Lonnie Scott is a candidate for Ypsilanti Township Trustee. This is his submission for WEMU's "Soapbox Summer" series.
Hi, My name is Lonnie Scott and I am a Democrat running to be your next Ypsilanti Township Trustee. I was born and raised in the Township, I attended Lincoln Schools for my entire K12 Education and this community is where my wife and I decided to raise our family.
My grandfather came to Ypsilanti Township from Hazard, KY – leaving behind his job as a coal miner to find work in the auto industry. Many members of my family were or are autoworkers and I grew up knowing firsthand the importance of labor unions and hard work.
I was raised by a single mother and was the first of my family to go to college. I attended Central Michigan University and graduated in 2005. It was during a summer internship in college that I found my true passion – serving others and working toward social change. I interned for State Representative Alma Wheeler Smith and ended up working for her full-time after one of her staff members moved on to a new position. Working in the Michigan legislature for dedicated public servants like Alma, coupled with the lessons learned from being raised by a single mom taught me that hardworking people, need hardworking, progressive elected officials to continue to fight for progressive values, like decent wages and quality education.
In 2012 I was elected to the Ypsilanti Township Park Commission and have served as the chairperson of the commission since then. It has been a pleasure to serve our community and work on projects to make our parks safer.
In addition to serving as the chair of the park commission I have built a career fighting for progressive values and currently serve as the executive director of Progress Michigan, a government watchdog group and communications hub for progressive organizations. During the Flint Water Crisis, Progress Michigan is the group who used the Freedom of Information Act to show that the State was trucking in clean water to state employees while telling the people of Flint their water was safe to drink.
All of this experience and a strong desire to give back to the community that has given me so much is why I am running for Ypsilanti Township Trustee. My experience and qualifications are also why I have been endorsed by several high profile leaders and labor organizations. A few of those are AFSCME Council 25, Laborers Local 499, MI Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights along with Representative Alma Wheeler Smith and more.
I would be humbled to have your support and to serve as your Ypsilanti Township Trustee. Visit www.VoteLonnie.com for more information or to join our team and please consider voting for me, Lonnie Scott in the Democratic Primary onAugust 2.