News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Republican gubernatorial candidate, Aric Nesbitt, looks at the new Culligan Plaza in downtown Alpena. Nesbitt was impressed with the updated plaza and all the small businesses nearby.

ALPENA – Republican candidate for Michigan governor, Aric Nesbitt, wants Michigan to access the money President Donald Trump allocated in the Big Beautiful Bill to be used to assist rural hospitals to support medical facilities in isolated parts of the state.

On Friday, Nesbitt visited Alpena, met with supporters, strolled through downtown, and saw the progress on the new Culligan Plaza, which is nearing completion.

Nesbitt said having quality care facilities in rural areas is critical because many people have to drive great distances to receive care. He said that is inconvenient and dangerous from a health standpoint.

He said if he is successful in his election bid, he pledges the state will use all of the money as intended and will not fund programs and initiatives the Democrats have.

“Coming from a family farm in rural America and having three young kids, I know the importance of having quality rural healthcare,” Nesbitt said. “We need to have good access for our rural residents, whether they are retirees or young families. We especially need OB facilities and to stop emergency rooms from closing. Some folks have to drive two hours for OB care and that needs to change.”

Nesbitt said communities that have a hospital, like Alpena, can play a role in other smaller towns. He said helping those hospitals expand outward to open clinics and other healthcare facilities can greatly improve access for people who need it.

“The president’s money in the bill would help them build out, but my concern with the current administration is they are going to invest it in woke DEI policies and just talk about access instead of actually helping people,” he said.

Nesbitt said he is pleased that the state was able to avoid a government shutdown, but he said there needed to be a lot of give and take between the two primary political parties to cross the finish line. He added that he is pleased with passage of no tax on tips, overtime, and Social Security, but admitted there were other needs that Democrats wouldn’t budge on.

“There is the good, the bad, and the ugly in the budget,” Nesbitt said. “The good is 100% of the taxes you pay at the pump will go to the roads. The bad is that we are not forcing the state workers to return to the office to work. The ugly is that our job creators and small businesses aren’t going to be able to take full advantage of Trump’s tax cuts for job creation. That is the challenge when Republicans only hold one leg of the three-legged stool.”

Nesbitt said he is proud both Republicans and Democrats were able to agree on raising school aid for local schools, but he added that money alone isn’t going to combat the literacy problem and other educational problems students face when learning.

He said it seems like there are more school administrators and free teachers. He said it should be the other way around. Nesbitt added that parents also need to play a bigger role in helping their kids get good grades and help set the stage for a prosperous future.

“Parents need to have a choice where their kids are sent to school and expand vocational education because an education isn’t one size fits all,” he said. “Right now, three out of four third graders can’t read at grade and if you trace that into the future, that means they have a two out of three chance of either being on social welfare or in jail at some time in their life. I want to paint a very different picture for our kids’ future.”