A Republican candidate for governor was in Brighton sharing his ideas with homeowners on how he will improve the state if elected.

Dr. Jim Hines is a 38 year medical doctor who has delivered countless babies and performed hundreds of robotic surgeries. Hines ran a small business for 22 years, is the former Chief of Medical Staff for Covenant HealthCare, and is the past president of the 18,000 member Christian Medical and Dental Associations. Now he is running for governor on the platform of putting people first, not politics. Hines says that the governor of Michigan is the governor of all 10 million people in the state, not just politicians, lobbyists, and special interest groups.

He is currently on a 10 Day Tour of the state, traveling via motor home and meeting with residents in anticipation of the August 7th primary. Hines travels brought him to Livingston County, Tuesday, where he spent part of the afternoon in Brighton. Hines shared his plan for fixing roads, which is a hot topic among Brighton residents who are being asked to override the Headlee Amendment next month. He proposes taking one-third of one-percent of state income tax for 2 years for roads. This will create approximately $875-million per year, in addition to the road tax that was passed in 2015. Hines will give this money to cities, villages, townships, and counties for roads for improvement. He said that if funds like this were available to the municipalities, they might not need to ask so much from their citizens.

Hines is also interested in getting an insurance fraud bureau up and running to help reduce the cost of auto insurance to Michigan drivers. The doctor wants to develop a fee schedule that is more equitable, stating, for example, that a broken arm from an automobile accident shouldn’t cost 10 times more than the same injury suffered from falling off a swing. Other platform stances show Hines in favor strong families and educating children, protecting the environment and Great Lakes, and keeping the lawmakers in Lansing from inhibiting Michigan’s recovery by raising taxes.

Hines opponents in the primary include Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley, Attorney General Bill Schuette, and Senator Patrick Colbeck. (MK)