A Brighton woman with 19 years of experience in the health care field is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 42nd House Seat.
Shanda Willis filed her papers on Wednesday (April 11, 2012) with the Livingston County Clerk’s office for the seat now held by Republican Bill Rogers.
"My years in the health care field spent caring for women and babies, as well as having two children of my own, have taught me to understand and be sympathetic to the needs of families. I will bring that same sensitivity to my job in the Legislature. The first question I will ask about any bill is, 'How does this help protect our families?'" she pledged.
Willis said central issues in her campaign will include protecting the rights of workers, tax fairness for middle class families and seniors, and improved funding for Livingston County schools. If elected to the Michigan House, she would vote to repeal the pension tax on senior citizens, restore the cuts in state aid to local schools that have devastated public schools throughout Livingston County, and stand up for women’s health concerns.
"My two children currently attend Brighton Area Public Schools. I believe that we need to fund education so that identified student needs can be met at every level of student ability. Promoting and funding public education in a safe environment is crucial as the means of developing our children’s greatest abilities to ensure their future success," she said.
"As a woman and a health care professional, I am a staunch believer in the need for women to have the chance to obtain safe reproductive health care. Every woman should have the right to have personal control of her own body," she said.
Willis said she also supports collective bargaining and the right to form a union, which she said is now under attack by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
"As a former nurse and member of a nurses’ union (the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council/Michigan Nurses Association), I know how important it is for employees to have a voice in determining their wages, benefits, and working conditions. Bill Rogers has failed to stand up for working people with his support of legislation stripping teachers of many collective bargaining rights. Other workers will be next if we don’t stand up for workers now," Willis said.
Willis currently is assistant director of nursing for Omni Home Care Inc., Plymouth. She graduated from Brighton High School in 1989 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Michigan in 1994.
Willis’ nursing career has focused on pediatrics, women’s health, medical device sales, home health care, and education. She has worked at some of the area’s most outstanding health care facilities, including the University of Michigan Medical Center and Botsford General Hospital.
She is the mother of 13-year-old twins.
People wishing more information about Willis’ campaign may contact her at shandawillisforhouse@gmail.com or check out her page on Facebook at Shanda Willis for House.
The 42nd House district includes the City of Brighton and the townships of Brighton Charter, Genoa, Green Oak, Hamburg, and Putnam.
2 comments:
I wish Shanda well on her attempt to unseat Bill Rogers. That would be quite a feat in Livingston County where low information conservative voting is passed from one generation to the next.
It is so disappointing to see people here routinely vote against their own self interest. The Republicans have waged a politics of fear campaign here that has been very productive.
"""It is so disappointing to see people here routinely vote against their own self interest."""
Attitudes like yours are the number one reason why your side loses. Arrogance. Who the Hell are you or anyone else to determine what our self interest is? Put down the Thomas Frank book. We don't vote against our self-interest. We vote against yours, because you are wrong.
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