SD37 Incumbent Jason Allen (R-Traverse City)

by: matt

Sun Aug 28, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT

Campaign Website

Biography:

Jason Allen was elected to Michigan’s 37th State Senate District in November 2002, representing Grand Traverse, Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Chippewa and Mackinac counties.   Senator Allen is the Chair of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, Vice Chair of the Economic Development, Small Business and Regulatory Reform Committee and a member of the Government Operations Committee.

Prior to being elected to the Senate, Allen served in the Michigan House of Representatives for the 104th District from 1999 through 2002.  The 104th House District consisted of Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties.  As the Chair of the House Education Committee in 1999-2000, his leadership was essential in creating the Michigan Merit Scholarship Awards and sheparding the Detroit school rescue package through the House.  In May of 2000, the Michigan Manufacturers Association named Allen Advocate of the Year.

Senator Allen is a lifelong resident of Traverse City.  He graduated from Traverse City High School and continued his education at Northwestern Michigan College.  He completed his education at Miami University of Ohio, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Finance with a minor in Fashion Merchandising.  After graduation, Jason returned to Traverse City to work with his father in the family menswear business.  He is currently the Vice President of Sales at the Captain’s Quarters.

Allen entered the National Guard and received basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky.  He returned home from the Guard to successfully run for the Grand Traverse County Board of Commission, representing Traverse City and part of East Bay Township.  During his tenure on the board, Allen was an advocate for neighborhood support and improvement.

While serving on the County Board, Allen served on the Great Lakes Community Health Board from 1991 to 1998, most recently as a treasurer, overseeing a $12 million budget.  In 1997, he was elected Chair of the Northwestern Michigan Council of Governments, a 10-county multi-jurisdictional agency dedicated to law enforcement, planning and economic development.

Senator Allen is dedicated to community activities.  He is a member of the Central United Methodist Church, the Traverse City Rotary Club, and the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce.  Allen is an Eagle Scout and remains active in scouting, serving on the Scenic Trails Council Executive Board and teaching merit badge classes.  He spearheaded the successful Grand Traverse Medical Care Facility millage in 1996.  He is also a member of the Michigan Conservation Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Michigan Whitetails, the Ruffed Grouse Society and the American Legion.

Allen has been active in Republican politics since high school.  He is a veteran campaigner and has assisted on many school board, city and statewide elections.  He has been a Republican precinct delegate for many years, served on the Grand Traverse Executive Committee and was the Northern Michigan Chair for George W. Bush in 2000.

Senator Allen’s family includes his wife, Suzanne, and their two daughters, Meredith and Amanda.  They own a home on Washington Street in Traverse City. (Republican Caucus)

SD37 District Profile

by: matt

Sun Aug 28, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT

Better know an obstructionist: Sen. Jason Allen (R-Traverse City)

by: Hazen Pingree

Sat May 05, 2007 at 10:25:03 AM EDT

Sharon Unger - 37th State Senate, Taking on Corrupt Sen. Jason Allen.

by: JayDub

Sat Sep 16, 2006 at 14:15:03 PM EDT

It is unfathomable to me that this race has been allowed to stay completely off the radar, considering she is waging an uphill battle against one of the most corrupt members of the Michigan Legislature, Sen. Jason Allen.

From accepting donations to secret accounts to inappropriately weighing on the bidding process for a parking ramp in Traverse City, Mr. Allen is clearly losing the support of voters in populous Grand Traverse County.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle has been on the case and its investigative reporting of Sen. Allen is taking its toll.  Please read some of the coverage of this race:

Unger and Allen to Face Off

At Issue:  Jason Allen

Senator Allen Must Disclose Contributors to Secret Funds

For a complete chronical of coverage by the Record-Eagle, visit Sharon Unger's Campaign Website..

Unfortunately much of the electorate in this eight county district does not read the Record-Eagle and has been completely immune to Allen's scandal after outrageous scandal.

I spoke with Sharon Unger last evening at the kickoff of the Charlevoix County Democratic Headquarters and directed her to Michigan Liberal.  She indicated her interest in joining the community of bloggers.

I ask you all to find a way to get this race jump started.  Sen. Allen clearly wants to be majority leader (hopefully minority leader at best), and the easiest way to stop that from happening is to vote him out of office.  If you know people in Sault Ste. Marie, St. Ignace or Cheboygan, be sure to inform them of their Senators corruption tactics.

There are some interesting facts about this district that I feel make it a perfect place to oust a Republican Incumbent:

1:  Traverse City, the most populous in the district, voted for John Kerry in 2004.  This is the only Northern Michigan municipality to do so.

2:  The 37th District overlaps much of the district of Democratic State Rep. Gary McDowell.  The voters of Chippewa, Mackinac, Emmet and part of Cheboygan Counties chose Democrat McDowell in 2004 over longtime State Senator Walter North.

3.  Presque Isle County is currently represented in the House by Democratics State Rep. Matt Gillard.  Also, sparsely populated Presque Isle is home to a significant number of Labor retirees, making it fertile ground for a Democrat.

Thanks for reading, I know MichLiberals will do what they can to help Sharon Unger, and I know they will give her a warm welcome when she chooses to start blogging personally.

Backers of unfunded $1.9 billion tax cut still want their pork

by: matt

Fri Aug 18, 2006 at 12:51:08 PM EDT

• We go first to Michigan's glorious northland - to Petoskey - where there's a hole in the harbor breakwater. Fixing this would ordinarily be the responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Unfortunately, the Corps is a bit short of cash these days and the project has been delayed. Gee, I wonder who is in charge of funding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers?  Anyway, State Senator and parking deck enthusiast Sen. Jason Allen (R-Traverse City) proposed having the State of Michigan pick up the $400,000 tab (because we're just loaded with cash these days) until "The Decider" and his Republican Congress come through with the moolah (which would - in all likelihood - be never). No dice, says Governor Granholm. Here's Allen's response in the Petsokey News-Review:
  

  “It's unfortunate that the governor chose to veto this funding tool for the Petoskey harbor,� he said.
  

  Remember, this is a guy who just voted to gut funding for nearly a quarter of the state general fund budget to pay for a $1.9 billion business tax cut. Here's a clip from his official statement:
  

  “I see absolutely no logic in why the governor vetoed this funding,� Allen said. “I’m stunned to say the least.�
  

  Stunned. Yeah, that's the right word. OINK!

The view from 'up north'

by: matt

Tue Aug 01, 2006 at 08:46:42 AM EDT

Okay, I’m reading in the Traverse City Record-Eagle that state Senator Jason Allen has raised more than $500,000 for his campaign, and I wonder why he needs that much money. After all, most people can’t even name the Democrats who are running against him.

Senator Allen’s answer: He’s giving chunks of money to other Republicans who are running for office, especially candidates who are running for an open seat or duking it out with a strong Democrat contender.

That way the state senate will remain dominated by Republicans.

The other reason, which was offered up by political guru Bill Ballenger, is that Allen—and anyone else who wants to nail a leadership post—believe that their financial gift will be thanked when it comes time for the leadership vote.

-snip-

“Sometimes I’m not sure anybody cares. It’s like the readers have given up on this political stuff, as if they’re thinking,‘We know we’re going to get screwed, and it’s even more painful if we understand how it happens,’� (Michigan Campaign Finance Network Executive Director Rich) Robinson said.

The real problem, at least to my mind, is that the system rewards fundraising more than true leadership. And that’s what the state sorely needs right now—leadership to pound out a bi-partisan economic plan to get this state back into business. Yet it seems that our Republican legislators actually revel in the joblessness statistics rather than sitting down with the governor to actually solve the problem.

SD37 Former Candidate Sharon Unger (D-Bellaire)

by: matt

Wed May 24, 2006 at 22:21:05 PM EDT

Campaign Website

Biography:

Born October 7, 1951

Ionia County Michigan

EDUCATION

Graduated from Ionia High School 1969

BA of Education from Michigan State University, 1975

Graduate studies in Sociology with Eastern Michigan University, 1984-1986.

FAMILY

Mother – Teacher

Father – WWII Veteran, Accountant, now deceased

Married to Douglas E. Jackson, Viet Nam Veteran, 1970 – 1975.

Married to John W. Unger, retired Antrim County Probate Judge, 1988 – present.

One son: Jason, from first marriage who works in landscaping and design

Two step-sons:  John, an artist (mosaics and iron sculpture), resides in Antrim County

Dave, sound technician, in the Chicago area

Two granddaughters:  ages 8 and 16

CAREER

Social worker in various counties in Michigan (Kent, Ionia, Lenawee, Antrim) for Department of Social Services (now Department of Human Services) 1977 - 1989.

Received Special Commendation from the Department for the years in Ionia 1979 – 1981 working on special project to identify and treat “high-risk families� for child abuse/neglect and juvenile delinquency.

Also during this period of time, I volunteered considerable hours counseling battered spouses.

About 1983 I moved to Lenawee County, and specialized in investigating child abuse and neglect complaints.

I transferred to Antrim County in 1985. Received special recognition from the Michigan State Police in 1986 for my work in child abuse.

MISCELLANEOUS

Volunteered time to Antrim County Family Court 1990 – 2000.

Held Real Estate Salesperson’s License since 1994.

Community Mediation Services, 1999 – 2001. Trained and certified as a Court Mediator (although I think I may need to take some continuing classes to get on their list now).

Since 2000, I am involved in the activities of the 187th Army Air Corps (WW II Veteran’s Group), of which my father was a member.

TC Record Eagle hints Sen Jason Allen is Corrupt

by: chanupi

Mon Apr 24, 2006 at 09:47:21 AM EDT

A "down state" developer/Allen campaign contributor gets special favors in local Traverse City development bid.  And no remembers how that might have happened:

Ask Traverse City officials for details on why an alternate parking deck proposed for West Front Street won't work and prepare to hear chapter and verse. They can provide dates when all this was discussed, facts and figures, state brownfield rules, who said what to whom and when.

Ask those same city officials about state Sen. Jason Allen's role in quashing the alternative plan, and it's amnesia time. Nobody remembers nuttin'. Including Allen.

That's simply not credible, of course. They remember. A handful of insiders — including a couple of people who draw their paychecks from the city — know what was said to whom and when. They know precisely the political pressure brought to bear on a local developer to withdraw his plan. They know the details.

But they're not saying. And they're certainly not letting city voters in on the act.

It's a tale of selective memory and downright misinformation designed to cover the fact that a state politician with links to a downstate developer derailed a competing proposal.

OK...first of all, Traverse City just built a parking garage, right downtown (with a great view of the bay, btw).  There is no study to see if there is even any need for this parking structure.

Then Republican Sen. Jason Allen (D37- Corrupt) pushed out a local developer to favor a campaign contributor.

Jason must be shooting for a job in the U.S. Congress.  That's where the real money is made, eh Jason?  Well, I think it's time he was sent back to Captain's Quarters (Jason fit my tux for the prom--he was good at it--he should do it some more).

(I would like to thank Matt's news aggregator at the top for pointing out this story--this was a dinner table disscusion when I was at my parents' house in TC last week!)

Some legislative campaign tidbits...

by: matt

Sat Apr 15, 2006 at 10:17:21 AM EDT