring communities however there is also documented a strained history that exist as well pertaining to land occupancy and usage as well. We must fortify these relationships with the best interest of Lockport residents as the priority.
What measures will you pursue to address those issues?
I would love to see tangible changes and improvements to Lockport Township that will improve the quality of life for all residents and continue to grow our community. This would involve board members attending community events, civic gatherings and or visiting with organizations and meeting with our community members as opposed to waiting once a month for community members to attend town hall meetings.
What are the three most important national issues in your opinion? What is your position on those issues?
Increase in American Violence – better oversight and protection for children against the over exposure and access to violence especially in media, music and public television.
Educational standards have decreased leading to more societal issues such as a decrease in skilled labor, an increase In poverty, crime and violence as well as a surge in drug use ( chemical dependencies) across America.
Excess Media propaganda and the sensationalism of race relations in America. Media outlets across America continue to push an incendiary narrative concerning race relations that galvanize both left-wing and right-wing extremists and ultimately hurt not only our children but divide communities as well.
Do you agree that the American electorate is divided right now? If your answer is yes, what measures do you think elected officials can take to bring Americans together?
Yes. Although it would be difficult, the most conducive way to bring two opposing sides together is to present a common problem that affects everyone is some way and whose solution would also benefit both sides as well. The pandemic could have been the common problem however the solutions have created an even greater divide.
How long have you lived in the area you are seeking to represent?
Six years.
Why did you choose to run for the position that you did?
I chose to run for this position because I wanted to make a difference in my community, and I had several community leaders reach out to me who believed in me and felt I could be a part of a bigger team that could bring about positive change.
In your view, what role should the person in the office you are seeking serve?
I believe the person in the office I am seeking would serve as a valuable resource of information and also serve as a vital record keeper and manager of public funding.
Over the past several months, pandemic has required virtual meetings for many public bodies. Some are returning to in-person meetings, while others are not. Where do you stand on this both with respect to safety and to public access?
Virtual meetings are the safest form of public, private and community meetings during this time of the pandemic, especially as the number of nationally reported cases continues to rise. This is also a more conducive way to present transparency in civic matters because it allows for more public access and therefore holds public officials more accountable.
What other comments do you have regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?
Our great state of Michigan was ill equipped and prepared to handle a pandemic of this magnitude and as a result, smaller communities especially here in St. Joseph County have been especially hit the hardest. Smaller communities like Lockport Township and Three Rivers rely more heavily on small businesses. Small business owners and their families are an intrinsic part of the success and identity of these communities often times spanning generations. We need public officials at the State level to take into more consideration the survival of small businesses and their owners when State-wide executive orders are enforced.
Is there anything else your prospective constituents should know about you, your platform, your views, or your background?
I am fair, balanced and will always consider the opinions and views from both sides of the table before expressing my own views and/or producing a more informed resolution to an issue.
I also believe that the Democratic party has lost its own moral compass and therefore should be open to not only constructive criticism but be open to reform as well. There’s an old saying: “If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.”
This is the approach the Party that I represent only in name should take to build stronger communities, reduce crime, poverty and the need for social welfare programs and instead increase the graduation rates in rural and urban communities, produce more skilled labor and also increase our national tax base therefore eliminating the need to tax the middle class at an exponentially higher rate.
They can focus on police reform and or police defending, but I can tell you from my own firsthand experiences, our inner cities in America are a major problem that continue to be ignored by the Democratic party. Here in the state of Michigan, that includes Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Flint, Saginaw, Detroit, and Pontiac. Instead these communities are led to believe that they are perpetual victims of systemic racism, they have absolutely NO power to control their own destinies, and their only hope is to continue to vote Democratic.
