Friday, June 24, 2022
Since 1854 — News from Montcalm County and Ionia County, Michigan
Frank Lafata is a husband, father of three, and Montcalm County resident, a carpenter and a steward.
“My friends know that I build things,” said Lafata, a Democrat. “It’s my job and I’ve been doing it more than 25 years. I’ve worked on bridges in Greenville, a power plant in Carson City, the S-curve in Grand Rapids and infrastructure all over the state.
Barry County Commissioner Ben Geiger, a Republican from Nashville, has entered the race for the newly drawn 78th District state representative, which includes the Ionia, Portland, Lake Odessa and Lowell area.
This is the kind of stuff they never teach you in high school government class because you have to bury yourself in the culture to discover it.
Here it is: There are two levels of activity in the political arena.
Four incumbents on the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners will be running against each other this year due to newly redrawn districts, while three incumbents on the Ionia County Board of Commissioners are being challenged by members of their own political party.
Meanwhile, a Montcalm County state senator is being primaried, while an Ionia County judge has filed to run for a seat on the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Rural broadband, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, COVID relief for businesses and other topics were on the minds of several presenters at the Ionia Area Chamber of Commerce legislative update Monday morning.
The audience, which included local, state, and national government representatives and business people, numbered 22, which is the largest crowd in some months. The meeting was held at Keller Williams Rivertown Hoppough in Ionia.
Michiganders are resilient and they know how to get through tough times, but right now, prices are rising at the fastest rate in nearly 40 years and that is hurting Michigan families and seniors.
Before March 2020, the economy was growing, unemployment was near record lows, inflation was almost non-existent, and wages were rising. Now, after almost one year of President Joe Biden’s policies, inflation is soaring, and there are still 265,000 fewer Michiganders employed than before the start of the pandemic.
Those in our country’s leadership who are the most opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates include U.S. Congressman John Moolenaar, R-Midland.
Covering a variety of topics during an interview with the Daily News last Thursday, one of the larger points of contention Moolenaar brought forward was his stance on President Joe Biden’s efforts to mandate vaccines for employers with more than 100 employees.
When presented with a rare opportunity to question the governor of the state of Michigan, a local businesswoman jumped at the chance.
Ronna Kilts, manager of Mattson’s Hardware in Howard City, was one of a select few community leaders who were invited to meet with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday afternoon at The Forager in Howard City.
Speaking via Zoom while driving his car to catch a flight, U.S. Congressman John Moolenaar, R-Midland, could have been excused Monday if his mind wasn’t squarely on providing an update on the happenings of Washington, D.C.
However, despite the multitasking effort needed to communicate virtually, Moolenaar was straight and to the point in expressing his frustration with recent and pending legislation involving trillions in spending of federal dollars. He shared his thoughts during Monday’s Legislative Update held at Montcalm Community College’s Greenville campus.
It was primarily local news that was shared at the Ionia Area Chamber of Commerce’s legislative update Monday morning, as there was just one representative present from state and national legislators’ offices.
