Jones taps into new neighborhood

Whether it was the local Elks Lodge or the county´s Right to Life chapter, the Grand Ledge resident burned up Interstate 69 to Owosso so often, the Shiawassee County Chamber of Commerce website lists Jones as the county´s state senator … which isn´t even the case, yet.

The redistricting lines signed into law three years ago technically take effect Jan. 1.

For now, Jones´ district is still the three-county line stretching from Lake Michigan to the Lansing city limits.

Sometimes perception becomes reality. And in the case of Jones, who seeks re-election Tuesday, the perception of being a dawn-todusk flesh-presser is quite true. The 61-yearold Senate Judiciary Committee chairman prides himself on rarely taking a vacation, always returning media calls and pledging to address just about any constituent issue.

That includes last year helping an Oneida Township woman on dialysis free a skunk that had burrowed under her porch and caught himself in a woodchuck trap.

Despite this new 24th Senate District only holding a 53 percent Republican base, Jones isn´t raising a ton of money like many of his Senate colleagues. He isn´t paying for radio or TV ads like many of his GOP colleagues in competitive races.

For Jones, name ID is not a problem. A former Eaton County Sheriff, he´s been a local TV news reporter and radio talk show host´s go-to source for comment since he´s been elected. The access has put him in a position where he can put his foot in his mouth, like when he compared public relations professional Kelly Rossman-McKinney to a “hooker” because he argued her policy positions were for sale.

This is among the reasons why Democrats smell an opportunity with Ovid-Elsie Alternative High School coordinator Dawn Levey.

The other reason is Jones´ votes. Jones joined Republican legislators in backing what Dems dubbed “rape insurance,” the Right to Life-bankrolled initiative that requires elective abortion coverage on health insurance policies be purchased with a separate rider.

“I´m appalled by it,” Levey said, who expressed concern that the three miscarriages she´d endured as a young woman would not have been covered under the law. “As vaguely as the law is written, those medical (procedures) would not be covered unless you had the rider. That´s wrong.”

Levey is a self-described moderate who wrapped up her second term as president of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs. She´s a Michigan Education Association board member who worked for 29 years with the Elsie Area Ambulance Service, serving as its director for 10 years.

She joins Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer in suggesting that some gender-specific riders should be tacked on to the insurance policies of men. What´s fair is fair.

During their joint appearance on the "City Pulse Newsmakers" TV program, Jones recalled when Whitmer brought up this issue on the Senate floor.

“She said, ‘OK, if this passes, I demand that you ban Viagra coverage,’”Jones said. “And I said, ‘Yes, let’s do it – nobody on the Republican side uses it anyway.”

Levey is also against funding cuts to Planned Parenthood and policies that required greater licensing regulations on facilities providing abortions.

Levey works with teenage mothers daily and argues that Planned Parenthood is their only avenue to vital care for many young women.

Jones argues that tighter restrictions on abortion clinics, including his bill banning aborted fetuses from being disposed in dumpers, is about keeping women healthier and safer.

On education, Levey has called “the attack on education” one of the worst things to come out of the Snyder administration, citing funding cuts and a lack of incentives to keep qualified teachers in the state.

“We want the brightest and the best in our classrooms, we wouldn´t argue that,” she said. “But with all the changes and all the hits that teachers are taking, why would you become a teacher?” Jones disagreed and said one of the biggest issues for K-12 education is legacy costs incurred from pensions. He distanced himself from Snyder´s decision to redirect funding from the state School Aid Fund to universities and said all money in the fund should go towards pre-K and K-12 programs.

"More money has been put into education by Gov. Snyder – it´s there, it´s mathematically clear," Jones said. "I oppose this governor when he transfers money from school aid to universities, many of them sitting on billions of dollars."