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Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008Walking with Roy and Brandon
Post from WestMichiganRising.com
Walking with Roy and Brandon
West Michigan Rising
This past Saturday I did a little door-to-door canvasing with Roy Schmidt, Brandon Dillon, and Brandon's brother Brian. On a beautiful, sunny day, the four of us walked through a nice neighborhood of well-maintained single family homes near Leonard and Fuller in north Grand Rapids. Although we were only out for a few hours, we had good success in this mostly Democratic neighboorhood. Brian and I mostly did a brief:
"Hi, I'm x and I'm out talking to neighboors on behalf of Brandon Dillon -- your County Commissioner -- and Roy Schmidt, who is runninig for Mike Sak's State House seat since Mike is termlimited. ... They'll be back themselves later in the fall, but they hope you'll have the time to read these introductions [hand the two lit pieces]. Thanks, have a great day."
We also tried to get OKs for yard signs from folks who had done so for Brandon last election or from new folks who seemed enthusiastic. Of course, the candidates themselves did better at the door and they got a bunch of acceptances for yard signs to go up later in the fall. Both Brandon and Roy were great at the door and obviously have a comfortable way with people. It's both nice to see Roy with one of the strongest Democrats in Kent County and to see Brandon with our future State Representative.
Brandon had a nice lit piece with his slogan "Honest Leadership. Better Government" prominent along with the website. Inside, Brandon extolls his love of family and community and then gets down to stressing his opposition to unfair new fees, supporting greenspace preservation, pushing for "smarter development strategies for Kent County," and making sure the city "gets its fair share of county resources" (a "core cities vs. outlying townships" theme I think all Democratic candidates in GR, Kentwood, Wyoming, etc should be pushing). He also included a joint quote from Rosalynn Bliss and David LaGrand the two city commissioners from the second ward which heavily overlaps with Brandon's 18th district. On the back he's got his list of endorsements including state representatives Sak and Dean, four city commissioners, all the Democratic county commissioners (save one, one guess which), the County and City police union, the city firefighters, Scott Bowen, Alicia Pestka (for Steve who is a former State Representative and now a judge), Lupe Ramos-Montigny, Frank Lynn, Roy Schmidt himself, many others, and finally some guy named Phil Skaggs (I'm sure I'll get bumped for more important people later, but for now, it's nice to be included).
Roy's lit piece is extremely fansy and 8 pages! It's mostly an introductory piece -- the title is "Hi, I'm Roy Schmidt. It's probably for folks outside GR's Ward 1 where he was a city commissioner for 16 years. It's not the easiest to find, but it does say "Democrat" on the front page. The piece has a lot of feel-good photos of Roy listening to constituents. But, he does talk issues -- solid Democratic issues --, stressing restoring some Revenue Sharing from Lansing to the cities, keeping school funding from Lansing at a level to insure good schools, taking a strong stand to protect Great Lakes water, creating jobs, and making "healthcare affordable and available to every family." Unlike the webpage, it doesn't stress some level of post-partisanship and thankfully leaves out the "two great parties" part. Overall, I continue to be impressed with the campaign Roy is running.
Later, the four of us went to a Creston Neighborhood Association cookout for hotdogs, brats, and some handshakes. The Creston NA is extremely active and a great bunch of folks. Brandon and Roy headed down to the Water Festival (dang, thtese guys work hard) while I headed off to a brief visit to the Grand Rapids Obama Headquarters which I'll write about later today.
We had a great time and I got to know Roy and Brian better. I'm convinced Roy is a smart campaigner and elected official and will do Democrats proud in Lansing. Roy is running hard and that's a good thing. A blowout election would make this seat safe for us for decades and a big win, with a well-funded campaign that can donate some of that to other (including, hopefully West Michigan) Democratic candidates means that Roy will be in a position to quickly get into and move up the leadership ladder since he's got Mike's big shoes to fill. Still, don't expect this one to end up too close. Word is that his Republican "challenger" didn't even bother to show up for the Chamber of Commerce endorsement interview. So, he can't be running that hard (he also apparently doesn't have a website).
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Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
Schmidt Looks to Take Local Experience to State Level in House 76th
Schmidt Looks to Take Local Experience to State Level in House 76th
Volume #47, Report #127, Article #4--Tuesday, July 1, 2008
SCHMIDT LOOKS TO TAKE LOCAL EXPERIENCE TO STATE LEVEL IN HOUSE 76TH
With 16 years as a Grand Rapids city commissioner in his back pocket, Roy Schmidt is the only Democrat seeking to replace term-limited Rep. Michael Sak (D-Grand Rapids), and given the district's leaning toward that party he will likely take the post in 2009. Mr. Schmidt (www.royschmidt.org) is running for the Kent County seat covering the west side of Grand Rapids. The district has a Democratic base of nearly 60 percent and Mr. Sak won his first race with 60.7 percent of the vote and his re-election bids with 67.4 percent and 72.8 percent in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
Mr. Schmidt, a territory manager for pharmaceutical company Wyeth Inc., also has a history of winning his city commission seat by wide margins, including his last re-election bid where he garnered 84 percent of the vote.
Mr. Schmidt said he expected to face a Democratic primary for the open seat but one never surfaced. He added that he did lay the groundwork for running early on, talking with people and gaining endorsements. So far, he's netted several endorsements from Mr. Sak, Rep. Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids), Mayor George Heartwell, several city and county commissioners, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Right to Life of Michigan, United Auto Workers, Michigan Association of Police Organizations, Michigan Association of Realtors, Michigan Professional Firefighters Union, Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Milwrights, Commercial Alliance of Realtors, Grand Rapids Association of Realtors, Grand Rapids Firefighters Local 366, Grand Rapids Police Labor Association, IBEW Local 275, Rental Properties Association of Grand Rapids and West MI Friends of Labor.
Mr. Schmidt said the economy is the top issue in his campaign because as he goes door-to-door he hears from people who are "plain scared about their jobs." The state has to work in a positive way toward job creation and retention, he said, adding he helped with the work of having Grand Rapids spur efforts for brownfield development and renaissance zones and getting those economic development tools through the Legislature. He said that not only led to positive developments downtown such as the Medical Mile, but local leaders listened and worked with businesses to create jobs and make Grand Rapids a place where people wanted to invest their money. Mr. Schmidt said the process of getting rid of the Single Business Tax and going to the Michigan Business Tax, including an 11th hour effort to delete the service tax and put a surcharge on the MBT, was a "debacle." "It's just unfortunate. The tax, from what I hear and talk to people, the tax is causing businesses more taxes." While he admitted not having a full understanding of the complexities of the MBT, he said he is "more than happy" to fix the nearly 22 percent surcharge. Mr. Schmidt also said the education system and fighting home foreclosure are among his priorities. He didn't have a position on expansion of charter schools, saying school safety seems to be more of a priority for people he's talked to. He also believes the state's gun laws don't need to be changed but what's on the books should simply be enforced. As for his stance on same-sex marriage, Mr. Schmidt said because of his personal religious beliefs he does not support same-sex marriage. But he does support civil unions and benefits for same-sex partners. "I know that gay people enjoy loving and committed relationships and that they are dependent upon each other in those relationships as any other couple. In the absence of a legal marriage they should be entitled to the protections of health and death benefits as straight couples are," he said. Asked about his opinion on various ballot proposals, Mr. Schmidt said he doesn't support the part-time Legislature initiative because it would give bureaucracy "more of an opportunity to take over." He also said he is influenced by his time in the city commission post, which was considered part-time, but he always saw it as a full-time position. Mr. Schmidt said the Fair Tax initiative does have some good points and he does believe in simplifying the tax structure particularly given business' experience with the new MBT. But he said a meeting he attended on the proposal did leave some questions left unanswered and he wonders if it's too radical a change for people to fully comprehend the ramifications. As for the embryonic stem cell research initiative, Mr. Schmidt said he didn't know enough about the issue to comment. And while he initially said he opposes medical marijuana, he also wanted more information before commenting on that ballot initiative.
Gongwer News Service: State Government News Reporting Since 1906. Copyright, 2008
124 W. Allegan St., Suite 1200, Lansing, Michigan, 48933
Phone: 517-482-3500 Fax: 517-482-4367 Email:gongwer@gongwer.com
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Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Stricter laws sought to curb metal thefts
Stricter laws sought to curb metal thefts
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- Reacting to a recent rash of metal thefts, former Grand Rapids City Commissioner Roy Schmidt wants to beef up state laws to combat copper thieves.
Last month, thieves were caught on tape removing catalytic converters from vehicles at a Northwest Side business. The thieves want valuable metals found in the parts.
Schmidt worries proposed copper legislation does not go far enough to include catalytic converter thefts from commercial vehicles. He also wants to make sure any legislation does not harm reputable scrap metal dealers. Schmidt, who is seeking the 76th District state House seat, plans to contact state legislators.
There are laws pending dealing with theft of copper and building materials. But the problem is getting worse and needs to be addressed, Schmidt said Monday.
"The best place to start is with the reputable dealers and work together to find ways for them to self-govern and help our state Legislature fashion effective laws to force compliance," he said.
2008 Grand Rapids Press
2008 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.
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March 1, 2008
The West Side Neighborhood Organization Honors Roy Schmidt
Roy Schmidt Honored
The West Side Neighborhood Organization Honors Roy Schmidt
The West Grand Neighborhood Organization (WGNO) held their annual meeting last week and used the opportunity to honor outgoing First Ward City Commissioner Roy Schmidt for his 16 years of service not only to the WGNO area but the City as a whole. Schmidt, who started his political career as a member and chairperson of the WGNO in the late 1980s, was given a plaque of appreciation. Schmidt, who had minor eye surgery that same day and came anyway, was accompanied by his wife Donna. The crowd of over fifty neighbors and friends gave Schmidt a rousing standing ovation as the plaque was presented. "There wasn’t a dry eye in the house! No one has been more dedicated to neighborhood concerns than Roy. He has never forgotten where his true roots are" said WGNO Executive Director Nola Steketee. Also in attendance were First Ward Commissioner Elect Walt Gutowski, Roy's newly elected replacement on the City Commission, and County Commissioners Carol Hennessy and Dick Bulkowski.
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March 2, 2008
Roy Schmidt Gets Key Endorsement
Roy Gets Endorsed!
Roy Schmidt Gets Key Endorsement
At a campaign meeting surrounded by some 80 friends, family and supporters, former City Commissioner Roy Schmidt spoke about his reasons for running and his goals for the election. He was joined on stage by former Mayor John Logie, City Commissioners J. J. Jendrasiak and Rosalyn Bliss, his campaign co-chair Johnny Brann and his wife of thirty years, Donna. Also on stage was Representative Mike Sak who not only introduced Schmidt with a rousing speech, but officially offered his endorsement. Several notable leaders were in attendance including former 76th State Representative and now Judge Steve Pestka and State Lottery Commissioner Scott Bowen.
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March 7, 2008
Roy Schmidt Announces Candidacy for 76th State House Seat
Roy will run!
Roy Schmidt Announces Candidacy for 76th State House Seat
After months of speculation former City Commissioner Roy Schmidt announced his candidacy as a Democrat for the 76th State House Seat at a news conference which was held at on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at his new campaign headquarters at 415 Leonard NW just west of Brann’s Restaurant. The event kicked off what Schmidt describes as the "most important campaign I’ve ever been involved in". During the event Schmidt expressed his passion for joining both parties to impact change in Michigan. He wants to end partisan divisions which he believes is inhibiting positive progress. He also stressed his commitment to being accessible to his constituents, citing his reputation as city commissioner which led to the slogan "I called Roy and Roy called back." He expressed his goal to increase revenue sharing in order to increase police and fire presence. Full News Release (PDF)
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