Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

Nyia Bentley

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Nyia Bentley
Image of Nyia Bentley
Elections and appointments
Last election

August 4, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Bowling Green State University, 2016

Personal
Birthplace
Detroit, Mich.
Profession
Legal assistant
Contact

Nyia Bentley (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 7. She lost in the Democratic primary on August 4, 2020.

Bentley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Nyia Bentley was born in Detroit, Michigan. She received a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University in 2016. Bentley's professional experience includes working as a legal assistant and paralegal.[1]

Elections

2020

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 7

Helena Scott defeated Kimberly Givens, Ronald Cole, and Anita Belle in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 7 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Helena Scott
Helena Scott (D) Candidate Connection
 
93.0
 
32,483
Image of Kimberly Givens
Kimberly Givens (Working Class Party)
 
3.5
 
1,224
Ronald Cole (R)
 
2.3
 
791
Image of Anita Belle
Anita Belle (G)
 
1.2
 
420

Total votes: 34,918
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 7

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 7 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Helena Scott
Helena Scott Candidate Connection
 
36.6
 
5,504
Image of Cynthia Thornton
Cynthia Thornton Candidate Connection
 
18.4
 
2,770
Image of Bernard Thompson
Bernard Thompson Candidate Connection
 
15.4
 
2,311
Lee Yancy
 
10.5
 
1,585
Image of Anistia Thomas
Anistia Thomas Candidate Connection
 
10.5
 
1,580
Elene Robinson
 
4.8
 
716
Image of Nyia Bentley
Nyia Bentley Candidate Connection
 
3.8
 
577
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
1

Total votes: 15,044
Candidate Connection = 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 7

Ronald Cole advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 7 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Ronald Cole
 
100.0
 
128

Total votes: 128
Candidate Connection = 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.

Green convention

Green convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 7

Anita Belle advanced from the Green convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 7 on June 20, 2020.

Candidate
Image of Anita Belle
Anita Belle (G)

Candidate Connection = 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.

Working Class Party convention

Working Class Party convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 7

Kimberly Givens advanced from the Working Class Party convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 7 on July 26, 2020.

Candidate
Image of Kimberly Givens
Kimberly Givens (Working Class Party)

Candidate Connection = 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

Candidate Connection

Nyia Bentley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bentley's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am running for state representative to invest more in black-owned and small businesses, quality education, and healthy food access.

I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Bowling Green State Univerisity (BGSU) where I studied Pre-law, Creative Writing, and Philosophy. While attending BGSU, I led as BGSU's Law Society President, marched for women's rights alongside my peers, represented BGSU's LGBTQ+ community at conferences across the country, and took part in the annual Silent Women's project to raise awareness against Domestic Violence. I have since worked at various law firms throughout the Metro Detroit area assisting in caseloads of real estate, family law, estate planning, auto insurance, and criminal law for local families.

I believe that a better future for Michigan communities is possible if everyone works together to build it! Michiganders must work together to protect our wealth, our health, and our education--and that is the change that I am fighting for as a candidate for Michigan State Representative for District 7.
  • Nyia Bentley is qualified, determined, honest, and trustworthy--a candidate District 7 deserves.
  • Rebuilding the foundation of our community is detrimental in producing legislation that works for all of us. Nyia Bentley is focused on community building.
  • The future of our communities will be a direct reflection of what we do today--vote for a candidate who believes in putting community first, Vote Bentley.
Detroit Free Press   Featured local question
When we focus on our community and learning the people of our communities and their cultures, we can then begin learning how we can all work together to close the talent gap. We must invest in the people of our communities and help bring their dreams to fruition. This also means working with skilled trades and teaching the importance of each.
Detroit Free Press   Featured local question
The health and safety of all citizens should be the state's spending priorities during a time of strained resources.
Detroit Free Press   Featured local question
Holding Michigan lawmakers accountable for their actions and leading by example, committing to being an elected official who is open, transparent, and accountable. Also strengthening the laws so that accountability is more thoroughly implemented.
Detroit Free Press   Featured local question
Detroit Free Press   Featured local question
Approaching a solution for Michigan roads, I believe, requires an equation that includes considering: the average cost of auto insurance for those in the effect district in need of road repair, whether a traffic monitoring system is in place, the number of accidents annually, air and water quality, quality of pipes and sewage maintenance. A solution should also always be considerate of the conditions of the communities affected and the people in those communities, how they live, the average income, and employment.
Detroit Free Press   Featured local question
Creating an education system that works for every person despite their circumstance or address. I've experienced different school systems and I know that sometimes, one's education can be dependent upon their zip code, causing them to be at a disadvantage without even realizing. Education should be an equitable resource for all people. This means making sure our children are actually retaining information correctly and are able to use that information to make decisions in the past, or can use that information as a route to success in the future through higher education. Our education system should be set up so that standardized testing is not the only route to learning what a student knows and how far behind or ahead they are.
Healthy Community Policing policy.

Prioritizing the appropriation of funds within Detroit for the Detroit Public School system.

Create policies to allocate funds for the production of more nutritious foods in District 7.
Gwendolyn Brooks was a powerful woman. A poet raised in Chicago, a Pulitzer Prize recipient, she understood racial inequalities and was influenced by civil rights activism. Her poetry at times captures a sense of an awakening community, one that I often identify with. I look up to Gwendolyn Brooks because she never let up on her purpose. She wrote even when the topic was hard to discuss, or ugly, or scary.
I am openminded and understanding; honest and loyal; I'm trustworthy and I always lead with integrity.
I would like to leave a legacy of community behind; pure love and community that created a change. When I talk to neighbors, new neighbors...older neighbors, what I learn is that so many of us have a sense of community whether it is imagined or a lived experience. One neighbor I often assist has lived on my street since about 1992, she moved here from Jamaica, had children and married. She recalls memories and speaks of a fully occupied and functional community, one that was sustainable for the community that it served and vice versa.

My biggest accomplishment would be to leave my community in a far more progressive state than it has ever been in, to put the families in my community on a path to success as they define it. To offer all needed resources and to have a safe and functioning community for all those who live and visit.
I was about 7 or 8 when I wrote my first poem and simultaneously learned of my love for writing. This was a historical event that contributed to 20+ years of constant growth!
My very first job was at a little on-campus convenience store, Outtakes. I worked there my entire sophomore year in college as a part-time stocker and cashier.
The Lord of the Flies teaches the theme of order versus chaos. I've held this lesson near and dear for 10 years, understanding that a person's environment has an effect on who they become or how they interact in life.
I consider the most important differences between Michigan's bicameral chambers to be that State Senate members have a far greater time during their terms to focus solely on the legislature they plan to pass. Because State Senate members serve four-year terms they have a larger capacity for building a stronger and more long-term relationship with the Governor who will eventually support or oppose the bills present. While State House members serve only two-year terms, they can fight harder on a community level to base their policies on the needs of their constituents. These differences though are the very reason why the legislative chambers must work closely together to effectively meet the demands of the people of their state in a manner that suits their time as an elected official.
I believe that it could be beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics based on the success of that previous experience. In this case, success would be measurable using the previous and current position of progression of the community of which the experience was served. However, I believe that life experience is far more needed. If one can relate to the community they represent, then it'll be easier to understand why certain policies must be passed as opposed to others. Having a broad experience in life or professionalism, or politics and government are each beneficial to serving as a state legislator.
Creating an education system that works for all people and all communities, and appropriating funds and resources equitably are what I perceive to be Michigan's greatest challenges over the next decade.
A state governor has more power of their state's legislature than the U.S. President. So, ideally, there is an intense relationship between the governor and the state legislature, because the governor assumes responsibilities on their own apart from other levels of the legislature. We saw this recently during Governor Whitmer's handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic versus President Trump's criticism of that handling. This is a prime example of why the governor and state legislators must work together to understand the demands of the communities they serve and be able to create a progressive change for each of those communities at all legislative levels.
It is absolutely beneficial to build relationships with other legislators. This is helpful in learning what works and does not work for certain communities; learning and understanding current events happening all over; working with neighboring districts can allow for more environmentally friendly changes such as cleanliness. I have been working with candidates from neighboring districts on community cleanups as our communities are highly effected by illegal dumping, litter, and overall poor environmental cleanliness as a direct result of failed or nonexistent policy or support.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who broke so many barriers for women in law and work. A real force of power for the people.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. 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
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Mai Xiong (D)
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
Matt Hall (R)
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
Kara Hope (D)
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
District 81
District 82
District 83
District 84
District 85
District 86
District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
District 91
District 92
District 93
Tim Kelly (R)
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
District 100
Tom Kunse (R)
District 101
District 102
District 103
District 104
John Roth (R)
District 105
District 106
District 107
District 108
District 109
District 110
Republican Party (58)
Democratic Party (52)