Santana for State Representative of the 9th District

Harvey Santana understands the challenges of Brownfield Redevelopment in urban communities.  Updated strategies must be created to improve the viability of these sites.

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Harvey Santana is committed towards fixing Michigan’s Department of Corrections.  Michigan is spending approximately $30,000 per inmate every year while the national average is $23,876.  That is over $6,000 more per year per inmate than most other states.  Our State Penitentiaries warehouse almost 50,000 inmates.  Michigan ranks 9^th in the nation for the most people incarcerated per 100,000 people.  That is one category in which we do NOT want to be in the Top Ten.

Corrections’ spending has grown 538% in the last 34 years, making Michigan one of only four states that spends MORE on corrections than it does on higher education.  Harvey Santana believes that is the opposite of what our State priorities should be.  The annual budget for the Department of Corrections is almost $2 Billion dollars which amounts to 20% of the General Fund Budget.

Every year, nearly 35% of all released Michigan prisoners return to Wayne County of which 85% return to the City of Detroit.  The current State strategy has not worked, is not working and will continue to fail if nothing is done to correct this problem.

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Harvey Santana understands that one of the many priorities for our state is Economic Development and Job Growth. Many of the discussions at dinner tables across our state and in political circles revolve around creating jobs. How do we do it? What needs to be done? Citizens want to go back to work and earn competitive wages and benefits. The problem? Lack of Leadership!

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Harvey Santana believes that one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is a quality education…an education that prepares the young minds of today to become the future leaders of tomorrow.

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Harvey Santana believes that a repopulation strategy for Michigan’s urban cities is a combination of several factors. Rebuilding our urban infrastructure will require effective land use strategies that attract businesses, reduce crime and provide for infrastructure investments. Some Michigan cities will become smaller and we must look at becoming innovative in our approach towards rebuilding our urban cities. Harvey Santana understands that these strategies will require a long term plan that can withstand fluctuations during hard economic times.

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Harvey Santana understands the enormous financial challenges we face in Michigan. Our state has suffered through economic downturns due to job losses in our major industries, the cyclical effects of our national economy and our structural deficit. Michigan must make serious changes to or tax system and budget priorities.

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Harvey Santana understands the importance of the “Green” economy and is interested in helping build a foundation for this emerging industry to begin creating jobs in Michigan. In recent years, “GREEN” has been recognized as a social movement as opposed to a strategy for job creation. The primary objective of a GREEN economy is to reduce the effects that our business practices have had on our overall environment. This debate has raised questions about the economic benefits and the reality of the potential jobs that could emerge if Michigan and Detroit were to harness the power of this emerging industry.

The Obama Administration has committed to investing billions of dollars into two areas that will produce the majority of the initial job growth; Weatherization and Alternative Energy.

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Harvey Santana is a descendant of three generations of farmers. His father, grand father and great grand father were all land owners in Puerto Rico. Santana understands what it takes to be a Farmer and run a successful farming operation.

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Harvey Santana joins all responsible citizens in a desire to end the dangerous cycle of youth violence in our community. As your State Representative, Harvey Santana will support a wide variety of programs aimed at providing positive alternatives for our younger people at risk. These include expanded government programs, community outreach programs, recreational opportunities, local faith-based programs and school based initiatives. He knows that our youth are in desperate need of mentorship to become productive adults.

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