CCRP Interviews Rep. Tom LeonardThe Speaker discusses policy initiatives, his pride in being from Clinton County, and why Republican leadership is good for Michigan. |
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Tom, congratulations on being named Speaker of the House. What is your mindset as you step into this new role?
I feel honored and privileged to be entrusted by the people in my community and by my colleagues to serve as the Speaker of the House. I am very optimistic and excited about what the 99th legislature can do to make life even better for Michigan’s families over the next two years. We have made a lot of progress, but there is no such thing as good enough. By upholding and working with our conservative values and principles, we will continue to move our state forward as we have over the last 6 years of Republican leadership.
Is there a certain aspect of being Speaker that you especially relish or look forward to?
We are blessed to have a 63 member majority in the Michigan House. That means we have a lot of potential and a big responsibility to lead and deliver results. We will deliver on that promise. I am so proud of this group and what they have accomplished in earning the trust of the voters in their districts. These men and women are not just my colleagues but they are my friends and what I look forward to most is leading this fine group and doing the work that the people sent us here to do.
What are your main policy initiatives or focus areas as you begin legislative session in 2017?
The biggest issue facing Michigan residents is still job creation and higher wages, and that needs to remain our top priority in the state Legislature. Michigan has made incredible progress in this area. Eliminating burdensome regulations and taxes has helped create an environment where job growth is possible and, in the last 6 years, hundreds of thousands of jobs have come back to Michigan and been created by our entrepreneurs here. In recent weeks, we have had even more good news with notice that thousands of good paying auto jobs are coming to Michigan in the near future.
Two other areas that have long been important to me are mental health and vocational education. We simply have to make improvements in these areas to provide critical services to Michiganders in need and provide opportunities to our next generation. These are two issues that I’ve been working on in previous terms and that I will continue to work on as the Speaker of the House.
Lastly, I am committed to giving our taxpayers the tax relief they were promised. During the Granholm administration, our taxes were raised in order to balance a terribly mismanaged budget. Michiganders were promised that their taxes would be lowered in the years to come and that promise has been broken. I am proud that the first bill introduced in the Michigan House in 2017 is a bill to cut back the income tax in Michigan and ensure that our citizens keep more of the money they earn.
Republicans hold power in the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate. Why do you think Michigan citizens trust Republicans to run the state and direct policy?
Good policy makes good politics, and for the past six years, Michigan Republicans have delivered results. Michigan was in a tough place for a long time, and many people were struggling. The people turned to Republicans to change the status quo and turn this state around. Now Michigan is one of the fastest-growing places in the nation, and other states are looking to use to be a model for the future.
In 6 years of Republican control nearly half a million private sector, good paying jobs have been created. We hear more news every day about new factories and new businesses coming to Michigan. Unemployment is lower today than it was when many members of the Michigan Legislature could even vote.
School funding is at a record high and tools are being utilized to ensure students across the state are receiving the education they deserve. More students are graduating from college and those that want to go a different route have more opportunity in the skilled trades than they once had. Most importantly though, our families and friends are moving back to Michigan.
You were an Assistant AG before being elected. Did that position prepare you for serving as a Representative?
I have always had a heart for public service. I began my career as an assistant prosecutor in Genesee County and then moved on to serve as an assistant attorney general. I wanted to help victims and their families and use my education and talents to help others. In that role, I saw how so many of our local families were struggling and what they needed to get back on the right track. That experience taught me a great deal about giving back and protecting the public and I have used what I learned while serving in the Michigan House.
What’s your proudest accomplishment while serving as Representative from the 93rd District?
In my first term in the House, I took on the task of reforming the Preliminary Examination system, which is the process in District Court that determines cause for trial in any criminal case. This system had become inefficient and was harming both the taxpayers and crime victims. I was told that reform had been discussed for over a decade and that it wasn’t possible to get all sides to agree on changes.
I decided that the best course of action would be to get everyone in a room and really debate the issue and in doing so we were able to find common ground and pass a reform that received nearly unanimous support in both houses of the legislature. This reform will have a positive impact on our criminal justice system for years to come and, although it was a challenge, I am proud that we were able to get it done despite those that said it wouldn’t happen.
Not many people outside the legal system know what this reform would do or what it would mean for crime victims, but this really is an important improvement behind the scenes. It is also important to me because it shows how you can find common ground and make real changes that help people if you are willing to put the work into it.
Since being elected, you’ve traveled all over Clinton County. What have you learned about the people and schools and businesses in Clinton County?
What I have learned over the last 4 years of serving the citizens of Clinton County is the sense of community and pride that the people here have. I have had the privilege to meet people from every corner of this district, and the values and principles of this community are why Jenell, Hannah and I are proud to call Clinton County home. From Westphalia to Ovid or DeWitt and Saint Johns, this county has some of the hardest working, most faithful people I have ever meet, and I am proud to have earned their trust to represent them.
Could you give some advice or encouragement to the Republican voters and grassroots in Clinton County?
Grassroots activists are the lifeblood of the Republican Party. The doors, the phone calls, the rallies, and all other volunteer efforts are vital to every single campaign, in addition to the conscience of the people that drives our policy goals and our guiding principles. Our grassroots activists have worked so hard and given so much of their time to get good Republicans elected and they have succeeded again and again. Our party and our state would not be where they are today without our local grassroots activists. Going forward I look forward to what we can continue to accomplish together.
I feel honored and privileged to be entrusted by the people in my community and by my colleagues to serve as the Speaker of the House. I am very optimistic and excited about what the 99th legislature can do to make life even better for Michigan’s families over the next two years. We have made a lot of progress, but there is no such thing as good enough. By upholding and working with our conservative values and principles, we will continue to move our state forward as we have over the last 6 years of Republican leadership.
Is there a certain aspect of being Speaker that you especially relish or look forward to?
We are blessed to have a 63 member majority in the Michigan House. That means we have a lot of potential and a big responsibility to lead and deliver results. We will deliver on that promise. I am so proud of this group and what they have accomplished in earning the trust of the voters in their districts. These men and women are not just my colleagues but they are my friends and what I look forward to most is leading this fine group and doing the work that the people sent us here to do.
What are your main policy initiatives or focus areas as you begin legislative session in 2017?
The biggest issue facing Michigan residents is still job creation and higher wages, and that needs to remain our top priority in the state Legislature. Michigan has made incredible progress in this area. Eliminating burdensome regulations and taxes has helped create an environment where job growth is possible and, in the last 6 years, hundreds of thousands of jobs have come back to Michigan and been created by our entrepreneurs here. In recent weeks, we have had even more good news with notice that thousands of good paying auto jobs are coming to Michigan in the near future.
Two other areas that have long been important to me are mental health and vocational education. We simply have to make improvements in these areas to provide critical services to Michiganders in need and provide opportunities to our next generation. These are two issues that I’ve been working on in previous terms and that I will continue to work on as the Speaker of the House.
Lastly, I am committed to giving our taxpayers the tax relief they were promised. During the Granholm administration, our taxes were raised in order to balance a terribly mismanaged budget. Michiganders were promised that their taxes would be lowered in the years to come and that promise has been broken. I am proud that the first bill introduced in the Michigan House in 2017 is a bill to cut back the income tax in Michigan and ensure that our citizens keep more of the money they earn.
Republicans hold power in the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate. Why do you think Michigan citizens trust Republicans to run the state and direct policy?
Good policy makes good politics, and for the past six years, Michigan Republicans have delivered results. Michigan was in a tough place for a long time, and many people were struggling. The people turned to Republicans to change the status quo and turn this state around. Now Michigan is one of the fastest-growing places in the nation, and other states are looking to use to be a model for the future.
In 6 years of Republican control nearly half a million private sector, good paying jobs have been created. We hear more news every day about new factories and new businesses coming to Michigan. Unemployment is lower today than it was when many members of the Michigan Legislature could even vote.
School funding is at a record high and tools are being utilized to ensure students across the state are receiving the education they deserve. More students are graduating from college and those that want to go a different route have more opportunity in the skilled trades than they once had. Most importantly though, our families and friends are moving back to Michigan.
You were an Assistant AG before being elected. Did that position prepare you for serving as a Representative?
I have always had a heart for public service. I began my career as an assistant prosecutor in Genesee County and then moved on to serve as an assistant attorney general. I wanted to help victims and their families and use my education and talents to help others. In that role, I saw how so many of our local families were struggling and what they needed to get back on the right track. That experience taught me a great deal about giving back and protecting the public and I have used what I learned while serving in the Michigan House.
What’s your proudest accomplishment while serving as Representative from the 93rd District?
In my first term in the House, I took on the task of reforming the Preliminary Examination system, which is the process in District Court that determines cause for trial in any criminal case. This system had become inefficient and was harming both the taxpayers and crime victims. I was told that reform had been discussed for over a decade and that it wasn’t possible to get all sides to agree on changes.
I decided that the best course of action would be to get everyone in a room and really debate the issue and in doing so we were able to find common ground and pass a reform that received nearly unanimous support in both houses of the legislature. This reform will have a positive impact on our criminal justice system for years to come and, although it was a challenge, I am proud that we were able to get it done despite those that said it wouldn’t happen.
Not many people outside the legal system know what this reform would do or what it would mean for crime victims, but this really is an important improvement behind the scenes. It is also important to me because it shows how you can find common ground and make real changes that help people if you are willing to put the work into it.
Since being elected, you’ve traveled all over Clinton County. What have you learned about the people and schools and businesses in Clinton County?
What I have learned over the last 4 years of serving the citizens of Clinton County is the sense of community and pride that the people here have. I have had the privilege to meet people from every corner of this district, and the values and principles of this community are why Jenell, Hannah and I are proud to call Clinton County home. From Westphalia to Ovid or DeWitt and Saint Johns, this county has some of the hardest working, most faithful people I have ever meet, and I am proud to have earned their trust to represent them.
Could you give some advice or encouragement to the Republican voters and grassroots in Clinton County?
Grassroots activists are the lifeblood of the Republican Party. The doors, the phone calls, the rallies, and all other volunteer efforts are vital to every single campaign, in addition to the conscience of the people that drives our policy goals and our guiding principles. Our grassroots activists have worked so hard and given so much of their time to get good Republicans elected and they have succeeded again and again. Our party and our state would not be where they are today without our local grassroots activists. Going forward I look forward to what we can continue to accomplish together.
