Last week, I kicked off my campaign with a four-day tour throughout the district where I visited high schools and early childhood centers, toured downtown business districts, met with local business men and women, top conservation officials, and small family farmers.

We have a lot of work to do to turn our state around, but also some real competitive advantages that can help in that process.  From the beauty of this area that can help attract the jobs of the future to the wind potential that can help turn Northwest Michigan into a global center for renewable energy production and innovation, our natural resources are central to both our economic growth prospects and to our quality of life.  In meetings from Food for Thought, a local organic processor, to Sawmill Bill’s, a Benzie County business that is recycling sawdust into value added heating bricks, a number of local businesses are on the cutting edge of combining environmental awareness with increased profitability.

In addition, our globally unique and wonderfully diverse agricultural sector combines economic opportunity – adding millions to our regional economy each year in both farmgate receipts and through value added processing – and the preservation of our regional character.  In my meetings with farmers in every single county of the district over the last week, I heard about both the challenges local farmers are facing, as well as their love for the land that provides for them and their families.

Finally, we need to make sure we’re giving our children the World Class education they need to compete in tomorrow’s economy.  In visits to Manistee High School as well as early childhood centers in Leelenau, Manistee and Mason counties, I saw first hand the work local schools are doing, as well as the challenges they’re facing.  We need to ensure that every Michigan student has access to quality preschool, and to fight to get our local schools the same funding as wealthy suburban schools downstate.  A system that values downstate kids twice as much as it does local kids is broken.  I will work to fix it.

Jobs, Schools and the Great Outdoors.  It’s a message that addresses both our strengths and our challenges.  These are the issues I’ll focus on over the course of this campaign, and I’m confident that if we can put these issues front and center in the debate in Lansing, we can turn our state around.  It’s time to get Michigan moving again!