As a homeowner, taxpayer and voter here in the 1st Congressional District, I think every voter must consider carefully the stark choice between Matt Morgan and Jack Bergman.

My points are not just based on party affiliation. During my own 28 years in Congress, I waged and won 16 elections (primaries and general elections) eight times as a Republican and, after changing parties, eight more times as a Democrat. Sometimes I split my ticket when voting because the quality of the person is more important than the party label.

Having represented the 1st District myself — for 18 years while serving in the U.S. Senate, with two field offices in Marquette and Traverse City — we handled thousands of individual citizen and community case problems. These were full-time offices, led by great people. I made many personal visits. We established direct constituent service, vital in this vast geographic district, with unique challenges and needs.

Over the past two years, that has not been the level of service provided by our absentee congressman, Jack Bergman, who seldom sets foot in the district, is only really visible at election time with a drumbeat of TV ads paid for with special interest money.

Most Michigan voters don’t know that Bergman’s main residence is actually In Louisiana, where he seems to spend most of his time when not in Washington. He also maintains a largely vacant house at the western-most point in the U.P., in Watersmeet, but is seldom there.

His claim to be a YOOPER is a fiction, and why only a few voters have ever actually seen him in person.

Paid TV ads by special interest money are not a flesh-and-blood person, hard at work, holding regular town meetings, in all 32 counties of the district, listening to people face-to-face, helping them.

Two years ago, Bergman parachuted into a three-way primary race against other local office holders. He won the three-way primary race with 37 percent of the vote and then got a free ride to victory with the national GOP ticket.

Since then, there have been few sightings of Bergman in northern Michigan. The Republican leadership in the House will not release his official paid travel records, which would show the frequency of trips to his home in Louisiana versus his token home in Watersmeet.

I’m supporting Matt Morgan because we need a full-time congressman, one who is serious about the job, who lives here in the district with his family, who has two sons enrolled in school here and, when elected, will be home every weekend in Michigan, meeting face to face with constituents, traveling the district, listening to the people, helping them, being directly accountable.

Both Morgan and Bergman are retired Marines. But their campaign tactics have been very different. There is a special code among Marines. They fight to the last breath, but they fight fair and with honor. Like others, I have watched the political TV ads of Bergman and Morgan.

Watching Bergman’s toxic negative attack ads against Morgan, I was ashamed of Bergman’s ads. They were below-the-belt ads, showing distorted images of his Marine colleague of 20 years with false claims regarding gun ownership and guilt by association.

What would ever possess a part-time absentee congressman to falsely kick another Marine below the belt? Morgan’s TV ads spoke only to differences on real issues. Those were fair punches, above the belt.

Those deliberate, paid distortions by Bergman disqualify him as someone you can trust or who will stick to the truth.

We have a real choice in this congressional race. We need a full-time, active congressman who will actually live here in the district, be independent, energetic and ready to serve the people FULL TIME.

The state of Louisiana has six elected members of Congress from their state. They are not entitled to an extra one who pretends to live in the western U.P.

It’s time for a different Marine — a full-timer — who lives here in Michigan and who will fight to help our people and our state. That’s why I’m voting for Matt Morgan.

Donald W. Riegle was a former U.S. senator from Michigan from 1976 to 1995 and congressman from Michigan from 1967 to 1976.