Livingston County Residents Focus on Economy

Sonya Kron and Siddhi Shubi
| Special to Detroit Free press

BRIGHTON, MI – A farmers market in the heart of downtown Brighton adds to the charming atmosphere.

Every Saturday through October, residents and visitors stop by to buy pumpkins, gifts and produce sold directly by local farmers. In some ways, he perfectly epitomizes Livingston County, a place where small-town life meets rural, conservative values.

Livingston County, located between Lansing and Detroit, maintains at least some of its rural roots despite continued growth. In recent years, the area has seen an influx of people settling in and commuting to metro Detroit, adding a suburban element.

At the farmers’ market, Samantha Smigielski works at her yoga studio in Brighton.

“People who have lived in the city for a very long time aren’t necessarily happy with how quickly it’s grown and it’s kind of a loss of that small town, quiet feeling that I think a lot of people love about Brighton,” she said.

An absentee ballot box in the center of the market reminds visitors that the election is just days away.

Livingston County has historically tended to support Republican candidates. In the 2020 presidential election, when President Joe Biden won Michigan, the county voted for Trump over Biden, 60.5% to 37.9%.

But the geographic voting patterns show differences between the county’s rural and urban areas, with the latter showing a closer political divide. In the city of Brighton, 49.5% of voters in 2020 supported Trump and 48.7% supported Biden.

Mike Layer recently moved back to the area after living in Ferndale for 12 years. While he believes Livingston County deserves its conservative reputation, he was also pleasantly surprised: “I think young people are coming back to the cities and bringing positivity with them.”

Leyer identifies as a left-leaning independent voter, but “given the trajectory of the current Republican Party under Trump, I can’t imagine a world in which I would feel comfortable voting for any Republican,” he said.

The issues that concern county residents during this election largely divide the nation.

“Everyone is concerned that our elections are so divisive, that people are leaning more towards one side or the other instead of agreeing to compromise on issues,” said Elise Moore, who owns a store directly across from the farmers market. .

She heard people in the area talking about inflation and immigration, or, more locally, recent white supremacist protests in Howell.

Livingston County is predominantly white, with 93.6% white, non-Hispanic or Latino, compared with 58.4% nationally, according to census data.

Some voters recognize this as a problem. Becky Liss is originally from Taylor but works at the farmers market and said, “I really don’t want to be negative about the community, but there’s a lack of diversity here, a huge amount of diversity.”

In August, Donald Trump visited Howell and spoke about immigration and border security. citing inflated crime rates and an indictment of the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies.

But while some residents see the situation at the southern border as a problem, it is not considered their main concern locally.

Ray Moses, a Hartland farmer who sells grass-fed beef and hay, says “the border crisis is an invasion” but knows there aren’t many undocumented immigrants in the area.

The county’s foreign-born population is just 2.9%, compared with 13.7% nationally, according to census data.

Although some dairy and sod farmers employ migrant workers, Moses explained that most farms in Livingston County do not rely on seasonal help: “The situation here is basically that grain farmers are working large areas with large, heavy equipment that can do a lot. jobs for them, so they don’t need a lot of manpower.”

Regarding Trump’s speech, he said crime is not a problem here, and regarding immigration: “We are so far from the border. I just think it’s a great topic of conversation if you’re Trump. It just annoys people. Because people here act like they care, but we don’t have that here.”

But there is one issue that worries many Livingston County residents: the economy. “When I talk to people who live here, we worry about the prices, we worry about everything being expensive,” Moore said.

Deb Dreek, chairman of the Livingston County Republican Board of Elections, said inflation is the biggest problem in the county. “Over the last four years, prices have gone up on everything and it’s been terrible,” she said.

Moore says inflation is a contributing factor to the region’s economic woes.

“People are unhappy with how expensive everything is. Inflation itself isn’t that bad now, but it doesn’t matter because it’s been so bad,” she said.

Locally, housing is another major issue for residents, Moore said. “There is a shortage of homes, people who grew up here want to live in Livingston County and they can’t find something they can afford.”

Livingston County Democratic Chairwoman Judy Daubenmire agrees that Livingston County is not an affordable place for young, middle-income families, but she says it’s a problem at the local level. “High housing costs are nothing new in Livingston County.”

Daubenmire said the stakes in this election are high because Democratic voters are primarily focused on reproductive freedoms and preserving democracy.

Her office distributes yard signs to residents and has had a hard time keeping up with demand this election. While the signs help create a sense of community among Democratic voters, the conservative district still has a problem with displacement.

“Every day someone comes in and says their sign was stolen or they had a big sign and it was destroyed,” she said.

To prevent this, she said some people place the sign closer to their home, point a camera at it or film it at night.

Smigielski has seen more outpourings of support for Trump. “I’m seeing a lot more Trump flags, Trump signs. I think people who support Trump are much more vocal about it,” she said.

Conservative values remain deeply ingrained in Livingston County, where rural farmland surrounds few urban areas. “If you live in a rural area like I do, being a farmer, you tend to not support a lot of Democratic policies,” Moses said.

He’s confident Livingston County will vote for Trump this election.

But “the towns of Howell and Brighton are pretty close to flipping,” he says. He predicts the county will follow that trend as its population grows. But not yet.

This article is part cooperation between The Free Press, Michigan State University students and the American Communities Project to tell stories voters, their experiences and political motivations in communities across Michigan ahead of the 2024 elections. It is supported by a grant from the American Press Institute. Contact us at [email protected].