Apr 6, 2007

Sen. Hansen Clarke to highlight annual dinner


State Sen. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, will be the guest speakers at the 24th annual Edwin B. Winans Dinner on May 5 at the Hamburg VFW Post, 8891 Spicer Rd., put on by the Livingston County Democratic Party.

Clarke is serving his second term in the Senate where he is leading the charge to end discrimination in auto insurance where higher rates are charged for those without college degrees and who work blue collar jobs.

Clarke grew up from humble beginnings in a working class neighborhood on Detroit's lower east side to attend an Ivy League university and become an attorney. He was raised alone by his mother, who worked as a school crossing guard, after his father passed away when he was just 8 years old. While in the third grade, an observant teacher recognized his artistic ability that promoted him to take art classes at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and it eventually led to a scholarship to Cornell University where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Clarke then attended Georgetown University Law School. After he received his law degree he returned to Michigan to practice law. He was elected to his first of three terms in the Michigan House in 1990. He unseated an incumbent in the Senate in 2002, and he was reelected last November. In 2005 he was a candidate for Mayor of Detroit.

Clarke serves as the minority vice-chair of the Health Policy Committee and the Commerce and Tourism Committee. He also serves on the Judiciary Committee, the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee and the Government Operations and Reform Committee.

The fundraising dinner is named after Edwin B. Winans, Governor of Michigan in 1890-1893. He lived in Unadilla and Hamburg Townships and represented Livingston County as a State Representative, probate judge, and Governor. He is buried in the Hamburg Cemetery. Winans Lake is named after him. Tickets are $60 if purchased before Tuesday or $75 after that, and tickets can be obtained by calling the Livingston County Democratic Party at (810) 229-4212. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. There is also a private pre-dinner reception planned, and details will be announced soon. This is the party’s largest fundraiser, so come out and support the party and celebrate its success in the last election.

On a personal note; it’s nice to see a Cornell alumni like Sen. Clarke visiting Livingston County who actually fights discrimination instead of a Cornell graduate like Ann Coulter who promotes discrimination.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's see...

The County Republicans get a guy running for president to speak at their dinner.

The County Democrats get an obscure state senator.

I guess we know where you guys rank,eh?

Communications guru said...

Well thanks for posting, who-ever-you-are. I see why you refuse to use a screen name and take ownership of what you write.
Sen. Clarke is not “obscure” in Michigan – which by, the way – is where we live. If you look at Sen. Clarke’s accomplishments and what he has overcome I think he is a much better speaker than a flip-flopper like Romney. Besides, anyone can run for president, like Pat Paulsen, Strom Thurmonsd or Jesse Ventura.

I am sure you are aware of this, but the republic party is currently the majority party in Livingston County. The old, tired joke is we could hold our meetings in a phone booth. That’s changing rapidly, especially as more and more people turn away from the hard right the republic party has taken and after the inept way they have exercised “leadership,” but at this point they are still the majority party here.