BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP, MI -- U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee is asking Gov. Rick Snyder to get involved with Buena Vista School District.

The Flint Democrat on Wednesday, May 8, sent a letter to Snyder calling on him to take steps to reopen the district.

“As the governor of Michigan, I implore you to use any means necessary to work with the local school district to swiftly reopen the Buena Vista schools,” Kildee said in the letter. “If the local school district is unable to reopen its schools on its own, the state of Michigan must act to ensure that the students in Buena Vista can finish out the remaining days of the school year.”

Buena Vista School Distrct on Monday laid off its teachers after being unable to make payroll and has been closed since.

Kildee said the district has failed to manage their resources, but its not an excuse to shut down schools for the rest of the year and punish the approximately 420 students.

“The students of Buena Vista have a constitutional right to an education and the state has a legal responsibility to provide it,” he wrote.

Article VIII, Section 2 of the Michigan Constitution requires that the state provide free public elementary and secondary education to Michigan students, stating “the legislature shall maintain and support a system of free public elementary and secondary schools as defined by law.”

Ticket Cost: $20.00  Need not be present to win

Prizes for First 12 Weeks:

CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. Climatologists (85%) throughout the world agree that the Earth is heating up and that the majority cause is the massive use of fossil fuels and other human behavior. Climate Change brings extreme storms, agricultural problems, water and food shortages. Reducing the amount of CO2 from 395ppm to 350ppm in the atmosphere is the only cure..!

Everyone can do something to help bring our temperatures back to sustainable levels. 

350 Clean Energy Walk and Climate Science Education
Saturday, May 18, 2013
11:00AM

Veterans Park on the Saginaw River
Bay City, MI

group walk for clean renewable energy (11:00AM)
350 picture taken to post on YOUTUBE (noon)
science education on climate change (12:30-1:30)
optional buffet lunch (2:00)

Details avaliable at sagvalss.org, ltc350.org or 350.org 
You can also call 989-894-0275

Saginaw Valley Sustainability Society and Lone Tree Council Hosts

As you know, Carl Levin recently announced his intention to retire at the end of his term next year. For more than 35 years, Senator Levin has led the fight for Michigan values and a strong middle class. His thoughtfulness and integrity are respected around Michigan and across the nation, and he represents the best of what it means to be a true public servant.

Following Carl’s decision, I have been humbled by the voices from every corner of Michigan who have enthusiastically encouraged me to run for the U.S. Senate. It is a decision that can only be made as a family and over the past few weeks, my wife Colleen and I, along with our three wonderful children, have discussed it at length.

We wanted you to be among the first to know of our decision.

Today — I am officially announcing that I am a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014.

This is a critical time for Michigan, and our main streets and middle class need an independent voice fighting for them.

Washington is a mess, but Michigan is on the verge of re-inventing itself with a new economy and a middle class that’s stronger than ever — and I want to be on the front lines of that fight.

I’ve always believed that the things middle class families struggle with around their kitchen tables should define my work in Washington.

That’s why I led the fight to increase lending to small businesses, make sure women receive equal pay for equal work, and held Wall Street accountable when they took their taxpayer-funded bailouts and paid themselves bonuses.

We’ve made some progress, but we’re a long way from finished.

Together, we must work to make sure that Michigan will always be a place where people can work hard, have access to an affordable education, find a good-paying job and enjoy a secure retirement. That’s the American dream, and it’s always been the foundation of Michigan’s middle class.

We have to get spending under control and return our focus to creating jobs, finding innovative ways to help small businesses grow, and fixing our economy.

And we must continue the fight to protect our seniors — Medicare and Social Security are under attack, and no one will fight harder to make sure these crucial programs are there for this generation and the next.

Set politics and party aside: if it’s not right for Michigan’s small businesses and middle class, it’s never been right with me.

I think that kind of independent approach is exactly what Michigan needs in the Senate right now.

This week I will be meeting with folks in Greater Detroit, Flint, Lansing, and Grand Rapids. I’ll be headed to Traverse City, Alpena, and the Upper Peninsula soon.

Please join our campaign for the U.S. Senate at: PetersforMichigan.com today.

Together — we will make a difference!

Saginaw Cinco de Mayo Parade & Potluck
w/ Special Guest: Mark Totten with AGforUS  

Cinco de Mayo for Saginaw is a great event for hispanic/latino cultural heritage and education, and is also the largest celebration and parade of its kind in the State of Michigan!  

Volunteers Needed!
When: Saturday, May 4th, 2013
Line Up Time: 9:30 AM Parade
Start Time: 10:30 AM
Where: Water St behind the Farmer's Market (507 S. Washington Ave)  
Roads are shut down very early. Please arrive at lineup as close to 9:30 as you can and bring candy to pass out and friends to walk with us! 

After the parade...

Join us at SCDP HQ at 122 N. Michigan Ave for a volunteer potluck and a short presentation from Mark Totten with AGforUS!

Under Michigan law, the attorney general defends the "public interest."  The courts describe the AG as the "guardian of the people."  And yet for the past two years Bill Schuette has used the office to serve his party, his patrons, and his own political career.  The mission of AGforUs is to reclaim the "People's Lawyer" for the People, by casting a vision for what the Michigan Attorney General should be and by holding Bill Schuette accountable.

When: Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
Where: Meet at West End of Meijer Parking Lot
(8400 Gratiot Rd, Saginaw)
Time: 5:30 PM
Rain Date: April 18th
 
Come on out and help clean and protect our green Michigan environment. The more people that help, the quicker it goes, and the sooner we an return to the SCDP HQ for pizza and drinks!.

From Great Depression to Great Recession: Learning From Our Past to Rebuild the American Labor Movement Today

Speaker: David Reynolds
Open to the Public! Free. 
Please invite your friends and family! 

LUNCH PROVIDED!

Saturday, April 27 9am-12:30pm
Marble Lecture Hall, Rm 115
Wickes Hall, SVSU
 
RSVP to Rob White
989.737.4358
whiteibew@gmail.com
 
A big thank you to IBEW Local 557, Laborers Local 1098, RWDSU Local 87, Tri-County Building Trades, Saginaw Labor Council, UA Local 85 and the SVSU Center for Public Policy and Service for sponsoring this event with us!

It's time for Spring cleaning!

The Saginaw Area Democratic Club is collecting garage sale items for the Freeland Walleye Festival Garage Sale Fundraiser on April 26-28th!
 
Appliances (small), furniture, books, tools, computer stuff, sporting goods, lamps, towels, blankets, rugs, music, videos, dvds, pictures, household items, knick knacks, baskets, toys, baby stuff (strollers, etc...)

(Please no clothes)
 
For now, we are collecting items at the SCDP HQ (122 N. Michigan) whenever it's open for meetings, or call/email Trevor Belger(989.482.7850 trevorjbelger@gmail.com) to arrange for the HQ to be open when you'd like to drop items off. If you need help transporting your items, email Trevor and he can help with that too!
 
Thank you so much for your donations! The money we raise will go a long way to elect good Democrats!

SAGINAW, MI — A Democratic contender has emerged in the race for State Sen. Roger Kahn's State Senate seat.

Garnet Lewis, a Tittabawassee Township resident, plans to run for the 32nd District State Senate seat currently held by Kahn. The second-term senator will be vacating the seat at the end of 2014 due to term limits.

Lewis, 51, has been an active Democratic Party member on the state and local levels for years.

"I've really been involved as what you'd call a grassroots organizer," she said.

Lewis ran an unsuccessful race for the State House 98th District in 2008 against Republican James N. Stamas of Midland Township.

She said it has been her first-hand experiences with Michigan's education system that leads her to, once again, run for state office.

"The only place I can legitimately have an impact on the funding of education is on the state level," Lewis said.

Her time as a Central Michigan University administrator and time on the Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees, she said, has given her plenty of ideas about the changes needed in Michigan's education system.

Properly-funded public education should be a top priority for the state's elected leaders, Lewis said.

"I've been a firm believer that a strong educational system leads to a strong economy," she said. "I feel there is a real disconnect. All that is being done is to decimate and privatize the system. That is leading us back to a system of haves and have-nots. I am truly committed to having the playing field leveled for everyone."

She is planning to officially launch her campaign during its first fundraising event:

      Time: 5 p.m.

      Date: Monday, April 15

      Place: Savoy Bar and Grill, 127 S. Franklin, Saginaw

Lewis said changes to the State Senate district, thanks to redistricting, and Kahn's departure will leave a Democratic bid for the seat within reach.

"The district has become more Democratic," she said.

Michigan's old 32nd Senate District consisted of all of both Saginaw and Gratiot counties. The new district drops Gratiot County and picks up a portion of Genesee County in exchange, a change that some have theorized will make a Republican bid for the seat more challenging.

Lewis operates a commercial property investment and management company, Vigano LLC, based in Freeland. She said she believes her practical experience as a small business owner would also be an asset in Lansing.

"I feel like I can bring a lot of knowledge," she said. "I think some of the decisions are made there without any level of understanding."

Lewis served as president of the Saginaw Area Democratic Club from 2005-2007 and as chair of the Saginaw County Democratic Party from 2010-2011. She worked directly for the Michigan Democratic Party from 2011-2012.

Lewis is not the only one lining up to run for Kahn's seat in November 2014.

Local businessman Paul Mitchell announced in February 2013 that he plans to seek the Republican nomination for the 32nd District. Mitchell, who assures voters he is not "the hair guy," is a Thomas Township resident and one of three individuals who, in 2004, purchased the company that operates Saginaw's Ross Medical Education Center.

Kahn, a Saginaw cardiologist, has served as the district's state senator since his first election in November 2006. Prior to that, he served one term as the 94th District state representative.

-----

Website: www.garnetlewis.com

State Reps. Stacy Erwin Oakes, D-Saginaw, Terry Brown, D-Pigeon, and Charles Brunner, D-Bay City, had a press conference today in Saginaw to announce Michigan’s Middle-Class Plan, the House Democrats’ plan for helping families, seniors and kids. The plan is based on the responses Democrats received during the recent statewide, “Real State of Our State Listening Tour.” Oakes, Brown and Brunner attended a Listening Tour stop in Flint on March 11.

“The Listening Tour confirmed what has been echoed across the state — Michigan’s middle-class families are hurting,” said Oakes. “We want to make sure the decisions we’re making in Lansing are informed by the people of our local communities. This legislation reflects their thoughts and solutions for our state’s future.”

The House Democrats’ plan calls for middle-class tax relief, restoring and protecting funds to public education, eliminating barriers to health care for women and provides solutions for fixing state roads and bridges. The plan will:

• Repeal the tax on seniors’ retirement income, restore the per-child tax deductions, restore the Earned Income Tax Credit to 11 percent and restore the Homestead Property Tax Credit;
• Level the playing field for overweight and out-of-state trucks, ensure existing transportation funds are used for road construction and refinance existing infrastructure bonds.
• Make the School Aid Fund only available for use in funding K-12 education and increase per-pupil funding by $320.
• Improve access to health care for women by removing barriers to clinics and increasing access to family planning services.
  

“The concerns we heard in Flint echoed those we have been hearing across the state. Mothers, teachers, laborers and seniors are all being negatively affected by recent policies passed in Lansing,” said Brown. “They told us that Republican-passed legislation is increasing the holes in their pocket books and hurting their children’s education.”

Brunner added, “We can’t wait any longer to fix these issues. The House Democratic Caucus is fully aware of the problems Michiganders are facing, and we designed this plan with those problems in mind. We want to take what we heard on the Listening Tour and start helping people now.”

You can download the entire plan by clicking on the link below.