Meet John Dahlgren, running for Michigan state House in District 34
John told us that in Michigan, the Republican Legislature is often at odds with the Democratic Governor, which limits progress in his state. One of his goals in running for this position is to flip Michigan blue and to make sure that his state can truly progress and move forward.
John has a Bachelor’s in Economics and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. After his education, he gained management experience and even ran a non-profit! Something John noticed within his district is that some of the legislators there aren’t as focused on the needs of the people as they should be. He feels as if they are more focused on gaining power for their political party than really understanding the people. John believes that he is the perfect candidate that can understand the needs of his community members and look out for the state as a whole. His goal is to make sure that the people in his district never feel neglected by their leadership again!
When we asked John about the most pressing issues in his community, his first response was job opportunities. John knows that his county needs more well paying jobs available to the people. He told us that over the past 20 years they have seen a lot of job loss and it can make it hard for the people to truly thrive in this state. One of his goals is to help small businesses grow and focus on supporting local entrepreneurs. John aims to offer incentives to people who want to bring businesses into this district and provide them with financial assistance. He knows that the state can support these businesses without having to raise taxes on the people—they just need to reassess where state funding is currently going.
Infrastructure is also near the top of John’s list. He told us that the roads in his state generally need help and many rural areas in his district don’t have broadband connection yet. We even learned about Adrian, Michigan—a city that is over 100 years old and desperately needs repairs and updating in many ways. These would be things like fixing roads or even making sure that septic systems are up to code so that drinking water supplies aren’t being polluted. Essentially, John believes that more state funding should go towards improving the quality of life in these areas.
Mental health care is a very personal topic to John as he understands what it’s like to struggle with these issues. John explained to us that he grew up with mental illness and wasn’t able to get diagnosed until the age of 50. If elected to this position, John wants to make sure that mental health care is as easy to access as any other type of care. He would like to see trained mental health professionals in schools to help children when they are young with the hopes that their lives will be better down the line with treatment and support. He doesn’t want others to go through the struggles he faced. John isn’t expecting progress overnight, but he is simply ready to start tackling these issues and start the progress that his county and state needs.
John wants the world to know that in his district there are so many unique small towns that have their own personalities! They have local shops, restaurants, downtown areas, and many features that people don’t know about. He wants more people to explore these areas and to talk about these wonderful communities that deserve people’s support. John lives in one of these small towns himself! He says that around the holidays they even have a train that takes people on a sightseeing journey around the town. And they even have a Christmas themed Santa train in December! He encourages people to get out and see what small towns in his district have to offer. John also has a 14 year old pit bull named Bella who is living out her life in luxury and happiness!