I have been reading about all the State House races in the state of Michigan but one thing seems to bother me and that is only in Detroit do we have 9 or more people running for State Rep. positions. Does everybody really think they can be a politician yet alone a state representative? It is already bad enough that many people who get elected in the city of Detroit are elected by name recognition but when I look at a ballot and see who many people jocking to be a state representative in Detroit but only 1 or 2 at the most 3 running to be a state rep. in the Gross Pointe areas or Southfield than it makes me wonder what is really going on.
Are we in Detroit so power hunger and stupid that we allow anybody to run for office? Better yet, why are we as Detroiters constantly kicking ourselves in the foot and why is the Democratic Party doing anything about this situation in Detroit in terms of explaining to people that as Democrats we need sensible people elected to office in order to get things done in Lansing. The answer to that question is that the Michigan Democratic Party doesn't care about what happens in Detroit state representative races because they know they are going to get a Democrat from all the 12 state rep. races that take place in Detroit. So to the Michigan Democratic Party, it doesn't matter who wins?
That's the issue, it does matter for the sake of Detroit and what will happen to the city of Detroit because of dumb, naive, sell out leaders who will go to Lansing representing the citizens of Detroit but blindly selling the city to the state and suburbs by casting votes for bills that they haven't read yet alone tried to read. The Michigan Reform now proposal will only allow this trend to continue and will only lessen Detroit's power in state government, thus leaving us as the citizens of Detroit to carefully read harder about the candidates and start electing fiery, intelligent, workaholic individuals who are grounded to helping improve Detroit and southeast Michigan by empowering the city.
S
o when I look at the Michigan House races in the district's of Detroit, I shack my head in disguise. However I believe that one man who is currently the Detroit Caucus chair can help improve the city of Detroit's stature in Lansing as well as southeast Michigan's stature in the rest of the state. That man is Bert Johnson who is the current State Representative for District 5 which is composed of Hamtramck, Highland Park and Detroit. Bert Johnson was the chief of staff to former 5th District State Rep. Bill McConico for 6 years before he decided to run for the post. In 2006 Bert was in a dog fight for the position of State Representative but he battled through all the mudslinging and daily attacks on his character in order to win District 5's open seat election.
One thing about Bert Johnson that no other candidate has ever done in the city of Detroit since the Coleman A. Young days as Mayor and that is be honest with the people from day one. Before Bert even decided to run for the position who told community leaders, business leaders, and religious leaders about his past of when he was 19 years old he was convicted of armed robbery. Bert turned himself in to authorities, served his time and has never looked back since than. In fact when Oakland County prosecutors and the judge tried to force Bert to give up his accomplices in order to perhaps lessen his sentence, Bert didn't because he said, I am only going to admit what I did and if the other two guys want than they will do what I did and turn themselves in. Therefore it is not up to me to snitch on them in order to get a lesser a punishment. Those are words that are commendable and real because most young cats would have snitched, just like at the dudes who got caught with Michael Vick. They quickly became the federal governments key witnesses against Vick by snitching so that they could get a lesser punishment than Vick.
Bert Johnson has received several key endorsements this election cycle from the Detroit News and Free Press, the 13th & 14th Congressional Districts, Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Communities, the Black Slate, the Muslim Community Political Action committee and a host of others. One distant difference from 2006 and now is that the Detroit News really had some kind and great words to say about him. The Detroit News endorsement reads as follows:
Democratic incumbent Bert Johnson brings the right mix of realism, experience and hope to his role. At age 19, Johnson was convicted of armed robbery. He says he turned himself in to authorities and refocused his life. That's an unusual background for state leadership, but a potentially valuable one, given the state's profound need for corrections and education reforms.
"We have to do prison reform," Johnson says. "We're locking people up faster and longer, and it's still not working. We need to be more honest about that problem." He also wants the Detroit Public Schools to empower their principals to turnaround local schools. "DPS gets enough money to fund students and programs," he adds. "We're either going to sink or swim with what we have."
Those are words that mean something because Bert who has experience as a lawyer from working in his fathers law firm after serving his time in jail prior to going to work for Bill McConico knows how to read the law as well as interpret it in order to get things done that help the citizens of Detroit and the state of Michigan. Bert has become a consensus builder in Lansing by working not only with his own party but Republicans as well in order to balance Michigan's state budget at the beginning of 2007 and by making sure that tax breaks were given to the movie industry so that they would want to film more in Michigan and by trying to perhaps really deal with insurance redlining without getting rid of no-fault. One thing Bert is really known for that most Michigan State Representatives and Senators probably don't do and that is he goes home every night to his home in Highland Park after session no matter how late it is. Bert attends approximately 41 community meetings a month and has three coffee hours on the first 3 Fridays of each month with one in each city (Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park) he represents, where he brings the citizens coffee as well as gives them legislative updates and answers any concerns that they may have regarding various issues plaguing his district. Also Bert finds time to visit all the Senior Citizen homes in his community each month where he gives legislative updates and feeds the seniors breakfast, lunch or dinner as well as answers their questions and looks into their complaints. With all that Bert does, he still finds time to not only tuck his sons in every morning but to give them the proper guidance and fatherly love and support that a man is suppose to give to young boys. Bert is the real deal type of politician who truly does it for the people.
When the citizens of his district talk to him, they quickly get results on their problems or issues no matter if it is a city, county or state issue. Bert is working 24/7 for the people in District 5 and I know the citizens of Highland Park, Hamtramck and Detroit love him for all he does. Bert attends both Highland Park's and Hamtramck's city council meetings each month where he gives a monthly report on what he is working on and what bills are currently being discussed in Lansing that could harm or help the people. Bert is the real deal, no holds barred politician who truly cares for the people and will fight for the people no matter what. However at the same time, Bert is perhaps one of the most understanding, compassionate, and passionate individuals I know who can not only walk the walk but can talk the talk in order to get people to understand all sides of an issue, a bill, or anything.
While everybody will not agree on everything but Bert is the right guy who makes sure that people's disagreements aren't reason for us as a people to not work together. Bert brings allies and foes to the table in order to find solutions that meet the needs of all parties involved and that's the mark of a great politician. Plus Bert is doing something that no other politician in the state can say they are doing and that is bringing young people to the fold of politics. I mean young people who probably have never been interested in politics are now finding their niche in politics and Bert are allowing them to run his day to day campaign. Can you imagine all 30 years or younger running a candidates political campaign for not just election but re-election as well. From 2006 to now, Bert has brought at least 10-20 young people in the fold of politics and these young people have consisted of high school students and college students with each having a share of the pie to help uplift perhaps one of Detroit's and the state of Michigan's shining stars who can really do some great things for the cities of Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck and the state of Michigan.
The best choices for Wayne County state House seats
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807220324
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