By Gretchen Millich, WKAR News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-927746.mp3
EAST LANSING, MI –
Ingham County Commissioner Mark Grebner is running for reelection to the board. He represents the 10th district, which covers most of the MSU campus. This year he faces a challenge from a 19-year old student. Grebner is pressing his opponent to talk about what he stands for.
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Nineteen-year-old Nick Kowalski describes himself as a conservative Republican. He says he wants to bring some balance to the county board, which currently has 13 Democrats and three Republicans, and he wants to represent the interests of MSU students.
"Given the recent debate on campus over program cuts and budgetary issues, the students are well aware of what's going on and Rick Snyder will be enacting that sort of change at the state level and I will do it here in Ingham County," Kowalski says.
Kowalski says if elected, trimming the budget and reducing taxes will be his top priorities, but he has no ready answers about just how he would do that.
"I would have to take a look at resolutions that are up before the board, and I for one have not taken a line by line look at the budget from the past couple of years. I have not, but if elected, beginning in January 2011, myself along with other fiscally responsible members of the board will surely do that," he says.
Kowalski does say he would restore budget cuts to fund rural sheriff patrols. He says the burden should not be on out-county townships to pay for police protection.
About 16,000 people live in the 10th district. All but 400 of them are students.
The incumbent, 57-year-old Mark Grebner, is a Democrat who has represented the district for more than 30 years. Kowalski says Grebner is out of touch with young people. On his campaign literature, Kowalski says it's time for students to be represented by someone under 30, rather than someone who could be mistaken for a "cranky grandpa."
Grebner, of course, is aware that he doesn't fit the student demographic.
"That's not a good battleground for me," Grebner says. "Instead, what I'd like to talk about is the health department and parks and taxes and all the real issues the county faces."
Grebner says no one deserves election to public office just because they're a student. Voters need to know what Kowalski plans to do if elected.
"I just think that on issues that students actually care about, about how county government affects them and improves their lives, I have a record of building and creating programs and amending them over the years to make them work better," he says.
Grebner says most students won't agree with Kowalski's conservative views and the MSU community tends to vote Democratic. Still, he's taking the challenge seriously and sending campaign literature to his constituents.
Kowalski, meanwhile, is campaigning on Facebook and handing out campaign stickers with the MSU football schedule.
This is the first time he's run for office. He just recently registered to vote and will be voting for the first time this November.
Election 2010 - WKAR
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