Richard Hammel - 48th House District

Richard Hammel - Candidate for Michigan's 48th House District

Elected to the legislature in 2004, Representative Hammel is a member of the following Appropriations Committee and Chairs the Economic Development Subcommittee; serves as Vice-Chair of the General Government Committee and is a member of the Committee on Community Health.

Rick is a seasoned public servant having been a Genesee County commissioner for nine years and Chair for seven. As the longest continuously serving board chair in Genesee County history, he established Genesee County's first Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Emergency Response Team; secured funding for the county's first mobile command unit; executed strategies that improved the county's bond rating seven times; established a VEBA trust to address the county's retiree health care obligations; and brought Automation Alley, a nationally recognized economic development organization, to Genesee County. He also served as a Mount Morris Township Trustee for four years.

As a proud member of UAW Local 651 Delphi/General Motors since 1978, Hammel retired after working as a skilled tradesman at Delphi Corp. for 29 years. He worked as a pipefitter from 1978 to 2006. An active member of his community, Rick previously served on the boards of the United Way, the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce and Automation Alley.

Rep. Hammel earned a Bachelor of Applied Science-Industrial Technology from the University of Michigan-Flint. He graduated from Beecher High School in Mount Morris Township.

Rep. Hammel and his wife, Debra, have four grown daughters: Alishea, Andrea, Karen and Jessica. They have four grandchildren: Kaydance, Maygen, Blake and Will.

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Robert B. Jones - 60th House District

Robert B. Jones - Candidate for Michigan's 60th House District

State Representative Robert B. Jones was the hugely popular four-term mayor of Kalamazoo before winning election to the Michigan House in 2006. State Representative Robert B. Jones Chairs the Senior Health, Security, and Retirement Committee is Vice-Chair of the Commerce Committee; and serves on both the Health Policy and Tax Policy Committees.

Jones has a long and distinguished record of public service. In 2003, Jones received the NAACP Humanitarian Award. He has previously chaired the Kalamazoo Community Development Block Grant Advisory Board, volunteered with the United Way, mentored elementary school students and a participated with the Concerned men of Kalamazoo. Under his leadership, Kalamazoo experienced significant economic growth, attracting new investments and witnessing new development in the downtown area.

Jones is also active in state and national organizations. He has served on the executive board of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. He has also served as vice president of the Michigan Municipal league, Michigan president of the National Brownfield Association, co-chair of the Urban Core Mayors and southwest Michigan director of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

A research chemist, Jones was chemical production supervisor at Pharmacia and Upjohn in Kalamazoo for 28 years. He was a research chemist at Fort Valley State University before joining Pharmacia and Upjohn.

Jones is married to Callie Baskerville-Jones. They have six children and one grandson.

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Steve Lindberg - 109th House District

Steve Lindberg - Candidate for Michigan's 109th House District

State Representative Steve Lindberg graduated from Gwinn High School in 1962 and received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Northern Michigan University. Rep. Lindberg also received a teaching certificate and Master's degree in guidance and counseling from Northern Michigan University.

After spending his junior year of college at the University of Michigan and his first year of teaching in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Steve returned to Marquette in 1968 to teach at the Women's Job Corps Center at Northern Michigan University. He later taught in the Marquette Area Public School system and also worked as a guidance counselor, retiring in 1997.

In 2001, Rep. Lindberg began work for his predecessor, State Rep. Stephen Adamini, as district legislative aide. In 2006 Lindberg was elected to replace term limited Rep. Adamini in 109th State Representative House District. Steve serves on the Education, Energy and Technology, Labor, and the Tourism, Recreation, and Natural Resources Committee.

He and his wife, Paulette, currently reside in Marquette. They have one son, two grandchildren and a great granddaughter. He is a member of the Marquette Mountain Ski Patrol.

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Mark S. Meadows - 69th House District

Mark S. Meadows - Candidate for Michigan's 69th House District

State Representative Mark Meadows was first elected to the state legislature in 2004 and is currently Vice-Chair of the Labor; Great Lakes and Environment; Intergovernmental, Urban and Regional Affairs Committee as well as the Judiciary; New Economy and Quality of Life; Regulatory Reform Committees.

Mark is focused on creating a brighter future for the State of Michigan with new jobs, accessible health care, a stronger public education, stewardship of our Great Lakes, meaningful consumer protections and promotion of renewable energy.

Rep. Meadows was appointed as an assistant attorney general in 1975 and was assigned to represent, at various times, the Department of Social Services, Mental Health, Natural Resources, and State Police; was in former Attorney General Frank Kelly's Environmental Protection Division; represented the Public Service Commission; and was general counsel to the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards. State Rep. Meadows also is a former mayor of East Lansing and council member of East Lansing.

Meadows was elected as Mayor of East Lansing in 1997 and re-elected in 1999, 2001 and 2003, his final term expired in November, 2005. Rep. Meadows also has served as East Lansing City Council member from 1995 until this past year.

State Representative Mark S. Meadows earned an undergraduate degree at Western Michigan University and his law degree at Michigan State University, formerly Detroit College of Law.

Mark and his wife, Pam, are the proud parents of four East Lansing High School graduates: Kirk, Tori, Maureen and Tara, and Rep. Meadows and his wife also are the proud grandparents of three: Cameron, Taylor and Lauren.

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Fred Miller - 31st House District

Fred Miller - Candidate for Michigan's 31st House District

State Representative Fred Miller was first elected in November 2004 to represent Michigan's 31st District, which includes the City of Mount Clemens and the majority of both Clinton Township and the City of Fraser. He has worked throughout his life as an activist, volunteer, educator, and government official to strengthen and improve our communities.

Fred Miller serves on five committees in the House of Representatives, Education, Energy and Technology, Great Lakes and Environment, Transportation, and Labor, which he chairs. In 2007, the Labor Committee has looked at important topics such as pay equity for women, the Public Employee Relations Act and the use of credit scores in hiring practices.

Fred Miller is a member of the Macomb County NAACP. He works with the Clinton Township Goodfellows to raise money and provide clothes and toys for underprivileged children at Christmas. He previously served on the Board of Trustees for the Disability Network of Oakland and Macomb, a disability-rights advocacy non-profit organization.

Though he is actively involved with many legislative and community issues, Fred Miller is particularly passionate about issues regarding education. The son of public school educators, Fred Miller believes it is a moral obligation as well as a constitutional mandate to provide a quality public education to all students.

Fred and his wife Jennifer are homeowners in Mount Clemens.

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Dan Scripps - 101st House District

Dan Scripps - Candidate for Michigan's 101st House District

Dan Scripps grew up in Alma, Michigan and graduated from Alma College in 1998. While there he served as president of the student congress. Dan graduated from the University of Michigan Law School with honors in 2005. There, Dan served as president of the Michigan Chapter of the American Constitution Society and started a Michigan group to counter voter intimidation. Dan practiced environmental law in Washington D.C., but seeing that Michigan was in trouble, Dan returned to run for the State House in 2006. He received over 48% of the vote against a two-term incumbent.

In 2007 and early 2008, Dan worked with the Leelanau Conservancy on developing farm programs. He currently runs a consulting business to help clients identify opportunities in a changing world. Dan is married to Jamie Scripps, a local attorney. They live in Leland and are members of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church near Beulah.

My top three priorities once elected to office are jobs, schools and the great outdoors. We need to bring more jobs to Michigan and make these jobs viable options for families who want to wish to continue to live here. I want to diversify our economy by promoting renewable energy and venture capital. The state of Michigan needs to prioritize universal early childhood education as well as providing opportunities for all Michigan students to receive a quality post-secondary education. Our current school funding formula is unfair and hurts local students. I want to change this. It is also imperative to the identity of this region to protect our natural resources and the beauty of the environment, especially Michigan's lakes and rivers. We must safeguard our water from pollutants and corporations that would seek to take it away.

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Jon Switalski - 25th House District

Jon Switalski - Candidate for Michigan's 25th House District

A lifelong resident of Warren, Jon Switalski is committed to fighting for positive change that will move Macomb County forward. As a State Representative, Jon will stand up against shipping jobs to other states and countries. He will continue working hard to increase access to affordable health care. Switalski pledges to do everything he can to ensure a bright future for the 25th District.

Elected as a Macomb County Commissioner in November 2006, Switalski's top priorities have been protecting and adding good-paying jobs, and assuring affordable prescription drugs. In his first term, Jon authored and passed a Living Wage Policy ensuring that the Macomb County tax dollars will not subsidize poverty wages. Jon also led the successful dental discount initiative that saves residents up to 60 percent off dental bills; the first of its kind in Michigan.

Commissioner Switalski serves as Vice Chair of the Legislative and Administrative Services Committee and is a member of the Senior Citizens, Budget, Finance and Personnel committees. He is a coordinator for Green Michigan, an organization that promotes environmental causes and recycling awareness.

Employed as an organizer for the Service Employees International Union, Switalski was previously an aide to former U.S. Rep. David Bonior and was an account manager for Universal Traffic Service. Jon earned his bachelor's degree from Grand Valley State University, and graduated from St. Clement High School in Center Line.

Jon learned the value of hard work from his parents. His mother, Theresa, worked as a substitute teacher in Warren while he was growing up, and currently works at Community Choice Credit Union. Jon's father, John, recently retired from Detroit Edison as a union journeyman.

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