Brighton attorney Shari Pollesch announced that she is running for State Senate for the 22nd District as a Democrat.
This newly created district includes all of Livingston County and approximately two thirds of Washtenaw County, west of the city of Ann Arbor. (Lyndon, Webster, Northfield, Sylvan, Lima, Scio, Sharon, Freedom, Lodi, Saline and Bridgewater townships, the Villages of Dexter and Manchester, and the City of Chelsea.)
According to a press release, Pollesch is “committed to policies that put people before special interests, children’s education before political agendas, seniors before corporate tax cuts and a clean environment before big energy profits. “
The release also states, “As a voice of reason in Lansing, Shari will work to reverse policies that are unfairly burdening the middle class and will fight for a smart government that puts people first.”
She says, “I am running because there has been no real progress in Lansing on issues that improve people’s lives. Unemployment in Michigan was 9 percent three years ago and it is 9 percent today. Instead of focusing on revitalizing our economy, protecting seniors or fairly funding our local schools, my opponent has been sponsoring regulations like whether the local pub can sell me a beer in a glass with a logo. Michigan needs a new direction that will only come through new leadership; leadership that can be trusted to work for people.”
According to the release, Pollesch was raised by a single mother who often worked two jobs to support a family that consisted of Pollesch, two brothers and a sister. Ultimately, she became a small business owner – setting an example of hard work, courage and determination.
After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from Olivet College in 1981, Pollesch taught preschool in the Eaton/Ingham County Head Start program. “Witnessing the hardships and inequality of poverty suffered by her students, she developed a passion for social justice, which led her to law school<’ according to the press release.
Pollesch graduated from Thomas Cooley Law School with her Juris Doctorate and entered private practice in 1989.
As a partner with Ken Burchfield and David Park, Pollesch has used her strong listening, advocacy, and negotiating skills to help hundreds of Livingston County residents and small businesses resolve their legal issues, the release says.
She has served on the boards of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, the Key Development Center, which provides outpatient substance abuse treatment, and the Livingston County Concert Band. She helped found the Community Unitarian Universalists in Brighton, served as its second board president, and currently chairs its Social Justice Committee.
She also chaired the health care reform initiative of the Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network and served as a member on a coalition for implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
She and her husband, Rodger, live in Hartland Township where they’ve raised her two daughters, both of whom graduated from Hartland Consolidated Schools and from Michigan colleges.
Shari will officially kick off her campaign on Jan. 15, 2014 at Cleary’s Pub, 117 E. Grand River, Howell from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
You can learn more about Shari’s campaign by visiting Shari’s web site, voteforshari.com, or by visiting her facebook page, Shari Pollesch for Senate.
Or, you can contact the campaign by calling 810-224-0560.
