Dear Neighbor,
I hope you had a joyous holiday season surrounded by friends and family.
With the new year rapidly approaching, I have been taking time to look back and reflect on my first year in the State Senate. In only 12 months, we were able to make significant strides in addressing the issues facing our state including repealing the retirement tax, expanding workers’ rights, making historic investments in our communities and more.
While we were busy delivering these legislative wins in Lansing, my team and I also made it a priority to stay in touch with District 12 residents through coffee hours, town halls and community events. In this newsletter, I want to take a moment to recap some of the work we’ve done here in our lakeshore district to connect with constituents this past year and share a few events we already have planned for January.
As always, I’d love to hear from you about the topics you’re interested in. Please feel free to reach out to my office to share your perspective or seek assistance with any challenges you may be facing with state departments — we are here to serve you. You can reach my office by calling (517) 373-7315 or emailing SenKHertel@senate.michigan.gov.
Thank you again for taking the time to read this newsletter — I hope to hear from you soon.
Happy New Year,
Kevin Hertel
State Senator
District 12
Included in This Newsletter
- A Year of Community Connections
- Recapping District 12 Investments
- Upcoming Events
- Contact Us
A Year of Community Connections
Throughout this past year, I traveled across District 12 — from Harper Woods to Harsens Island — to meet with constituents, local leaders, community organizations and other stakeholders to hear about what issues matter most to them. These conversations held over coffee, at town halls, during city meetings and at community events directly shaped the legislation my team and I worked on in Lansing.
With over 200 community engagements on the books for 2023 — I’m thankful for each and every District 12 resident who took the time to engage with our office.
50+ Tributes Presented
From welcoming an array of small businesses to District 12 to celebrating the achievements of our residents — Team Hertel presented over fifty tributes to constituents this year. While it may only be a small ceremonial token, I always enjoy the opportunity to highlight some of the many wonderful individuals who help grow our community through service, entrepreneurship, creativity and more.
18 Coffee Hours Hosted
Coffee hours not only give me an opportunity to provide important updates on my work in Lansing, but they also offer a chance for residents to actively engage by sharing thoughts, questions and ideas — all over hot coffee and donuts! In 2023, we were able to host 18 of these events throughout District 12, and I look forward to all the conversations to be had in the new year.
5 Town Halls Hosted
Town halls are a great way to dig deep on an issue with a panel of experts, pair constituents with available resources and seek feedback on the work we’re doing.
This year we hosted five town halls where we:
- Partnered with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, U.S. Small Business Administration, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and local leaders to provide budding entrepreneurs with resources to grow or start their small business.
- Worked with Assistant Attorney General Scott Teter and State Representative Denise Mentzer to provide seniors with the information they need to spot and avoid common scams.
- Provided District 12 residents with an update about the Senate’s historic first 100 days in office where we took action to deliver $1 billion of tax relief for everyday Michiganders, protect workers’ rights, repeal Michigan’s archaic 1931 abortion ban, combat our gun violence crisis and more.
- Joined Clay Township Supervisor Artie Bryson and local engineers to share details and answer questions about a new wastewater treatment plant being built on Harsen’s Island to improve residents’ quality of life and allow small businesses in the Sans Souci community to thrive.
160+ Community Events Attended
From reading to students during March is Reading Month and passing out candy at local parades to touring the site for the new Macomb County Jail, participating in a roundtable discussion on veteran suicide prevention and breaking ground on a new jet hanger at Selfridge — my team and I kept busy connecting with residents, local leaders and others at over 160 events throughout our community.
Recapping District 12 Investments
Back in June, my colleagues and I came together to pass a historic state budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which took effect on October 1. Our budget was designed with a focus on people and invests in the things residents need: clean water, good roads, safe communities, excellent schools and much more.
Also, included in the budget was significant funding for projects in District 12. Because of conversations our team had with constituents, local leaders and community organizations, I was able to advocate for these dollars to be targeted in a meaningful way that would have the biggest impact on residents’ everyday lives. Some of the investments in our district include:
Public Safety
- $40 million for the Macomb County Intake Facility to construct a new central intake and mental health unit, among other upgrades, allowing the county jail to provide better mental and physical health outcomes for those who come in contact with the criminal justice system.
- $13 million for Selfridge Air National Guard Base (ANGB) to reroute the runway and make other updates necessary for the Harrison Township base to compete for next generation aircraft and future fighter missions.
- $500,000 for the Mt. Clemens Fire Department to purchase a new fire truck, giving them the opportunity to retire a vehicle at the end of its life span.
Infrastructure and Community Development
- $12 million for St. Clair Shores, Chesterfield Township and Harsens Island to address issues with their existing water infrastructure, helping to protect Lake St. Clair, improve residents’ quality of life and support waterfront businesses.
- $5 million for Lake St. Clair Metropark’s North Marina to support a large-scale renovation of the park and its water access. The funds will be used to extend the life of the seawall another 30 years and, with additional support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks, will ensure that the park’s marina will be accessible for people with disabilities and ready for families to enjoy.
- $5 million for housing development in Mt. Clemens to revitalize an old building in the city center and provide new housing opportunities for young people looking to make their home in Macomb.
- $1 million for the cities of Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms and Grosse Pointe Park to come together and build a co-designed future for Mack Avenue, including green design, pedestrian-friendly corridors and high-density, mixed-use zoning.
- $200,000 for a pocket park in Harper Woods, affording young people in Harper Woods the opportunity to have a neighborhood park within walking distance from where they live and play.
Education
- $1.25 million for the Lakeshore Early Childhood and Community Center to help support renovations to the physical infrastructure of the center, adding community and adult education spaces, in addition to revitalizing the existing early childhood and administration areas, and improving overall safety and accessibility of the center.
- $1 million for Harper Woods Public Schools to expand their Career and Technical Education program and continue providing students with opportunities to develop and apply their academic and industry-based skills in real-world experiences.
Upcoming Events
It is one of my top goals as your State Senator to have myself and my office be as accessible to you as possible. To share your thoughts on legislation or seek assistance with an issue, please join me at one of our upcoming district events:
Coffee and Conversation
WHEN: Friday, January 19 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: District Office, 28800 Harper, Saint Clair Shores, MI 48081
Small Business Town Hall
WHEN: Monday, January 29 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (doors open at 10:00 a.m.)
WHERE: Clay Township Municipal Building, 4710 Pointe Tremble, Clay Township, MI 48001
Join us in Clay Township for a Small Business Town Hall to learn about opportunities for small business owners and budding entrepreneurs in our area. Guest speakers include representatives from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, U.S. Small Business Administration and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.
Veterans Roundtable Discussion with State Senator Veronica Klinefelt
WHEN: Monday, January 29 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
WHERE: Clinton Macomb Public Library, South Branch, 35679 South Gratiot, Clinton Township., MI 48035
Join State Senators Veronica Klinefelt and Kevin Hertel for a Veterans Roundtable Discussion to share your thoughts on critical topics affecting veterans including healthcare access, employment opportunities, mental health support and more. Local leaders and representatives from the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will also be in attendance to share information about the many resources available to veterans.
District Office Hours with Staff
WHEN: Every Thursday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and by appointment
WHERE: District Office, 28800 Harper, Saint Clair Shores, MI 48081
Contact Us
If You Need Help: If you have a problem dealing with any department of state government, such as accessing unemployment benefits, my office is available to help resolve it. While we usually cannot assist with local or federal issues, we will always do our best to help direct you to the appropriate person or organization for help.
You may always feel free to call my office at (517) 373-7315 or email me at SenKHertel@senate.michigan.gov.
Keep Up to Date: Our bi-weekly newsletters are full of updates on what Team Hertel has been working on both in Lansing and District 12 to deliver results for Michiganders. To keep up to date with what we’ve been up to — sign up here to receive my bi-weekly newsletter, or access previous editions online here.
For more frequent updates, I also encourage you to follow our team on Facebook and Twitter.