Why I’m Supporting Bryan Mielke
For the Future of Michigan and Political Integrity
This election season, one of the bigger national topics has been the Supreme Court’s decision on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on political communications such as ‘attack ads’ that flood televisions provided they are “independent” from a specific candidate. This decision has effectively escalated a Cold War between Democratic-favoring lobbyists and Republican-favoring lobbyists. Corporations and lobbyists should not influence our politics, their presence distances politicians further and further away from the public they’re supposed to represent, and closer to corrupted and monied interests.
In just over the first half of 2016, lobbyists spent $21.7 million to influence Michigan’s politics, breaking the record again for most money spent here in the state. To make matters worse, Michigan is ranked dead last out of 50 states on ethics and transparency laws, the kind of laws that would disclose donors, deter corruption, and reduce the pay-to-play climate. We need mutual financial disarmament if we want to restore faith in our representatives and our government, otherwise, money will continue to influence who wins.
Bryan Mielke is a candidate caught in the updraft of political upheaval, where people across the country are increasingly discontent with the amount of greed, corruption, and backdoor dealings from both sides of the aisle. One of Bryan’s pledges is to introduce anti-lobbying laws to Michigan’s State House, which would severely weaken the stranglehold of influence interest groups currently have over the Michigan House and Senate.
Mielke isn’t just hot-air either, he has a track record. In 2015, Mielke as a Union Township Trustee lead an internal investigation to what could be a cover-up of improper zoning procedures.
“I can tell you that I have heard from quite a few residents and developers, and the perception of many is that the permitting process in Union Township is corrupt and nothing more than the good ole boy system, and it has been around a long time” — Bryan Mielke at a Township Board Meeting
This lead to the resignation of two Union Township employees, a lawsuit (later dropped), and the reformation of Union Township’s ethics and practices, and encouraging an open and more transparent local government.
It’s politics like this that truly affect where you live, as opposed to national politics such as the presidential race, whose effects are rarely felt deep in your cities and towns. There’s a lot that needs to change here in Mount Pleasant, and in Michigan as a whole, we need a genuine agent of change. A vehicle to get down into real issues rather than fending off armies of lobbyists.
The man for that I believe is clearly Bryan Mielke.
