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Erik Nordman
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Erik Nordman (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 89. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 4, 2020.
Nordman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Erik Nordman was born in Mineola, New York. He received a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York - College at Geneseo in 1995 and a master's degree in 1998 and a Ph.D. in 2006 from the State University of New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Nordman's professional experience includes being a professor of natural resources management at Grand Valley State University, a visiting scholar for the Ostrom Workshop at Indiana University, and a Fulbright Scholar at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. He also consulted for Nordman Sustainability Solutions.
Nordman has been affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society of American Foresters, the U.S. Society for Ecological Economics, and the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 89
Incumbent Jim Lilly defeated Anita Brown in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 89 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jim Lilly (R) | 61.7 | 36,345 |
 | Anita Brown (D)  | 38.3 | 22,578 | |
| Total votes: 58,923 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 89
Anita Brown defeated Erik Nordman in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 89 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Anita Brown | 64.5 | 5,624 |
 | Erik Nordman | 35.5 | 3,098 | |
| Total votes: 8,722 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 89
Incumbent Jim Lilly advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 89 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Lilly | 100.0 | 14,544 |
| Total votes: 14,544 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Erik Nordman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Nordman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a husband and father of two teenagers. I work as a professor of natural resources management at Grand Valley State University where I teach classes in environmental economics and natural resource policy. In 2012 I was awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant from the US State Department. My family and I moved to Kenya for one year while I taught at a university in Nairobi. I am currently writing a book about Dr. Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics. I actively participate in the community. For example, I serve on advisory boards for the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum and the Careerline Tech Center. After living in the district for 14 years, I understand the voters' values and aspirations. As a teacher, researcher, citizen, and father, I am committed to building a vibrant lakeshore community for all.
- I listen to and am responsive to the concerns of all residents.
- I believe in empowering communities to solve their own problems and achieve their aspirations.
- I believe in building resilient people and communities that can bounce back from any setback.
Featured local question In inflation-adjusted dollars, the general fund revenues were the equivalent of $14 billion to $16 billion during the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan will collect a little over $9 million. Michigan has not collected enough revenue for twenty years. Therefore, state agencies across the board are operating as lean as possible. In my opinion, we cannot cut our way to fiscal responsibility while providing essential services after decades of historically low revenue collection. Our state has a revenue collection problem, not a spending problem.
Well-designed tax reform can address the chronic revenue shortage while addressing other concerns. Income inequality is rising in Michigan. In 2015, the top 1% took home 17% of all income in Michigan. In 1980, their share was less than 10%. Progressive income and estate taxes reduce income inequality and the concentration of inherited wealth. Michigan has neither. I support replacing Michigan's flat tax with a well-designed progressive income tax and instituting an estate tax on the wealthiest households. Thoughtfully designed tax reform could bring in more money to cover the budget shortfall and reduce income inequality.
Well-designed tax reform can address the chronic revenue shortage while addressing other concerns. Income inequality is rising in Michigan. In 2015, the top 1% took home 17% of all income in Michigan. In 1980, their share was less than 10%. Progressive income and estate taxes reduce income inequality and the concentration of inherited wealth. Michigan has neither. I support replacing Michigan's flat tax with a well-designed progressive income tax and instituting an estate tax on the wealthiest households. Thoughtfully designed tax reform could bring in more money to cover the budget shortfall and reduce income inequality.
I teach courses in environmental economics and natural resource policy. I entered this field because I care deeply about being a good steward of our natural resources. I care about the environment for its own sake. However, air and water pollution and resource degradation directly affect people's well-being, including health, economic development, and justice. As an economist, I have seen how improving environmental quality improves the economy. For example, our latest research project showed that cleaning up Muskegon Lake resulted in more than $7 million in additional housing value and more than $25 million in additional recreation value. I have also learned that communities are often capable of managing their own resources and correcting local environmental problems. I support policies that encourage local solutions to local environmental challenges. My expertise in environmental economics and policy is especially useful in dealing with challenges facing Michigan, from high water and flooding to PFAS water pollution.
I am currently writing a book about the work of Dr. Elinor Ostrom. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics (2009). Her work and life definitely inspires me and influences my political philosophy. Before her groundbreaking work, most experts believed that the depletion of natural resource "commons" could only be resolved by either privatizing the resource or having a central government impose regulations on the resource users. Ostrom, however, showed that communities all around the world, from lobster harvesters in Maine to farmers in Nepal, can collaboratively manage their own natural resources. Communities can create and enforce their own rules without government imposing regulations on them. It's messy and it doesn't always work. However, community management can be effective and has often been overlooked by policy-makers. Her work has applications far beyond conventional "commons" like forests and fisheries. Her ideas can be applied to governing communication technologies, the Internet, open-source software, and even space resources. Ostrom's ideas have influenced my academic research and my political views.
I am writing a book about the work of Dr. Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Economics. Her groundbreaking book, Governing the Commons, has greatly influenced my political philosophy. Ostrom's work showed that "common-pool resources" like fisheries and forests can be managed collaboratively by the community members themselves. Most experts thought that privatization and government regulation were the only ways to manage such resources. But Ostrom showed the power of communities to create and implement their own rules. As a legislator, I would consider community-based policy solutions whenever possible.
In my opinion, my expertise in the social dimensions of environmental management would make me a successful legislator. I am trained in economics and policy studies as it relates to natural resources and the environment. So, I have the technical expertise to understand problems like PFAS pollution and Michigan's energy system. But more importantly, my professional experience has shown me that things like trust and community values are the most important things when resolving challenges of all types. Imposing solutions on a community rarely works. Legislators must listen to their constituents, understand the values and aspirations, and earn their trust. I have done that in my work as a professor and I will do that as a legislator.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris is one of my favorite books. It covers Roosevelt's life from birth until President McKinley's death at which point he becomes president. In just over 40 years, Roosevelt endured and overcame tragedy and had a remarkable professional career. His wife died giving birth to their first child. On the same night, in the same house, his own mother died upstairs. He then moved west and became a "gentleman rancher." In New York he became a legislator, police commissioner, and governor. He worked in the federal government reforming civil service. He even published scientific articles on ornithology as a teenager. Roosevelt lived an incredible life even before he became vice president and then one of the most influential presidents in US history.
The state will be dealing with the budget crisis, induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, for a considerable time. Before the COVID-19 crisis, Michigan expected to collect about $11 billion in total general fund revenue. This is roughly the same level it's been since we recovered from the Great Recession. However, this is well below the revenue collected in previous decades. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the general fund revenues were the equivalent of $14 billion to $16 billion during the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s. Michigan has not collected enough revenue for twenty years. Therefore, state agencies across the board are operating as lean as possible. In my opinion, we cannot cut our way to fiscal responsibility while providing essential services after decades of historically low revenue collection. Our state has a revenue collection problem, not a spending problem.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis that directly affects Michigan and its state budget. The state expects to collect $1.9 billion less than the forecasted $11 billion in general fund revenue as well as additional losses to the School Aid Fund. The people I have talked to in the 89th District are very concerned about the impact of lost tax revenue on state budgets. They are concerned about schools, health, and unemployment. We need a long-term solution to this crisis on top of a chronic budget problem.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis that directly affects Michigan and its state budget. The state expects to collect $1.9 billion less than the forecasted $11 billion in general fund revenue as well as additional losses to the School Aid Fund. The people I have talked to in the 89th District are very concerned about the impact of lost tax revenue on state budgets. They are concerned about schools, health, and unemployment. We need a long-term solution to this crisis on top of a chronic budget problem.
Given my expertise as a professor of natural resources management, I would like to participate on committees like Education, Energy, and Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation.
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See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 26, 2020
Current members of the Michigan House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Matt Hall
Minority Leader:Ranjeev Puri
Representatives
District 1
Tyrone Carter (D)
District 2
Tullio Liberati (D)
District 3
Alabas Farhat (D)
District 4
Karen Whitsett (D)
District 5
Regina Weiss (D)
District 6
Natalie Price (D)
District 7
District 8
Helena Scott (D)
District 9
Joseph Tate (D)
District 10
Veronica Paiz (D)
District 11
Donavan McKinney (D)
District 12
Kimberly Edwards (D)
District 13
Mai Xiong (D)
District 14
Mike McFall (D)
District 15
Erin Byrnes (D)
District 16
Stephanie Young (D)
District 17
Laurie Pohutsky (D)
District 18
Jason Hoskins (D)
District 19
District 20
Noah Arbit (D)
District 21
Kelly Breen (D)
District 22
Matt Koleszar (D)
District 23
Jason Morgan (D)
District 24
Ranjeev Puri (D)
District 25
Peter Herzberg (D)
District 26
Dylan Wegela (D)
District 27
Rylee Linting (R)
District 28
Jamie Thompson (R)
District 29
James DeSana (R)
District 30
William Bruck (R)
District 31
Reggie Miller (D)
District 32
Jimmie Wilson (D)
District 33
Morgan Foreman (D)
District 34
District 35
Jennifer Wortz (R)
District 36
Steve Carra (R)
District 37
Brad Paquette (R)
District 38
Joey Andrews (D)
District 39
Pauline Wendzel (R)
District 40
Matt Longjohn (D)
District 41
Julie Rogers (D)
District 42
Matt Hall (R)
District 43
Rachelle Smit (R)
District 44
Steve Frisbie (R)
District 45
Sarah Lightner (R)
District 46
Kathy Schmaltz (R)
District 47
Carrie Rheingans (D)
District 48
Jennifer Conlin (D)
District 49
Ann Bollin (R)
District 50
Jason Woolford (R)
District 51
Matt Maddock (R)
District 52
Mike Harris (R)
District 53
Brenda Carter (D)
District 54
Donni Steele (R)
District 55
Mark Tisdel (R)
District 56
Sharon MacDonell (D)
District 57
Thomas Kuhn (R)
District 58
Ron Robinson (R)
District 59
Douglas Wozniak (R)
District 60
Joseph Aragona (R)
District 61
Denise Mentzer (D)
District 62
District 63
Jay DeBoyer (R)
District 64
Joseph Pavlov (R)
District 65
Jaime Greene (R)
District 66
Josh Schriver (R)
District 67
Phil Green (R)
District 68
David Martin (R)
District 69
Jasper Martus (D)
District 70
Cynthia Neeley (D)
District 71
Brian BeGole (R)
District 72
Mike Mueller (R)
District 73
Julie Brixie (D)
District 74
Kara Hope (D)
District 75
District 76
Angela Witwer (D)
District 77
Emily Dievendorf (D)
District 78
Gina Johnsen (R)
District 79
Angela Rigas (R)
District 80
Phil Skaggs (D)
District 81
Stephen Wooden (D)
District 82
Kristian Grant (D)
District 83
John Fitzgerald (D)
District 84
Carol Glanville (D)
District 85
Bradley Slagh (R)
District 86
Nancy De Boer (R)
District 87
William Snyder (D)
District 88
Greg VanWoerkom (R)
District 89
Luke Meerman (R)
District 90
Bryan Posthumus (R)
District 91
Pat Outman (R)
District 92
Jerry Neyer (R)
District 93
Tim Kelly (R)
District 94
Amos O'Neal (D)
District 95
Bill Schuette (R)
District 96
Timothy Beson (R)
District 97
Matthew Bierlein (R)
District 98
District 99
Mike Hoadley (R)
District 100
Tom Kunse (R)
District 101
Joseph Fox (R)
District 102
Curt VanderWall (R)
District 103
Betsy Coffia (D)
District 104
John Roth (R)
District 105
Ken Borton (R)
District 106
Cameron Cavitt (R)
District 107
Parker Fairbairn (R)
District 108
David Prestin (R)
District 109
Karl Bohnak (R)
District 110
Republican Party (58)
Democratic Party (52)
