ST. CLAIR COUNTY — On the Republican side of the ballot, two candidates’ names will appear for the 81st House of Representative seat. The district includes Berlin, Mussey and Lynn townships and the village of Capac and is currently represented by Gary Eisen of St. Clair Township. He was elected to a two-year term in 2018.
Eisen’s challenger is John W. Mahaney of Port Huron. Whoever gets the most votes will move on to the November election to face Democrat Debbie Bourgois.
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Gary Eisen could not be reached for comment by press time.
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John Mahaney said he’s thrown his hat in the ring because he believes he can do a better job than Eisen. Both he and Eisen were candidates for the job in 2018.
“I debated the incumbent prior to the primary in 2018. I believe he has failed to do most of what he said he would do at the time…he does not appear to have tried,” Mahaney said.
“I know I can do better as this office will be my sole job.”
If elected, Mahaney said the issues he would want to address in office would include infrastructure, building permits and deregulation.
It’s time, he believes, to change how the state funds road construction and the materials used. As for permits, Mahaney wants to establish a limit on permit costs, believing current fees discourage businesses from expanding.
Mahaney said he has limited political experience but feels that’s a good thing.
“I feel we have enough politicians and I have worked in management in the past. I feel we need more working class people in Lansing—those who know what it is like to work a job not as owner or boss but as one of the workers,” he said.
