BMX/Skate Park fundraiser at Harrison High School

Friday, Feb. 26, I zipped out to Harrison High School for a taco dinner fundraiser for a BMX and skateboarding park in Hayes Township, Clare County.
I read about the fundraiser in the Clare County Cleaver. The proposed park has been in the works for quite some time, but young people from Clare County have been taking action recently to try to get the project moving again. Students have petitioned for funding for the project and have worked with adults to host fundraiser events, like the one Friday, and write grants. I told some of those involved that it’s refreshing to see that while some of the kids aren’t old enough to vote, they are still recognizing that they can be involved in government. They are taking advantage of the tools that are available to them and showing initiative.
After eating some tacos and nachos, I handed out campaign brochures and visited with some of the people in attendance. I spoke with a bus driver from the school district, a member of the Harrison Community Schools Board of Education and some UAW retirees (pictured above), amongst others.
Those involved with the district spoke to me in detail about the loss of funding at Harrison schools and how the state needs to stop cutting funds to our schools. I told them how districts in Arenac County had been going through much of the same turbulence, and how I am very concerned about making sure public schools give students the opportunities that they gave to me and many others throughout the 97th District. And schools cannot do that if the state doesn’t come through for them with proper funding.
I also remember a conversation I had at the dinner about the manufacturing sector and job outsourcing. A man was telling me about people he knew working at a plywood factory in Gaylord who had their jobs outsourced. The result was 700 people losing their jobs. We talked about how our state’s elected officials need to unite in promoting better federal trade policies for Michigan, by communicating these issues with our Representatives and Senators in Washington D.C.
The concerns in Harrison were similar to everywhere else I’ve been on the campaign. People are worried that there aren’t enough good-paying manufacturing and industrial jobs to put people to work, and because of this, local businesses are losing customers and revenues. District residents are also worried about how we fund education and determine whether schools are passing or failing. These two items have been priorities throughout my campaign, and would continue to be priorities if I was elected.