Pinny board's choice a harsh reality in Michigan

The last Pinconning Board of Education meeting on March 22 was just a glimpse of how difficult it is in Michigan when it comes to education.

In case you aren’t up aware of what’s going on with Pinconning schools, the board is recommending the closure of Mount Forest Elementary in Bay County’s Mount Forest Township after this year. There are some reasons that I feel this unappealing decision was in front of the board. I’ll run down a couple of them.

1. Loss of students. Pinconning’s Business Manager Brad Mason mentioned during the meeting that the school district lost roughly 85 students this year. Again, I come back to the point I have made many times along the campaign. If we want to keep people in the 97th district, we need to have jobs, jobs, and more jobs. That’s why I have been talking very much about developing a comprehensive manufacturing plan that let’s developers and entrepreneurs know what the state and cities have to offer when it comes to helping out manufacturing businesses (the Michigan Tool and Die Recovery Act, for example). Elected officials in Michigan also need to get out there and communicate what our area offers when it comes to building space and workforce. I strongly believe that part of being a representative includes being a promoter for your constituents and district, and that’s part of the job I look forward to. And until we get jobs in the area, people will continue to move away, and schools will continue to suffer greatly.

2. Lack of funding. “We do not have a clue what our funding will be,” was a quote from Pinconning Area Schools Superintendent Darren Kroczaleski at the March 22 meeting. First off, at the state level, we need to make sure we are funding our school properly and efficiently. Until we have a concrete mechanism to ensure a chance at success, Mr. Kroczaleski’s issue will be present year in and year out. But there’s more we can do. I think, and it may require a constitutional convention, that we need to have the state and schools prepare budgets at the same time. Schools budget in the middle of the summer, but the state doesn’t pass its budget until October. We have boards guessing right now, and I don’t think board members should be put in a spot where they have no idea what’s coming down to them. I especially don’t want schools, students and parents to deal in assumptions.

It’s sad that students and families who lived near Mount Forest Elementary or attended the elementary will have to say goodbye. And it looks like next year, the same may be true for families with students attending Linwood Elementary, which is also in the Pinconning district. But until we have a legislative branch that takes on these issues in a fearless, bold manner, I believe it will only get worse. If elected, I will wholly and strongly support education and the future of our state. I look forward to taking on these challenges.

Top o' the Morning, let's take it back!

On Saturday, March 13, the “Take it Back” camp headed out to Clare for the greenest parade in Michigan — the Clare Irish Festival parade. It was, too put it frankly, a great success.

That doesn’t mean it was all smooth sailing, though! We ran out of candy twice along the parade route, and had to make detours to the closest stores to get more for the eager kids waiting in their St. Patty’s garb! We also ran out of candidate brochures that we were handing out to the adults, but we definitely got the word out that it’s time to send someone with a fresh outlook to Lansing! I talked to several people along the parade route, and since the parade was moving quickly, we didn’t have time to get into a lot of substance. However, as one could tell from looking at the pictures on the facebook page, we shared a lot of laughs and had a great time.

Eleven friends and volunteers walked with me in the parade, as my mother and Uncle Roger traveled down the road in my family’s Chevy Silverado. If you were there and could hear, it had the Irish punk rockers, The Dropkick Murphys, blaring out of its speakers. I could tell some of the young men and women along the parade route were definitely in approval of the music choice.

On a side note, if you’ve never been to the Clare County Irish Festival, you are missing out. It was complete and utter madness (in a good way)!

I just want to say a quick thank you to all the people who helped me out with the weekend — Sherry, mom, Uncle Roger, Jeff, Aaron, John, Alex, Tyler, Sarah, Tracy, Adam and the Walls family. Also, kudos to the Clare VFW and Ladies' Auxiliary for allowing us to wait inside until the parade started. Did I mention it was cold?

You all made a difference, and hopefully the momentum rolls forward like a parade!

Bay County Democratic Party Dinner and Hay Township meeting

I know this blog entry doesn't exactly have a creative title, oh well.

Anyways, on March 7 I attended the Bay County Democratic Party Chicken Dinner at the Kawakawlin Township Hall. I met a lot of people that I think can really help me out during my campaign, and met several residents of the 97th District. In case you weren't aware, about 17,000 people living in Bay County are in the 97th.

There was one thing about this event I messed up... I didn't bring a camera! Sen. Carl Levin, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Rep. Bart Stupak and Rep. Dale Kildee were all in attendance. Several other state candidates were also there and it was a pretty good time. State Rep. Jeff Mayes (D — Bay City) was in attendance, of course, as was State Sen. Jim Barcia.

On a side note, Sen. Barcia was awarded for his many years of service and great representation in the state legislature. While working at the paper, I had the pleasure to meet Sen. Barcia and talk with him several times. He is a great guy, and I don't believe I ever met anyone, no matter their party, who didn't absolutely love Sen. Barcia. Many may not know that he was actually elected in 1977 at the age of 23. (And you thought I was young)! Talking with him again definitely fired me up, as he told me he was glad I was running and thought I would make a great state representative. It was as I was leaving, and it's definitely one of the highlights of the campaign so far.

Moving on to March 11, when I attended the Hay Township meeting in Gladwin County. Supervisor Dennis Perry allowed me some time to speak The residents in attendance and I talked about several of the problems in Michigan right now. Not surprisingly, jobs and education were center stage. We covered the gamut on jobs and the economy, talking about making the state more friendly to small businesses and the need to boost manufacturing with coordination, legislation, and pressure on Washington D.C. to start making changes to our trade policies. As for education, not only did we talk about funding, but also consolidating services and the need to offer more flexibility to students pursuing a trade.

But, in Gladwin County, the DNR(E) is also a common conversation piece. When the State House passed an ordinance that allowed Northern Michigan counties to pass ordinances allowing ORV's on the far right side of the road/shoulder, Gladwin county and other areas with forests and/or state land got a chance to get their economy going. However, many issues with the DNRE have been experienced. I believe that people will travel to the 97th District to take advantage of these forests and trails, along with the rivers (the Tittabawassee runs through Hay Township) and Saginaw Bay, even more if we would make them accessible and make sure we keep them clean . We need to work with the DNRE to make sure these areas are kept up and kept clean. In West Virginia and the Upper Peninsula, counties are using their natural resources to connect with other counties. I think that the 97th District can lead the way in this area with hard work, communication and dedication.

Let's make it happen!