(DETROIT, MI) — The Lebanese Examiner Michigan Election Guide is a special election-year report by Lebanese Examiner’s Editorial Staff endorsing candidates that have previously supported or matched the opinions of the majority of Lebanese-Americans in Michigan.
We urge the Lebanese-American community to support these candidates by voting on November 4, 2014.
The endorsements expressed by the Lebanese Examiner Editorial Staff do not necessarily express or imply an endorsement from advertisers or individual staff members.
Rick Snyder became Michigan’s 48th governor when he was sworn into office on Jan. 1, 2011. In his inaugural address, he described his vision for reinventing Michigan by creating more and better jobs, revitalizing the educational system, and revamping government to focus on providing excellent service to its customers, the state’s 10 million people.
With the state’s people and economy struggling, Snyder infused his administration with a sense of urgency, saying he wanted to accomplish four years of policy reforms in his first year and then maintain that pace. He describes his approach as “Relentless Positive Action.” That means solve a problem with no credit or blame and then move on to the next one.
Governor Snyder has been accessible to ethnic communities, including the Lebanese-American community in Michigan. The Governor’s reinvention of Michigan is working and making a difference in the lives of all people across the state. Michigan’s economy is at a 10-year high and nearly 300,000 private sector jobs have been created in the state during the governor’s tenure.
Lebanese Examiner urges you to re-elect Republican RICK SNYDER for Michigan Governor.
Congressman Gary Peters has focused his efforts on uniting our communities of different ethnic background, races, and cultures by fighting for the things that we can all agree on – a stronger local economy, more good paying jobs across our region and a fair chance for everyone to succeed, he says.
When Mr. Peters was first sworn into office in 2009, the future of Michigan’s economy was in serious jeopardy. Following the collapse on Wall Street, our auto industry was on the verge of bankruptcy, thousands of Michiganders were out of work through no fault of their own, and many seniors wondered how they could ever afford to retire.
Gary Peters stepped up and worked tirelessly to revamp Michigan’s economy, introducing tough economic recovery bills and working closely with the Obama administration to get positive work accomplished.
Lebanese Examiner urges you to elect Democrat GARY PETERS for United States Senate.
David Viviano is the 109th Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and was appointed on February 27, 2013, by Governor Rick Snyder. Prior to his appointment, Justice Viviano served as Chief Judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit and Macomb County Probate Courts. He was first elected to the Circuit Court in 2006.
Prior becoming a judge, Justice Viviano worked at two nationally renowned law firms, Dickinson Wright PLLC in Detroit and Jenner & Block LLC in Chicago. He then started his own firm, Viviano & Viviano PLLC, where he specialized in commercial and criminal litigation, zoning, and real estate law. Justice Viviano has also served as the City Attorney for the City of Center Line.
Justice Viviano has been a strong advocate for improvements in the administration of justice. In 2008, he and a small group of colleagues were selected by the Michigan Supreme Court to review the jury system in Michigan. The Supreme Court adopted many of their recommended reforms, which are now used by judges throughout Michigan. For their efforts, Justice Viviano and his colleagues received the 2012 G. Thomas Munsterman Award for Jury Innovation from the National Center for State Courts.
Justice Viviano has never been ashamed of his Lebanese-American ethnic ancestry. Instead, he has embraced it and been an active member of the community, often attending Lebanese-American events and supporting church and banquet functions.
Lebanese Examiner urges you to elect Justice DAVID VIVIANO for Michigan Supreme Court.
Debbie Dingell is President of D2 Strategies and chair of the Wayne State University (WSU) Board of Governors, to which she was elected statewide in 2006. An active civic and community leader, she is a recognized national advocate for women and children.
Dingell is immediate past chair of the Manufacturing Initiative at the American Automotive Policy Council. For more than 30 years she served one of Michigan’s largest employers, the General Motors (GM) Corporation, where she was President of the GM Foundation and a senior executive responsible for public affairs. In her commitment to job creation, Debbie recently led the effort to bring the 10,000 Small Businesses initiative, a $20 million partnership designed to help create jobs and economic growth, to southeast Michigan.
Dingell and her husband have been proud supporters of the Arab-American community in Michigan, often attending local events and supporting the mission of Arab and Lebanese-American organizations.
Lebanese Examiner urges you to elect Democrat DEBBIE DINGELL for Michigan’s 12th Congressional District.
A resident of Canton, Bobby McKenzie was born in Dearborn and raised in Dearborn Heights. For 50 years, McKenzie’s father has run a small vacuum business in Wayne County and demonstrated that success is earned, not guaranteed. McKenzie learned these values while working part-time for his father’s business in high school and college. These values have kept him grounded throughout his career.
McKenzie is now fighting to represent with integrity and humility the same part of Michigan that made him who he is today.
Most recently, Bobby served as a Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State. Before the State Department asked Bobby to join its counterterrorism office, Bobby worked on African refugee issues and taught courses at Wayne State University as an adjunct lecturer.
Lebanese Examiner urges you to elect Democrat BOBBY MCKENZIE for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District.
A lifelong resident of Warren, Jordanian-American Nick Hawatmeh earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Wayne State University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy School Of Law where he was selected to be the commencement speaker of his graduating class.
Hawatmeh’s leadership experience includes serving on the Warren Zoning Board of Appeals, the Michigan Board of Chiropractic, and he was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to serve as a member of the Michigan Speech-Language Pathology Board.
Hawatmeh is also an active member of Our Lady of Redemption Melkite Catholic Church in Warren where he is a member of the Knights of Columbus. He has always been a supporter of the Lebanese-American community, our local churches, and organizations.
Lebanese Examiner urges you to elect Republican NICK HAWATMEH for Michigan’s 25th District in State Legislature.
With three children currently enrolled in the Dearborn Public Schools, Mariam Bazzi knows how important it is to make sure our kids are getting a quality education. A quality education is only possible when we take care of our schools, students and teachers.
Bazzi says we need to continue to work to provide an environment where kids are taught to compete in an ever-changing global market.
Bazzi earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan – Dearborn, and a Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University School of Law. She is currently a Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.
Lebanese Examiner urges you to elect MARIAM BAZZI for Dearborn School Board.
