MUSKEGON, MI – U.S. Sen. Gary Peters stopped by the MLive Muskegon Chronicle office Thursday, Oct. 15 to field questions from editorial staff about pressing issues in Michigan, the county and abroad.
Peters, the only Democratic politician among the nation's 13 freshmen senators, was in town to learn more about downtown Muskegon and to address members of the city's Rotary Club.
He was also scheduled to visit GE Aviation alongside Muskegon Area First president Ed Garner and to engage with local ministers and law enforcement officers with the Muskegon County Social Justice Commission.
In addition to telling the editorial staff that he endorsed Hillary Clinton, he spoke about hops production, development funds for waterfront communities and the Syrian Civil War.
Here are three takeaways from Peters' visit:
1. Helping advance Michigan's economy. Peters said he has worked to create middle-income jobs and boost the economy in Michigan and across the nation by authoring or collaborating on several bills that would help small businesses, like micro-distillers.
When asked by Muskegon Chronicle community engagement specialist and editorial board member Dave Alexander what federal lawmakers could do to help medium-sized areas like Muskegon, Peters pointed to a bill he introduced to develop and sustain waterfront communities, which he called "The Best Coast." Healthy downtown districts, he said, are a big part of growing the state's economy.
Peters said the bill would award grants and loans to fund development projects such as parks, walkways and port and marina developments, to name a few examples.