Now, Go Vote

As Paul says, I have run the race…

Over the past months, we have talked on doorsteps, in backyards, in community meetings, and here on this blog.

Looking back, I can only say how grateful I am for your support and encouragement. These last days have been so hectic, I couldn’t have managed it without my wife Amy’s understanding and support.

But as I said, we’ve finished our race. Now it’s up to you.

We need more than a change of direction in Lansing, we need a change of spirit. We have some big tasks in front of us: improve our schools, rebuild a tax code; repair our roads. They’re going to challenge us, legislators and citizens alike. I have an unabashed hope — a hope I celebrate each Sunday — that principle can be a bridge and not a barrier to working together. It’s been that way in the landscaping business, and it certainly has guided me on the school board.

I have been honored to meet you. Today, I would be honored to receive your vote.

And tonight? Please come out to the Caledonia High School for our campaign celebration. Our campaign would never have had the impact it did without all our volunteers, friends and supporters. Tuesday night will be a time to celebrate our hard work and, we hope, the fruit of our labor. I hope to see you there.

Walk the Talk

here is one West Michigan Value our campaign has sought to embody, it’s that of fiscal responsibility.

We can’t hold Lansing to fiscal accountability if we don’t exercise it ourselves. We have run this campaign on a shoe string.

We have not paid for big-name, out-of-town consultants. You will not find a line item for hired staff. Instead, we built this campaign with volunteers. What we can do for ourselves, we do. We lick our stamps, we handle our yard signs, we wear out our shoes. And we talk to voters in every part of our district.

Now we’ve raised and invested a respectable amount to accomplish this: $45,000. Other campaigns this year have raised far more: over $60,000 for one, and nearly $80,000 for the other. Why do they need so much more (Glen Steil Jr. in 2002 only raised $52,000)? It’s a matter of experience. There’s nothing like running your business for twenty years, or serving on a school board to teach you that every dollar counts, that if you want to do good, you had better be smart.

Lansing is not about raising money (aka taxes), it’s about what you do with it. If we are not careful with our finances, how can the public expect us to be careful with their finances? Fiscal responsibility is a matter of integrity and it starts at home, with our campaigns.

Setting the Record Straight

By now you probably have seen the letter in Friday’s Press.

The situation with Wes VanDenburg was a difficult one for our district, but I will stand by how we handled it.

Wes Vandenburg did not just make a mistake. As the facts came out, it was clear this was a deliberate act. He committed a crime. He admitted his guilt, was tried, convicted and paid his dues to society.

During this time, I cooperated fully with the investigation and heeded the advice of the school’s counsel. In a crisis, you can’t hide from your problem. On the school board we worked to handle the problem in a frank and open manner, balancing the needs to hold Mr. VanDenburg accountable while protecting the school from potential liability by not jumping to conclusions until the investigation was complete.

At a personal level, we recognized we were looking at a potentially career-ending crime. In such circumstances, you need to deal fairly. I will not walk away from my duty to be a man of integrity, that’s a duty I owe to God. And treating other people with integrity and fairness — that’s another of those West Michigan Values I hope to bring to Lansing.

So I will be unapologetic for being a leader in a time of crisis. We needed to treat Mr VanDenburg fairly. We needed to test the accusations before we acted. Some will always want to fly off the handle. That balanced, respectful approach to our problems is exactly the style of leadership we need in Lansing. Next year the Legislature will be pulled by a number of crises. There will be no place for brashness there — it is a time that calls for tested leadership.

“Cooperative and Creative Leadership . . .”

Those are words of The Grand Rapids Press’ endorsement.

And modestly, I think they sum up what we’ve been trying to do for this campaign.

Everyone knows that Lansing is broken.  The question ahead is what we will do about it.  And I should emphasize that word “we.”  It’s going to take both sides to solve our problems.  As I’ve said before, we’re going to have to listen to one another.  Leadership is helping others see our principles in action.  That’s the style of leadership I brought to my business for 24 years, and to the Caledonia school board. It’s principle backed by real-world knowledge and a commitment to results.

And we have a term for that informed, principled, practical leadership: “West Michigan Values.”

And now its a Grand Rapids Press value, too.

Number Five Thousand

Sometime last week I shook my 5,000th hand in this campaign.

The values on our doorstep are the values we need in Lansing.

That also means I had my 5,000th conversation about our State, what makes it great, and what we need to do.

I’ve been carrying on this conversation for more than five months. The conversations took place across our district: the young family starting out in Gaines township, a worried single dad over in Kellogsville trying to do right by his kids; a very smart, very concerned manager out in Cascade; the elderly couple in Leisure Estates in Kentwood.

The variety of people I met at the door continues to amaze me. I count myself blessed to have met so many of you. My shoes may wear out, but my spirit is revived by this campaign.

And after a few thousand conversations, some topics keep coming up:

• What do we do with Lansing?
  The same old way of doing business just won’t do. We will need new approaches.

• What can we do for our kids?
  They’re our future, but our schools struggle to fulfill their promise. yet far too many are moving out of the state.

• How do we get our economy moving again?
  When one third of small business owners can’t find something good to say about Michigan’s business climate, you know we have work in front of us. Almost everything the State does affects business. Taxes, regulation, benefits – there’s a lot we can do.

They’re great questions. Tough ones, too. We have a leadership logjam in Lansing. It’s going to take a different style of leadership, and a renewed commitment to working together. Here in West Michigan we know something about that. We know that we need to listen to one another if we are to work together.

I believe the values I find on the doorsteps are the values we need in Lansing. That’s why I’m running. We can call them West Michigan Values, or simply call them what they are, common sense.

Michigan Does the Right Thing

Used with permission. © Adam Hart-Davis

In Michigan, we take access to water as a given.

That’s why I was so glad that Michigan finally got on board with the Great Lakes Water Compact. Thursday’s signing is a milestone for our State. Together with the new water use laws, this solves one of the critical issues for Michigan’s economic future.

After all, our growing suburbs depend on clean water. Our industries count on water. And we can’t imagine a summer without time on the water.

But for farmers here in Kent County, the new water use rules are critical for our farmers. The new groundwater safeguards assure they can access the water they need.

Legislation like this takes a lot of work. Fortunately we had able Republicans to lead the way: Senator Patricia Birkholz, and Rep. Dave Robertson. Working with the Governor, they were able to forge the compromise. In our press release, Protecting Michigan’s Water we applaud their hard work.

Legislation like this is part of a bigger task: rebuilding the trust between our communities and Lansing. In the coming term, we will not only need to stand for our principles, we will need to forge effective working relationships with one another. And in our campaign we have a term for it: West Michigan Values

West Michigan Business Values

For over 23 years I have met payroll, served customers, and created jobs in Michigan. Yes, I know how government regulation and overbearing red-tape can strangle small business and stop opportunity. I also know how a good job brings hope to families.

I began this campaign because I wanted to make a difference in Lansing, the same way I have in my business, the same way I have for our schools here in Caledonia. That’s why I’m so grateful to receive the endorsement from more than 90 business owners throughout our area. More than ever, Lansing needs the sort of experienced West Michigan values they represent.

With your help, I hope to live up to their endorsement.