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State
Senate
Duggan Visits Lake City
BY RICARDO MARTIN
CADILLAC NEWS
LAKE CITY — Michigan gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan was in Lake City to introduce himself to voters and answer questions Friday.
The meeting was held at Bowright Whiskey and organized by the Missaukee Area Chamber of Commerce.
Duggan is running for Michigan governor as an independent. He shared his work and political background with attendees at the meeting before taking questions.
He served in several roles in Wayne County, including as its elected county prosecutor.
During this time, the Detroit Medical Center was facing financial struggles, and Duggan was asked about becoming CEO of the hospital system.
Duggan spoke on various initiatives implemented within the system, including its 29-minute guarantee. He explained that they wanted to have patients evaluated by a physician within 29 minutes of arrival at their emergency departments.
The goal was to provide quality services in the hopes that patients would return.
Duggan then shifted his focus to his time as mayor of Detroit. He ran as a Democrat and was the city’s mayor from 2014 to 2026.
He shared how he visited residents in their houses and listened to their concerns during his first mayoral campaign. Voters then learned about some of the issues he tackled while mayor of Detroit.
Duggan also touched on his experience working with Democrats and Republicans, and the issues he has with both parties. He said the “toxic” two-party system led him to run for Michigan governor as an independent.
“I’m not asking anybody to leave their party,” Duggan told voters. “I’m saying I want to get the toxic relationship out of Michigan and get them to work together. I want to respect you and what you believe and your preferences.”
Following his introductory speech, Duggan opened the floor to questions from voters.
Lake City Council member Kathy Ostrander asked Duggan about addressing road projects. She shared the city’s struggle to secure funding to fix Main Street and how they’ve only gotten $2 million for a temporary fix.
Duggan said he believes the state is spending too much money on temporary fixes that aren’t lasting. He acknowledged permanent fixes would take time, but would be more efficient financially.
“We are going to fund these roads in a way that is the most efficient for the most miles for the most long-lasting time,” he said. “It may not be as quick a fix, but it’s going to be a longer-term fix.”
One voter asked Duggan about addressing issues surrounding end-of-life care.
Duggan said he believes the state should be working to support people aging in their own homes for as long as they can. He stated that he believes that there are many cost-effective ways to help people in their homes, such as virtual meetings and in-person visits.
He concluded by saying he wants to begin by examining how much is being spent to place people in nursing homes when they would prefer to remain in their own homes.
Another voter asked for Duggan’s thoughts on property taxes. Duggan referred back to his time as Detroit’s mayor, saying he focused on ending violent crime before implementing property tax cuts.
As governor, he said his priority would be ensuring schools receive proper funding before implementing statewide property tax cuts. Duggan stated that more than a billion dollars in school funding has been diverted to other purposes.
Once that funding is restored, he said his administration would pursue tax cuts.
The conversation about education and property taxes led one voter to ask about how
Duggan would replace the funding that communities and schools are getting.
He said he believes that the state can bring back economic growth that would bring in more revenue. The conversation between Duggan and voters led to a question about career and technical education (CTE).
Duggan said students should be exposed to such education in high school. While he acknowledged that college is a good choice for some, Duggan said there are opportunities in career trades that students should learn about, too.
“We do not value vocational training the way we need to, and we will once I become governor,” he said.
One of the final questions came from Mark Yonkman, a Democrat running to represent
Michigan’s 36th State Senate District. He asked Duggan about the open and obvious doctrine.
Michigan law requires property owners to use “reasonable” care to keep their premises safe and free of potential dangers. In addition, a victim must prove that an owner who fails to repair or remove a hazard is guilty of negligence.
However, property owners can escape responsibility in some cases if the unsafe condition is considered “open and obvious.” The doctrine focuses on a victim’s ability to recognize the potential danger rather than the owner’s duty to remove the hazard or warn visitors about its inherent risks.
The Michigan Supreme Court officially overruled the open and obvious doctrine in July 2023, which removed it as an automatic defense for property owners in premises liability cases.
Yonkman said that, as a farmer, he pays extremely high liability insurance premiums because of the potential legal costs he could face if a case were brought against him. He explained that the high insurance costs get passed down to customers through food prices.
Duggan said his goal would be to find a middle ground between those who argue for and against the open and obvious doctrine.
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