Steven Kwasny is running for election to the Michigan House of Representatives in the 53rd District. This is his submission to WEMU's "Soapbox Summer."
My name is Steven Kwasny and I’m running to be Ann Arbor’s next House of Representatives member, can I get a moment of your time?
Yes? Thank you
I do not know if you have read the newspapers lately but I'm the first democratic candidate in state history to refuse all political donations for two reasons
- There’s WAY too much money in our political system
- In the Era of Citizens United it’s the only way to ensure our voice is not for sale
If you know anything about Lansing, we’re #1 in dark money and last in transparency nationwide. When we have this combination in a legislative body you begin to understand why continuous tragedies happen all over our state.
To be clear, I’m not calling out any one legislator for being evil. The current broken system encourages these actions, and we need to reform our campaign finance laws
I do not claim to be Superman or that I can solve all the world’s problem. I only want be accountable to US our community.
I truly believe I would ONLY work for You. So, what do you want to see changed in Lansing?
That’s my grassroots message I tirelessly advocate in our community with volunteers.
We have great conversations, that INSPIRE individuals, INVOLVE people, and zero in on what our community TRULY wants.
Here are examples of some common conversations:
Yes, I understand you do not like the Governor, we’re stuck with him for another 2 years, is there anything else you want changed?
Yes (laugh), I am running to be your representative and believe it or not I’m the oldest candidate in the race. I’m almost 30. I know my face is youthful, it’s because I handle stress well.
Oh all the endorsements against me, nearly all of them were issued before I announced… Actually most were given to my opponent when he announced in September. Many of our neighbors respect the fact that I stand up for myself, to face great challenges. Everything happens for a reason… the PEOPLE vote and we definitely do not want neithers’ money.
How will people know about my campaign? We take grassroots activism seriously. We do not send you TV ads, we do not send you junk mail, we won’t ask for even a dime. We will ask your for opinion and as many others as humanly possible. I’m confident we’ll get our anti-corruption message across. I personally knocked on more doors than my opponent's paid campaign staff that is according to their public reports.
Why are you running?
This election season is crazy. 20 years from now it will be hard to explain. I want all of us to hold a piece of the good coming out of this mess, how we scaled campaigns back to reason. I have always been a leader in progressive beliefs and when I see something wrong I take action. For eight months my opponent laid out NO platform for state office. The campaign they ran was functioning. They held many fund raisers and obtained endorsements. BUT no information for the public to view? A top Lansing news agency listed my opponent's website as an “Act Blue Account” for months. Act Blue is a digital fundraising arm which is in every political email you hate. All this combined contributes to why our state is #1 in dark money and LAST in transparency. Remember actions will always speak louder than words.
Recently it was reported my opponent has out raised me well over 100 to 1 and is organizing more fundraisers. Bright side at least my campaign won’t be out classed. We hold true to our values and will never back down from a challenge.
Vote for me because I’m the most persistent, honorable, and caring candidate.
With that being said I give you election in Ann Arbor on August 2nd. It’s your decision.
Thank you WEMU for putting on this civil service message and google Steven K W A S N Y for more info.