State Representative Candidates Rev. Robert Dean and Mary Valentine today joined Democrats across the state in launching the “Fight for Michigan’s Future” campaign, a sweeping effort to reform a broken Legislature and move Michigan forward. The plan emphasizes health care, job creation, investment in education, legislative reforms and strong ethics measures.

“We need to fight for Michigan’s future by taking back the Legislature and getting Michigan back on track,” said Dean, a Democrat from Grand Rapids. “The status quo Republican Legislature protects wealthy special interests and big corporations, and it’s leaving our working and middle-class families behind. The ‘Fight for Michigan’s Future’ puts people before special interests and returns the Legislature to the people where it belongs.”
“The oil and drug companies can fend for themselves,” said Valentine, a Democrat from Muskegon. “Our citizens deserve representatives who will stand up for them and not ones who line the pockets of big drug and oil companies that already are raking in billions. Our working families deserve more and the “Fight for Michigan’s Future” campaign will give them a voice and a future.”
Announced across the state today, the “Fight for Michigan’s Future” encompasses a seven-point plan that will:
• Create and protect jobs;
• Invest in schools and education;
• Make health care more affordable;
• Take on the big oil companies and promote alternative fuels;
• Strengthen consumer protections and improve corporate accountability;
• Protect Michigan’s land, water and way of life; and
• Enact legislative reforms.

“Our citizens deserve a Legislature that gives them the green light to get ahead, not pink slips for jobs that get shipped to China,” Valentine said. “As your next State Representative, I’m going to fight to put our families before special interests and wealthy CEOs, and that’s what the ‘Fight for Michigan’s Future’ is all about.”
A retired speech pathologist and longtime Muskegon resident, Valentine is challenging Republican Rep. David Farhat, who has spent four years in the Michigan House. He has consistently voted against plans to fight outsourcing, increase unemployment benefits, fight Canadian and out-of-state garbage, and protect Lake Michigan from water bottlers. He also has been embroiled in recent financial scandals: He was sued last year for refusing to repay a $100,000 loan from the widow of a famed World War II hero. Earlier this year, the federal government sued Farhat and his siblings for not paying taxes amounting to around $500,000.
Dean served on the Grand Rapids School Board from 1990 to 1996, serving as president from 1995 to 1996. In 1999, he was elected to city commissioner and served as president of the city commission from 2002 to 2003. “I have had to make the hard decisions about cutting public services and staff to keep pace with the growing costs of health care. I have worked with the private sector to help provide public incentives to off-set the costs of health care to keep businesses in this community. To me, the number one issue for creating and maintaining jobs in Michigan is finding ways to contain the costs of health care while providing a model health care system for every citizen.” Dean said.
“Special interests have controlled the Republican dominated Michigan Legislature for too long,” Dean said. “Their ‘profits before people’ strategy has been destroying our business community and driving good workers out of jobs and opportunities. Because of these Republican policies our young people don’t believe there is a future for them in Michigan. That has to change. But we need to change the people making the decisions before we can change the failed policies that are holding us back. The ‘Fight for Michigan’s Future’ campaign will fix that and move Michigan forward.”