Ann Arbor Engineer Adam Zemke Seeks Election to Michigan House of Representatives

ANN ARBOR — When Adam Zemke talks about Michigan, a sense of optimism for the state he's grown up in capsulates his message.

Zemke, 29, is part of a local youth movement that has displayed passion and aptitude in the field of elected government. On March 7, he officially kicked off his campaign on the Democratic ticket for Michigan's 55th House District. The seat is currently occupied by Republican Rick Olson.

"We're excited. I've been talking with residents across the district about issues that affect them and I feel positive that I can bring change to Lansing," Zemke said.

No stranger to the world of politics, Zemke is a past chairman of the Western Washtenaw Democratic Club, volunteered on the Dexter Township Public Safety Advisory Committee, and has worked for former 55th district Rep. Kathy Angerer. The young automotive engineer ran an unsuccessful campaign in 2010 against Chelsea resident Rob Turner for a seat on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. Now he is dusting off his campaign boots and hitting the ground running, by spreading a message of education and transportation infrastructure reform across the district.

“I’m running for the legislature to use my experience in the community and as an engineer to craft common-sense solutions to create good-paying jobs and move Michigan forward,” Zemke said. “We need to start investing in Michigan residents because history has proven that we cannot cut our way to prosperity.”

One way of doing this is through investing in higher education, he said.

"I think we should look for ways to make higher education more accessible. Kids should have the opportunity to go to college. Not everyone wants to go to college, and that's fine. But what I don't want to see is kids coming out of high school saying, 'I'm not going to college because I can't afford it.' That's wrong. That's not good for our state.

"Michigan’s future is in a technology-driven economy which requires a top-notch educational system, but the Republican legislature is turning its back on our public schools and universities."

In order to combat rising tuition costs, Zemke said the state Legislature needs to allocate more funding to universities, which he said can be done by reducing budgets in other departments, including the state prison system.

 "Michigan has a terrible problem with incarceration. We need to look at the way we approach our prison system in the state, because there's money to be gained from changing that," he said.

Another source of revenue could come from revising the tax code for local businesses, which Zemke said opponents argue scare businesses away from communities.

"I don't support the argument that if you have high taxes businesses won't come," he said. "Why do businesses come to Washtenaw County when we have very high taxes here? Businesses consistently say that they come to an area because of great quality of life, good schools, a good transportation system, which results in a happy employees.

"If you look at other states that have low businesses taxes and also consequently low spending on education and quality of life issues, they don't have skyrocketing business enterprises coming to those areas either."

"I think it really comes down to what talent you have in the state. If you are a hub for technology and a highly educated workforce, businesses will come because the people will be there, and they will have the talent to succeed."

'The path to Michigan's future lies in empowering people'

One area Zemke said he would also like to see more investment in is the state’s transportation infrastructure, especially mass transit.

“Creating a 21st Century transportation network is vital to a strong economy, but our roads and bridges are crumbling, including many in Washtenaw County,” he said. "It's more expensive for companies to repair the vehicles that they use because of the condition of the roads. This is a problem. You have to spend money where it's smart and I believe it's wise to invest in transportation."

For example, Zemke said mass transit could reduce the flow of a young, competent workforce from seeking jobs in Chicago, New York and other urban areas.

"The younger demographic wants to go to all these 'sexy' urban places. We have an urban place right down the street in Detroit that is turning out to be very sexy. But the thing it's lacking is mass transit systems to get people downtown. You need to be able to do that in Michigan in order to link communities and allow younger people to get around in urban areas, which will attract competent workers."

As for the upcoming election, Zemke said he is looking forward to the November election,

"My opponent and I have very different visions for Michigan,” he said. “Rick Olson has voted lock-step with the Republicans to slash funding for public schools and universities, against choice, against stem cell research, against access to health care for Michigan families, against civil liberties, and against common-sense environmental policies."

The 55th District includes the northern portions of the City of Ann Arbor, and all of Ann Arbor, Pittsfield and Augusta townships.