Ron Hawkins of Battle Creek and Luke Howell of Richland are running for the Democratic nomination in the 63rd state representative primary Aug. 4. The winner will face incumbent Matt Hall of Marshall for a two-year term in the Nov. 3 election. The 63rd House district includes townships of Brady, Charleston, Climax, Comstock, Pavilion, Richland, Ross, Wakeshma, and parts of Calhoun County. The post pays a base salary of $71,685. Howell did not provide a biography and position statement.
Ron Hawkins: A simple summation of who I am: Just a farm boy from Indiana who ended up living in Michigan because I have had an interesting life. 41 years of my working life have been within the Federal government’s largest bureaucracy, the Department of Defense. Historical events in my early life that I recall are the Kennedy-Nixon debates (10), Bay of Pigs (11), Cuban missile crisis (12) and the assassination of President Kennedy (13).
I believe the state’s greatest challenges over the next decade are the expanding unelected bureaucracy, infrastructure and revenue. I believe the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature is that which clearly recognizes constitutional responsibilities and limitations of each, while maintaining an equitable working relationship. It is necessary to develop a working relationship with other legislators in order to attain a consensus in achieving effective legislation. Legislative committees I desire to serve on are the Oversight Committee, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Agriculture Committee, and Government Operations Committee. The book which will help you understand political philosophy is “War is a Racket” by Smedley Butler. My qualities that would make me a successful representative are honesty, straightforwardness, and common sense. The two legislators I would like to emulate are John Fitzgerald Kennedy (leadership/labor support) and Edward William Proxmire (challenge government waste) Details of my life, beliefs and issues are available at http://www.RonHawkins2020.com.