In Farmington, Peters Talks Transit, Sequestration and – By the Way – His Senate Run

Although he made a formal announcement just an hour earlier, it took a question from the crowd at Wednesday's Xemplar Club meeting at John Cowley & Sons in Farmington to get 14th District Congressman Gary Peters to mention his 2014 bid Senate.

Peters said he was approached to run when Sen. Carl Levin announced his retirement in March.

"I have given that serious consideration and sent out an email about an hour ago to supporters and folks on my email list announcing I will be a candidate for the U.S. Senate next year," he said, drawing a round of applause.

Peters said he would meet Wednesday afternoon with media at a business in Rochester that occupies the same site as a carriage shop owned by his great-grandfather. He also planned appearances in Flint and Lansing.

But in Farmington, Peters seemed more interested in talking about transit and answering questions from club members. He talked about the recent announcement of federal approval for the $140 million M-1 street car project that will travel 3.3 miles along Woodward in Detroit.

Peters said he believes the project will not be successful until the rail stretches all the way to Pontiac. He pointed to Cleveland's 2008 investment in a bus rapid transit (BRT) system from downtown to the Cleveland Clinic, which has led to $4.3 billion in new investment along areas of the city that were "challenged, to say the least". 

"It has that kind of dramatic impact," Peters said, adding that's why the M-1 project has drawn so much private investment. Of the $140 million, $100 million comes from private sources, he said. "They believe this is the kind of catalyst we need to go forward." 

He urged club members to support the light rail project, which will eventually require an investment of tax dollars. "We're going to need your voices out there to sell this to the voters," he said. "It is critical to bring jobs into the city, and transit can do that."

Q&A

Sequestration cuts Peters said he voted against the across-the-board federal cuts and would have preferred a more thoughtful approach. While air traffic control cuts have been restored, he would also like to see funding restored to Head Start, a preschool program that will serve 100,000 fewer children. Peters said studies show the program has a "huge economic impact" and saves tax dollars.

Polarized Congress "I have a record of working across the aisle to get legislation passed in a bipartisan way," Peters said, pointing to work on Dodd-Frank banking reforms and sweeping mortgage reforms with Republican lawmakers. "It's not about ideology, it's about solving a problem," he said. 

Raising the age of eligibility for Social Security and Medicare Peters said that's still being discussed, along with reducing benefits, changing the way cost-of-living increases are calculated and other measures. The problem with raising the age, Peters said, is taking into account those who work in heavy labor and whose bodies may not be able to tolerate additional years of employment.