A Good Time to Engage your Local Candidates

The results are in and both Republican and Democratic candidates for government offices across the state of Michigan have been chosen. Now the tough work for regular citizens comes into play: making sure the voices of the communities they represent are heard.

Now is an opportunity to speak about an important issue to all citizens of Michigan: Poverty Reduction. Though many families have fallen into poverty during the recession of the last few years, poverty has been increasing in all types of communities since the start of the last decade.

We need a plan that will successfully reduce poverty in Michigan. This isn't just about creating more jobs in Michigan; this is about providing more opportunity in Michigan for all our residents. It's about figuring out how to create affordable housing. It's about about retraining workers who lost jobs in the industrial sector. It's about figuring out how providing better access to information about services to those in need. It's about mentoring a new generation of youth to take the wheel and drive Michigan towards a successful future.

We are all in this together. When all do better, we all do better. This is an opportunity to talk to your local politician about why poverty reduction is important in your community. The more awareness we spread now, the better chance we have at influencing our leaders when the tough decisions arise.

A list of who will be running for local offices across Southwest Michigan: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/0o/southwest_michigan_election_re.html