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. Andrew George, a Democratic candidate for the First District seat on the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners, filled out our questionnaire. These are his answers.
Name: Andrew George
Age: 32
Address: 20 N. Main St. #1, Three Rivers, MI 49093
Party affiliation: Democrat
Are you an incumbent? No
Family (optional): Tons of family! I am 1 of 10 siblings. My mother is Cindy King and my father is Michael King, yes, the Weenie King.
Background/Bio:
I moved to Three Rivers when I was nine years old. I graduated from Three Rivers High School in 2006. In 2012, I left Michigan to travel around the United States fighting for causes I believed in, as an activist. In 2016, I moved back home to Three Rivers and began working on progressive changes I could make here.
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?
I have served as Chairman of the Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority since 2018 and as a board member since 2017. Within that role I have taken the lead on business recruitment efforts downtown. To be clear, this has been a tremendous team effort, but I am very proud of what we have accomplished in downtown Three Rivers in the past few years.
In your opinion, what are the three most important issues to the area you are seeking to represent and its constituents, and why?
Earning a decent wage has to be near the top, if not the number one issue. I would follow that up with access to high-speed internet and transparency within our local government. I believe that these issues have really been brought to light recently, especially with the ongoing pandemic.
What measures will you pursue to address those issues?
I am a big “pro-labor” candidate. I want to bolster our unions and our workers. I have a plan to reward and prioritize union labor in our county. We can increase profits for our workers if we just give them the leverage they need. For high-speed internet access, I would work across the aisle to research and secure grant funding and other revenue options to expand access to high-speed internet. As far as transparency- that is what this campaign is about. We’re bringing folks to the table.
What are the three most important national issues in your opinion? What is your position on those issues?
While these issues do not directly impact the seat I am running for, many of them do set the narrative for how one would govern. I will not go into great detail on these issues, but I will state my position clearly. These positions are not intended to be aligned in any order based upon importance.
Campaign Finance Reform – Arguably the root to every issue we face today stems from corporate influence in politics. We need to take big money out of the equation if we are going to solve anything without our legislators being influenced by corporations.
Climate Change – Nothing else matters if we don’t have a planet to leave our children and their children. Climate change is real. It is exponentially expedited by human activity. We need to take drastic measures to combat it.
Racial Justice – We have a president, with a base, who is actively inciting racism. I’ll be very clear on this, Black Lives Matter. Period. All lives cannot possibly matter until Black lives matter, as well. If one of us is down, all of us are down. We won’t be successful, until we are ALL successful
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. There is no denying this any longer. The reality of the situation is the Republican party needs to take responsibility and take their party back. It has been infiltrated by white supremacists and hate-filled rhetoric. As it stands currently, the Republican party has failed to condemn this sect of their organization. It says a lot about their stance.
How long have you lived in the area you are seeking to represent?
22 Years
Why did you choose to run for the position that you did?
I am proud of the work I have done in downtown Three Rivers. I want to carry that energy and progress to the county level.
In your view, what role should the person in the office you are seeking serve?
Aside from the obvious of balancing the budget, which will be a major part of this term, commissioners set the course for St. Joseph County. What type of County will St. Joseph be? What programs will we invest in? Where will we have to make cuts? It is my opinion that we have to spend the next few years, dare I say, being very fiscally conservative. However, we will need to focus our efforts on our workers and our local businesses.
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?
This week we have broken the record for new daily COVID cases on multiple occasions. We are not out of this, by any means. As long as the State of Michigan is allowing us to meet over virtual meetings, we will need to continue doing so. I have noticed that it is not easy finding these virtual meeting links. We need to make those links accessible in more areas. Many more.
What other comments do you have regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?
Our leaders need to take this seriously. Other developed nations are DONE. They have made it through. The trick? Wear masks and follow proper guidelines! If we all just hold our tongue and wear masks, we could be through this already. If you are really tired of these COVID rules, then just obey them and it will finally go away.
Is there anything else your prospective constituents should know about you, your platform, your views, or your background?
I am a regular working guy, just like most of you. I care deeply for this community and I believe this community believes in me. I am endorsed by Mayor Tom Lowry, State Rep. Jon Hoadley, Kalamazoo County Commissioner Stephanie Moore, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Young Democrats of Michigan, UAW Local 2093, IBEW Local 131, and SouthPaw MI.
