Always follow the money: Real Estate and Rental Property Owners Political Action Committee campaign contributions for the November Election

As we have noted in the past two days, those that have Political Action Committees (PACs) that have a stake in policing – the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association, and those that have an interest in making profits from the labor of others – the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, have both made significant campaign contributions to candidates in the upcoming election on November 8.

In addition, throughout our coverage of candidates running for City, County and State office, we have always looked at how candidates response to some of the most pressing issues of the day, such as policing and the growing wealth gap in the Greater Grand Rapids area. 

Another major issue that has been the topic of much debate in this city is the issue of housing. The cost of housing in Grand Rapids has increased significantly in the past decade, both the cost of buying a home, along with the cost of rent. Many individuals and families have been priced out of the Grand Rapids housing market, both in terms of buying a home and rental fees. 

The City of Grand Rapids has made some effort to address the housing disparities, but the amount of money they have allocated for affordable housing is inadequate. City officials continue to provide significant tax breaks and tax incentives to housing developers, who also double dip by applying for state housing funds. This means that the public is making a significant investment in housing, without really have much of a say in it. 

Then there is the issue of gentrification, where several neighborhoods have been gentrified, with families being displaced because the; 1) property values/property taxes have gone up, making it difficult or impossible for people to pay the increased property taxes; 2) developers level buildings and housing units that have been allowed to fall apart to make room for newer and costlier housing options; and 3) the process of development proposals happens in such a way as to almost guarantee that residents will not be able to have a say in the housing needs, the design and most importantly the process even before development plans are submitted. 

What follows are a list of candidates on the November 8th ballot that have received campaign contributions from the Realtors Political Action Committee Michigan and the Rental Property Owners Association of Kent County. These associations both have as a primary interest the profitability of housing, which means they don’t believe that people have a right to a safe place to live. These associations also have lobbyist that will constantly pressure candidates once they are elected, so that they will adopt legislation that is often crafted by housing industry associations or to defeat proposed legislation that would would be detrimental to their bottom line. One example of legislation that would be detrimental would be rent control, which would regulate the cost of rent to make sure that people could still afford the cost of rent.

These are just some of the reasons that those in the housing for profit industry contribute to political candidates. 

Realtors Political Action Committee Michigan – Secretary of State online Campaign Finance data at this link.

Here are a list of candidates the Realtors Political Action Committee Michigan has made campaign contritions to who are running for State seats:

• Thomas Albert – 18th State Senate candidate: $6500 
• Mark Huizenga – 28th State Senate candidate: $15,000
• Winnie Brinks – 29th State Senate candidate: $2000
• Kristian Grant – 82nd State Representative candidate: $1500
• Mike Milanowski – 84th State Representative candidate: $3500
• Carol Glanville – 84th State Representative candidate: $250
• Lynn Afendoulis – 81st State Representative candidate: $5150
• Rachel Hood – 81st State Representative candidate: $250
• Bryan Posthumus – 90th State Representative candidate: $8500

Here are a list of candidates the Realtors Political Action Committee Michigan has made campaign contritions to who are running for Kent County Commission seats:

• Ben Greene – 1st District Kent County Commission candidate: $3000
• Jennifer Merchant – 3rd District Kent County Commission candidate: $2000
• Dave Hildenbrand – 5th District Kent County Commission candidate: $2000
• Stan Stek – 6th District Kent County Commission candidate: $3000
• Stan Ponstein – 7th District Kent County Commission candidate: $500
• Dan Burrill – 8th District Kent County Commission candidate: $3000
• Emily Post Brieve – 10th District Kent County Commission candidate: $3000
• Lindsey Thiel – 11th District Kent County Commission candidate: $3250
• Monica Sparks – 12th District Kent County Commission candidate: $1750
• Tom McKelvey – 13th District Kent County Commission candidate: $2000
• Carol Hennessy – 14th District Kent County Commission candidate: $500
• Melissa LaGrand – 16th District Kent County Commission candidate: $750
• Tony Baker – 17th District Kent County Commission candidate: $750

Here are a list of candidates the Realtors Political Action Committee Michigan has made campaign contritions to who are running for Grand Rapids City Commission seats:

• Andrew Robbins – 1st Ward Grand Rapids City Commission candidate: $1300
• Kenneth Hoskins – 3rd Ward Grand Rapids City Commission candidate: $1300
• Joe Jones – 2nd Ward Grand Rapids City Commission candidate: $800

Rental Property Owners Association of Kent County – Secretary of State online Campaign Finance data at this link.

Here are a list of candidates that the Rental Property Owners Association of Kent County has made campaign contritions to who are running for seats at the State level, with one candidate running for a Grand Rapids City Commission seat. 

• Thomas Albert – 18th State Senate candidate: $500
• Mark Huizenga – 28th State Senate candidate: $500
• Tommy Brann – 29th State Senate candidate: $500
• Luke Meerman – 89th State Representative candidate: $500
• Jeffrey Johnson – 80th State Representative candidate: $500
• Lynn Afendoulis – 81st State Representative candidate: $500
• Lisa Dekryger – 83rd State Representative candidate: $500

Kelsey Perdue – 3rd Ward Grand Rapids City Commission candidate: $500