Jon Bumstead Blasts Holly Hughes Over Firefighter Mailer

By Brandon Hall
(Email Him At WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)

The State Senate race to replace Geoff Hansen between State Rep. Holly Hughes and Jon Bumstead has grown increasingly nasty in recent weeks, mostly with attacks on Bumstead, a former State Rep.

Hughes has relentlessly pounded Bumstead through mail, radio, and even on TV, but one mailer went too far for Bumstead, who took to Facebook to address the issue.

Bumstead, a former fire fighter, was not pleased to see a hit piece saying he abandoned his own.

"I'd like to set the record straight.

As a former volunteer firefighter with over 20 years experience, I have seen firefighters willing to risk their health and their lives for the good of our communities. That is why it is concerning to see my opponent question my commitment to Michigan’s firefighters.

Recently, you may have seen an attack ad saying I was the only one to vote against Public Act 515 of 2014, which created the First Responder Presumed Coverage Fund. I voted against this bill because there was no source of funding, which created an unfunded mandate using taxpayer dollars. Without a funding source, firefighters did not see any immediate impact since there was no money available to help them.

That is why I voted YES on Senate Bill 802 of 2016, the exact bill that identified a source of funding so firefighters would actually benefit from the First Responder Presumed Coverage Fund.

I am in favor of helping people who get sick on the job, especially when they commit their life to public service. I am NOT in favor of creating a mandate using taxpayer dollars without first finding out how to pay for it."

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com
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