sProduction funding for Media Meet is provided by the Ray and Peg Hirvonen Foundation.

sComing up next on WNU, we continue our candidate forums with a focus on the 109th House District in the Michigan sHouse of Representatives.

That seat is currently held by Republican Representative Karl Bohnak, but Democratic challenger Anna Aho Rink is shoping to change that.

We will question both Bohnak and Rink to find out why voters should choose one of them to represent the central UP in Lansing.

The sMichigan 109th House District Candidate Forum is next on Media Meet.

s[music] s[music] s[music] Hello everyone, I'm Mike Settles.

The Michigan 109th House District covers Marquette, Alger, Baraga, and Dickinson counties.

sThe district was a Democratic stronghold until two years ago when Republican Karl Bohnak defeated the Democratic incumbent.

sNow, Bohnak wants another two years as the 109th representative, and in the second half of this show, he will tell us why he deserves to return to that sposition.

For the moment, we're going to talk with the candidate hoping to unseat him, Democrat Anna Ajo Rink.

Welcome to Media Meet.

sHey, thank you so much for having me, Mike.

sIt's terrific for Thank you for coming here and uh telling us more about yourself and and let's start right with that.

Tell us a little bit more about yourself, your background, and why you swant to rep represent the 109th House District.

Yeah, I was born and raised right here in Marquette.

I have deep sroots in this district.

My parents are both from this area as are their parents.

And um I love this area with my swhole heart.

I've been living and working here and raising my lucky enough to raise my children here.

And um it is sdifficult watching folks struggle the way they have.

And after 20 years of practicing healthc care, I'm a physician sassistant uh and looking people in the eye and seeing the the struggles that they face not only with our health care ssystem and navigating that and it's everinccreasing challenges, but also looking at problems with general saffordability and access to housing and the job market here.

smore and more we are seeing folks having to leave the area because they're not able to make ends meet.

They're not able sto get their UP dream, so to speak.

And uh it it none of us up here are asking for a whole lot or expecting a whole lot sand um I just want to make sure that you have good representation down in Lansing, folks that are willing to stick their neck out for them and really fight for our basic needs.

stalk a little bit more about your background and what what's in your life experiences uh you feel would aid you as sa state legislator.

Yeah, I've been a physician assistant like I said for over 20 years and it is working in our health scare system and seeing all of the struggles and difficulties and roadblocks there in getting people the care that they need as well as seeing sdeficiencies in our social structures and support systems in this area.

also watching legislation come from both the sfederal level and state level that doesn't really seem to take the nuances of our area and the specific needs that spe people have here into account.

And so very frequently yupers are left to just pick up crumbs and figure out how we can smake things work.

We're really really great at that.

That's what makes us yupers.

That's what makes us great neighbors and and friends.

But uh we shouldn't have to work that hard to make sure that folks here are taken uh care of.

sSo give me your overall assessment of the I guess the state of Michigan and the 109th House District in terms of the health of its economy and the scontentment of its people and and how would you be able to change that if need be?

sI one of the big issues for me right now of course is affordability.

Everybody is struggling with the costs of gas and sfood and housing and just figuring out am I going to pay my electric bill or I'm going to fill all my medications sthis month.

Those are real struggles that I'm hearing from probably most of the people that I talk to right now.

And sso it is making sure that we do have social structures in place and support systems in place to help lift people up swhen they need a hand.

It's making sure that we are holding companies accountable if they're price gouging and so that we are not getting exorbitant costs in our energy bills and groceries.

sThose are things that we need to pay attention to.

And then looking at housing, um we've had a shortage in affordable housing for a long time and scertainly we have groups and plans that are working towards making improvements there, but there's certainly we all know there's more that we can do and we need sto certainly take the structure of our communities, access to jobs and um and sstores and schools and make sure that we have transportation infrastructure in place as well.

So it's it's multiffactorial.

um the main things that swe need to think about here.

But also with regards to health care, being a health care provider, I know um I know sthe system.

I know um at the ground level what works well in areas and spolicies that tend to harm especially rural hospitals and clinics.

And we've been seeing these policies come down sthrough the Trump administration onward over and over again.

And with policies that are set to take place and cuts that sare set to take place come January, that's a real threat to our systems here.

And I've seen people hurting for sso long and not been able to help them the way they need to be cared for.

And knowing that I just I need to do something else and focus on how we can sfill those gaps in the system to make sure that we have everybody covered to make sure we're able to keep our system our our hospital systems open.

Some of sthese issues you've raised really are national issues, particularly the affordability, the national economy.

So, how much how effective can you be as a sstate representative to really steer some of these concerns and improve upon them?

sReally, what it the focus is is filling in those gaps where they are.

And so we know that creating support to social sstructures that we can help with housing and food security, those things are really really important.

And then also slooking where we can fill the gaps in health care and expand on statewide medical programs that very real ways sthat we can do that to make sure we have more people covered and so we don't have folks falling through the gap uh cracks and not being able to get the care that sthey need.

So there's little ways that we're able to chip away at all of those things and as a whole makes a meaningful sdifference.

So, what isn't happening now legislatively that um you think needs to change?

And I guess I'm going to cut to sthe chase.

What makes you or would make you a better legislator than the one we currently have?

sThere's a couple things.

One, there is no one in our state house right now that has done direct patient care.

We have sfolks that have worked within hospital administrative systems, but no one that has sat down, looked patients in the eye sday after day and really seen the true outcome of the policies that are being enacted.

And so there is certainly a gap sin knowledge and kind of blinders on in the state legislature right now that is keeping helpful policy out.

And we need ssomeone that's willing to willing and able and has the knowledge base to step up, speak to those issues and fight for sthem, especially in our rural communities.

One major issue that we see across the state is how for funding spurposes, how rural is defined.

And that is most of the state qualifies as being rural.

But we certainly know rural here sin the UP, especially when it comes to health care access is a far cry from rural in lower Michigan, especially in ssouthern lower Michigan.

And yet we're competing with them for funds and grants and support where we should not be.

s[snorts] And so again, it is having someone there that knows the policies that are in place now, what is needed and the ways that we can get them and is swilling to stick their neck out and really fight for it.

sWell, let's talk about sticking your neck out.

Um the the Michigan House is pretty evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.

sTell us one major policy area where you are prepared to buck your own party's leadership in order to really stand up sfor the 109th district.

Yeah, one area that I think is really important is to continue to fight for this rice sgenerator bill.

Um Karl Bohnak and Dave Preston introduced bills to keep our rice generators going and that that's necessary to keep our energy costs low.

sUm I am certainly in favor of continuing to expand green energy per the bill from my Democratic predecessor Jen Hill.

uh sbut it's just not a a reasonable thing that we can do at this time and not sabsolutely price everybody out in their energy bills.

And so unfortunately what has happened as this bill has been um sintroduced passed in the state house and then is stalled there.

There there hasn't been any progress in over a year.

sit did not get across the finish line.

sAnd so I am prepared to go down.

I've already been speaking with labor leaders both at the state and local level.

I've sbeen speaking with folks um our steel workers and miners of course people that are directly impacted by by this bill sand also partnering with legislators downstate and bringing them in in ways sthat we can talk cooperate negotiate and find a solution to get as as soon as I get into lancing as soon as possible get sthis bill passed and signed by the governor so that we can have cert certainty and make sure that we have those rice generators for years to come sand then we can develop an ongoing energy plan that makes sense for this area from there.

minutesWell, you you did touch on healthcare in your background as a medical professional.

Um what what more can the state do to support and enhance the squality of availability of health care including mental health services in the 109th district?

sYeah.

the the availability of mental health in this district and across the entire upper peninsula is abysmal.

We do snot have any inpatient sources um for youth in this area at all.

They're forced to go to lower Michigan or sWisconsin wherever they can get in inatient beds.

Functionally, we have what 22 AC um maybe 30 in the UP that sare routinely being able to be used.

And so that is not nearly enough.

We need make sure we are investing in one sfacilities where folks can go increasing um reimbursement because that has been a smajor issue for why um it's not being covered and not being um better supported by our hospital systems.

And sso making sure that the reimbursement is there and then also attracting providers to the profession by offering, you know, sstudent loan reimbursement and other incentives to come to this area, stay in this area, and continue to practice and care for our neighbors here.

sUh going to need about 30 seconds for this response.

Then um day one, you're elected to the 109th seat.

Day one, what is your first issue you plan to tackle?

svery first issue day one is get the rice generator bill signed, set, done.

Let's move on.

That is a need for this area.

sWe cannot continue with the uncertainty and that will set us up to continue to have an energy plan moving forward.

sWell, thanks for that brief answer because I did want to give you a minute to address our viewers and listeners as to why they should elect you to the s109th House District.

Go ahead.

Yeah, I have lived and worked in this area my sentire life.

And I know you.

I know your families.

And I have spent countless hours going around meeting you where you sare and hearing your concerns.

And I know that there have been real struggles sin this in this area, especially the past couple of years.

People really trying to keep their heads above water.

sAnd so I am someone that is ready to go and fight for it, stick my neck out, smake sure that the bills that are being passed by our legislators down in Lansing actually have us in mind and is snot just a blanket policy to cover the whole state, but is thinking about what our needs are here.

And uh I'm it's how slong can I sit here and try to hustle at the ground level and fight for you like I have been for my entire career.

I'm ready to get to Lansing and work hard and push those policies that'll actually bring those wins back home to us here.

sAnna Aho Ring, thank you for uh joining us today.

Uh the Democratic candidate for the 109th House District.

Thanks again.

Thank you.

sUh for our viewers and listeners, stay tuned.

In just a moment, we will hear from the Republican hoping to hold on to his House seat, Representative Karl Bohnak.

sMichigan's Upper [music] Peninsula isn't just where we broadcast, it's our home.

sIt's the [music] people we meet, the communities we reach, and the families that invite us into their homes.

From classrooms [music] to farmers markets, sconcerts to neighborhood events, WNU Public Media [music] is committed to making a difference both on the air and sin person.

Proudly serveing [music] the Upper Peninsula, where our greatest stories begin with you.

sWelcome back to Media Meet and our Michigan 109th House District Candidate Forum.

You just heard from Democratic challenger Anna Aho Rink.

Now, it's time sto hear from the Republican incumbent, Karl Bohnak.

Carl, welcome back to Media Meet.

Thank you, Mike.

Good to be here.

sGood to have you here.

Uh, we're we're just kind of surveying the territory with all the candidates.

And, uh, I think most folks probably know about syour background a little bit, but for those who may not, uh, tell us more about yourself, your background, and why it is you want to continue as the state srep from the 109th.

Well, I can tell you that uh I came up here in 1988 and I scame up here for a job uh to do the weather on a local station up here.

I uh sstarted in April of 1988 and I just love the place.

I love the history and of scourse I love the weather.

Though I have to say that I do not like snow as much as I did when I first got up here.

Um, smy love of snow, I always say, is inversely proportional to my age.

And anyway, uh, I worked in television and salso in radio.

In fact, I still do, uh, radio weather on the east end of the upper peninsula.

But I, because of a set sof circumstances and I felt the need, I decided to run for office for state representative of the 109th district.

sAnd um I was um fortunate to be elected in uh November of 2024.

I've served a stwo-year term and uh I'm seeking another one.

sWhy I'm seeking another one?

Because I believe there's more much more that can be done.

Um, one of sthe first things I did was, um, introduce legislation to keep our snatural gas generators, so-called rice units, the uh, reciprocal internal combustion engines that replace the uh, scoal fire power plants that were dismantled in the late 201s.

They gave us 500 megawatts of available capacity sto power our grid.

These uh 13 rice generators give us about 240.

So less sthan half that.

It's enough to power us, but actually to be honest, we're actually somewhat underpowered compared sto again what we had to begin with.

So it's essential that we keep these uh um rice units going if we want to keep sindustry up here and if we want to keep uh well-paying jobs.

So that's the main reason why I ran in the first place.

sWell, your Democratic challenger Anna Aho Rink seems to have a similar position when it comes to the rice generators.

So um I mean as I talk to syou about it now, you had two years to try to get that fixed to make sure that those rice generators can be saved.

And so far as we record this, that hasn't happened.

What's what's the problem?

minutesWell, here it is.

It was u in May of 2025 that uh the bill was introduced in the sHouse.

It passed through with substantial um bipartisan support.

It's gone to the Senate and it's been sitting sthere for over a year now and it's it's something that again we absolutely need sbut because of politics it's not moving forward.

sWell, uh talked a little bit about energy.

What are what are another issue or two that is is top of mind for you should you be uh returned to Lansing?

sWell, one of the things that uh um is really on top of everybody's mind is housing.

Um the lack of housing and and sthe affordability and one of the bills that I introduced was to keep uh large sinvestors uh from uh buying up single family homes and duplexes in the state of Michigan.

In other words, if if a slarge investor owns 100 single family or duplexes, they are not um allowed to um spurchase anymore.

That bill was signed by the governor and uh um in fact, there's going to be a formal signing uh scoming up in uh early October.

So, that's something that we're working on is housing.

Another thing is uh health scare and access to health care.

you know, um we have um a health care desert in here in the upper peninsula and we need to keep our rural hospitals going.

sThey're they're right on the edge.

I saw some figures that show that uh as far as profitability, snobody's making any money.

They're basically just getting by.

So, we need to keep those those rural hospitals sgoing.

and we need to uh make sure that uh we have access here in the upper speninsula to the essential services that we need.

Take a step back for a second and I want you to kind of do some uh sanalysis of the district.

What what is your overall assessment of the 109th district and the people that live there, the health of the economy in the sdistrict, uh the contentment of its people?

sWell, I have to say that uh the key here and the reason why we're here is natural resources.

Um, of course, we have slumbering, but the main one is mining and we have, of course, Cleveland cliffs 180ear history up here and also the sEagle Mine.

we absolutely have to keep um that employment for us because uh the sCleveland cliffs alone um supplies 900 well-paying jobs and then the um ancillary industries provide a couple of sthousand more.

So the key to that is energy.

The key to our life now, our smodern life, it's the lifeblood of our economy.

Energy, affordable, reliable energy to power our grid.

And it was back in 2023 that uh it was a total partisan vote, the Healthy Climate Act, which would mandate that those uh rice sunits be shut down because they emit carbon dioxide.

And um however, the coal sfire power plants were shut down and right away we saved, if you're worried about carbon dioxide, um 70% less semissions with the rice units.

I believe we need to take one step at a time.

sEventually, we'll go carbon dioxide free because I think eventually what's going to happen and maybe years down the road, we'll probably have uh small modular sreactors, nuclear reactors to power our grid, but we don't have that yet.

sYeah.

Uh I think you kind of touched on maybe I want to ask you about your proudest accomplishment and biggest disappointment of the first two years.

sAgain, you've talked about the rice generators.

I don't know if that's kind of the biggest disappointment so far.

to tell me uh both of those things.

sWell, again, I'll probably go back to the same thing.

My proudest accomplishment was introducing that bill sto keep the rice units online until 2049. sAnd my biggest disappointment is that that hasn't moved yet through the Senate and up to the governor to have it signed sbecause I' I've heard that uh if it moved through the Senate, the governor would sign it.

Well, um, again, I asked sthis of several of the candidates, uh, talking about reaching across the aisle, reaching consensus.

Um, how do you do that?

sYou know, I think we have to find things that we all agree on.

And I think one of the things again is, uh, health care and saccess to health care.

And I think we can work in a bipartisan fashion on that.

That's that's one thing that we scan work on.

Um, housing is another thing I believe.

Um, this this bill um sthat I um sponsored received a lot of bipartisan support.

And when I went down sto Grand Rapids for the ceremonial signing with Governor Whitmer, there were a number of Democrats there who had suh housing bills too that had been signed by the governor.

So, I think those are a couple of issues that can be worked on.

And if we look at things spragmatically, I think we can um hopefully come together and work on a number of issues, including energy, too.

sWell, you managed to turn the 10th 9th district red two years ago.

Um but I think you would acknowledge too it's sstill a pretty evenly divided district, Democrat and Republican.

What What is your appeal to uh Democrats uh sparticularly in the Marquette area that just do not feel the Republicans are representing their interests in Lansing?

sI I think my appeal is uh the fact that I'm pragmatic and my goal is is just scommon sense and my over underlying goal is to work for the good of the upper speninsula.

Um, and I'll work with anyone and everyone in hopefully a bipartisan fashion to make sure that we keep um sreliable, affordable energy, that we keep well-paying jobs here.

And that means exploiting senvironmentally safely our natural resources, particularly mining.

sWell, uh, since we're talking about environment, let me ask you about the tourism issue that's kind of been prominent in recent weeks here in the sarea.

Do you support an increased tax on tourists that would uh then be allocated that money would be allocated to scommunities for infrastructure?

As I understand it, the state legislature needs to get involved to make something like that happen, right?

and we've been talking about that sand I think that's worth exploring because again we're not putting a burden on the um people who live here but we're smaking sure that those who come and visit um I guess contribute their fair share.

sYeah.

Um the economy uh is just a real issue for a lot of folks right now.

Affordability.

sIs there anything as a state legislature legislature you can do uh to help in this area?

Is it largely the feds that that need to get it under?

sI think I think it's largely when it comes to the consu consumer price index.

sThere's nothing that we as local legislators can do.

But one of the things that uh has been introduced um sbefore we went to uh summer session or summer recess was uh to eliminate the state aspect of property taxes.

That swould save some money.

So it it's it's a step I think in the right direction.

sIt's certainly not going to um cure anything, but if you own a home, if you scan save, let's say, $900 a year, that can make a difference.

What about um a holiday on paying gas tax in Michigan suntil these prices come down a little bit?

sI think that would be great if we can do that to make sure that we don't keep the holiday too long because we have to fund sour roads and that is essential and that's where the gas tax goes.

And one thing we did do is eliminate the sales stax on gas.

That was back as soon as I started in 2025.

And now all of the uh sum tax we're paying on gas doesn't go to the any of the general fund.

It goes entirely to roads.

sUh Karl Bohnak, we're down to our final minute.

Uh it's your opportunity to make an appeal to our viewers and listeners as to why they should consider sending you back to Lansing.

sI would say that uh I'm asking for your vote because I am working for the Upper sPeninsula.

I want to make sure that we keep this a viable location where young families can actually stay and raise stheir families with well-paying jobs and environmentally safe industries.

And we can do that here in Michigan.

We have ssome of the strictest environmental laws in the country, which means the world.

sAnd we can do things like mining the right way.

So, I ask you for your vote sto keep me in lancing and to keep and make sure that your voice is heard.

sCarl Bohnak, thank you for joining us today.

I do want to thank both candidates uh for coming and sharing their views and making the rest case as sto why they deserve your vote.

A reminder, most absentee ballots have been distributed.

Early in-person voting is fast approaching and day of voting at sthe polls is set for Tuesday, November 3rd.

It doesn't matter the means in which you vote.

It just matters that you do it and make your voice heard on selection day.

I am Mike Settles.

Thank you for joining us.

We will look for you next time on Media Beat.

sThe preceding program was produced by WNUTV Northern Michigan University Public Television in studios located in sElizabeth and Edgar Harden Hall.

[music] sProduction funding for MediaMeat is provided by the Ray and Peg Hirvonen Foundation.