GR mayor candidates differ on views

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The November elections in Grand Rapids will determine who will guide the city for the next four years. Voters will choose a mayor, two city commissioners and the city comptroller.

The mayor is seeking re-election, but faces a challenger.

Now in his second term as mayor, George Heartwell , 62, is an administrator with a local retirement community.

Heartwell has served through some difficult years -- budget deficits plus cuts in programs and staffing -- but he said the efforts to create a more sustainable city government are taking hold.

If he's re-elected, Heartwell said that for the first time in years, the budget will not be the number one issue on his agenda.

"Today, I can look at challenges like how do we rebuild our manufacturing sector, and what role does government have in rebuilding manufacturing," he told 24 Hour News 8.

His mayoral challenger is Michael-Paul Gionfriddo , a 29-year-old assembler with no political experience. His concerns are a bit different than the usual budget, economy and standard of life issues addressed by most candidates.

He believes citizens suffer a disconnect with their government on the national, state and local levels.

As mayor, Gionfriddo would add dozens of new commissioners, enough to provide a representative for every 2,900 city residents. He wants the city representation to mirror that of the much-smaller populated suburbs.

"Because they have a a lot more of an organic, grassroots politics there, and also they seem to be a bit more conservative, I think that if you really allow the diversity and like the breadth and depth of Grand Rapids to express itself politically, you're going to increase the chance for political cooperation quite a bit," he told 24 Hour News 8.

The election is November 8. Stay with 24 Hour News 8 for complete coverage.