Residents were given a chance to meet those running for office.
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IRON MOUNTAIN -- Candidates will be stomping the campaign trail from now until November, but last night they gathered at the Bay de Noc West College to show their support for the Dickinson-Iron Great Start Collaborative, which is geared toward strong early child development in order to give kids the best opportunity to succeed when they begin school.
In conjunction with the U.P. Children's Coalition, Great Start hosted the public reception as a way to bring residents and candidates together.
"We thought it was a good way to provide information and also allow parents and the public to get to know who those candidates are and talk with them," said Lisa Temple, Project Coordinator for Great Start.
Despite differing viewpoints on other issues, the one thing all the candidates could agree on was the necessity of early development for children, since a bad start can escalate to other problems.
"They get into retail fraud, they get into petty crime, and it progresses from there," said Judge Paula Manderfield, who is running for the Court of Appeals. In her line of work, she also said that she's seen many people in her courtroom that have had an inferior upbringing and thinks that programs like Great Start could actually help to minimize crime in Michigan.
After introductions and brief statements, the candidates mingled with the public and answered questions about the future of early childcare in Michigan.
This is the third candidate reception that has been held in the Upper Peninsula; previously Sault Ste. Marie and Houghton hosted public events. Another reception is planned for Marquette in September. A question and answer forum will also be held in Marquette on October 16 where the public will be able to ask candidates their positions on specific issues.
