Michelle Regalado Deatrick

Michelle Regalado Deatrick
Residence Superior Township, MI
Education

University of Michigan

Wesleyan University Harvard University

Stanford University
Term January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2018
Political party Democratic Party
Vice Chair, Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners
Website http://www.votemichelledeatrick.com/

Michelle Regalado Deatrick is an elected official, poet, and community advocate from Michigan.[1] Deatrick is Vice Chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and is also a policy analyst, former Peace Corps Volunteer, educator, and award-winning poet. Deatrick declared her candidacy for Michigan State Senate on September 7, 2017.[2][3] She currently represents the County's 2nd district encompassing the townships of Superior, Salem, Northfield, Webster, and Ann Arbor, as well as Barton Village and portions of the cities of Ann Arbor and Dexter. Deatrick is also an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention, was a staffer for Senator Bernie Sanders,[4][5] and stumped for Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. [6]

Candidate for Michigan Senate

On September 7, 2017, Deatrick announced to a group of supporters that she is running for the Michigan State Senate seat in District 18, a seat currently held by term-limited State Senator Rebekah Warren. As a progressive Democratic candidate, Deatrick is endorsed by Yes She Can, Vote Pro Choice, Women for Justice, UAW, Peace Corps to Politics, Political Revolution, American Federation of Teachers, The Justice Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party, Our Revolution, Lecturers' Employee Organization, Michigan for Single Payer Healthcare, AFSCME Local 3052, Over With Rover, Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors, Public Arts Commission, and Leap Forward.[7] She has also received distinctions from Planned Parenthood as a candidate with a 100% favorable rating and as a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate.[8] On Deatrick's website, she states: "I’m running for State Senator because we need a leader who believes that politics should be about people, not profit. Because we need a leader who marches with us in the picket lines—and stands up for us in Lansing. We need a leader who listens and who builds bridges. A leader who can hit the ground running and never stop." [9] Her progressive platform includes common sense gun safety measures, increased public education funding, accessible and universal single payer health care, the cleanliness of the environment for the enjoyment and health of all as a fundamental human right, road and infrastructure repair, care and rights for seniors, fulfilling commitments to veterans, getting big money out of politics, criminal justice reform, and equality and representation for women, people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community.[10] In Deatrick's announcement speech, she evoked her affection for Washtenaw County as well as her commitment to creating more good-paying jobs, protecting the environment, and fighting inequality. "Like so many others who move here for work or school, I fell in love with the area, put down deep roots, and can't imagine living anywhere else. I want to give back, to serve this community which has given so richly to my family.[2]

Elected Official and Community Advocate

In 2016, Deatrick ran successfully as a Democrat for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners in the mostly rural 2nd district, beating the three-term Republican incumbent with 53% of the vote.[11][12] She was also elected to the Democratic National Committee on a reform platform. She was subsequently elected as Midwest Representative to the DNC Women's Caucus.[13] Deatrick strongly supports small farms, renewable energy, veterans' services, and natural area preservation.[11] She holds a BA from Wesleyan University, a Master's Degree in Education Policy and Administration from Harvard, and an MFA from the University of Michigan.[1] She did further graduate work at Stanford University and is ABD on a PHD in Education + Political Science. She was on staff for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in Michigan as Special Projects Director and, after Senator Sanders conceded, she campaigned for Hillary Rodham Clinton. [14] Deatrick also spent time in Kenya, working for the Peace Corps.[1] In 2017, Deatrick was active in the campaign to elect Keith Ellison as the Chair of the Democratic National Committee.[5]

While serving as County Commissioner, Deatrick wrote and succeeded in passing a resolution in support of DACA recipients.[15] Deatrick also wrote and succeeded in passing several measures, including resolutions opposing the Rover pipeline, a natural gas pipeline that traverses several townships in western Washtenaw County, passing close to a children’s camp;[16] upholding the Paris climate accord;[17] and increasing wages for county direct care mental health workers.[18]

As County Commissioner, Deatrick wrote and passed additional proclamations honoring the work of two Food Policy Council members,[19] honoring county naturalist Faye Stoner,[20] and condemning the deportation of mother and longtime community member Lourdes Salazar.[21]

In January 2018, Deatrick was a lead organizer for the 2018 Ann Arbor Women's March, which brought thousands of community members to the University of Michigan Diag and joined marches and rallies around the world.[22]

In May 2017, Deatrick successfully proposed anti-poverty legislation to lower the chances of residents losing their homes or facing water and electricity shut-offs.[23]

In April 2017, Deatrick co-organized and spoke at the Tax March in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[24]

In January 2017, Deatrick was a lead organizer of the Women's March in Ann Arbor, Michigan as a part of the Women's March that took place all over the world. More than 11,000[25] people gathered at the University of Michigan Diag and marched through Downtown Ann Arbor.

In 2014, Deatrick was heavily involved with Michigan small farm rights, in particular advocating for full Right to Farm protection for non-commercial farms and farms in transitional agricultural areas.[26] A small-scale farmer herself, Deatrick co-founded the Michigan Small Farm Council[27] to advocate for small farming operations across the state.

Writing career

Deatrick has won multiple writing awards, including both Winner and First Runner-Up in the 2012 Chautauqua Poetry Contest.[28] She teaches writing privately and for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Michigan.[29] She actively maintains a blog (Word Garden) about poetry, the environment, and the 80-acre farm and native prairie she lives on and cares for.[30] Her work has also appeared in the American Literary Review, Southern Poetry Review, and Crab Creek Review.[31][32] Previously, her fiction was featured in Best New American Voices 2006.[31][33] Deatrick has also received University of Michigan Hopwood Awards in Fiction and Poetry[34].

In January 2015, Deatrick won an Honorable Mention in The 38th New Millennium Awards for her poetry.[35]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Michelle Regalado Deatrick". Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2017/09/michelle_deatrick_announces_20.html
  3. ↑ http://wemu.org/post/washtenaw-county-commissioner-running-state-senate#stream/0
  4. ↑ https://berniesanders.com/bernie-sanders-loyalists-taking-democratic-party-one-county-office-time/
  5. 1 2 "Subscribe | theaustralian". www.theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
  6. ↑ MLive (2016-10-06), Michelle Deatrick stumps for Hillary Clinton in Ann Arbor, retrieved 2018-06-29
  7. ↑ "Endorsements of Michelle Deatrick". MICHELLE DEATRICK FOR STATE SENATE. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  8. ↑ "Endorsements of Michelle Deatrick". MICHELLE DEATRICK FOR STATE SENATE. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  9. ↑ "MICHELLE DEATRICK FOR STATE SENATE". MICHELLE DEATRICK FOR STATE SENATE. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  10. ↑ "Issues". MICHELLE DEATRICK FOR STATE SENATE. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  11. 1 2 "Home page, Michelle Deatrick for Washtenaw County Commissioner". Michelle Deatrick for County Commissioner. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  12. ↑ "Deatrick Edges Out Smith For County Commission District 2 - We Love Dexter". We Love Dexter. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
  13. ↑ "Washtenaw County Democratic Party | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
  14. ↑ MLive (2016-10-06), Michelle Deatrick stumps for Hillary Clinton in Ann Arbor, retrieved 2018-06-29
  15. ↑ "DACA Resolution" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  16. ↑ "Resolution to Oppose Rover Pipeline". Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  17. ↑ "Resolution to Uphold Paris Climate Accord". Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  18. ↑ "Resolution to Increase Mental Health Worker Wages". Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  19. ↑ "Proclamation Appointing Food Policy Council Members" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  20. ↑ "Proclamation Honoring Faye Stoner". Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  21. ↑ "Proclamation Against Deportation of Lourdes Salazar". Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  22. ↑ "More than 3,000 rally at Women's March in Ann Arbor, look to midterms". MLive.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  23. ↑ "County Immigration Assistance". Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  24. ↑ "More than 1,300 Trump protesters join in Tax March in Ann Arbor". MLive.com. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
  25. ↑ "More than 11,000 flood streets of Ann Arbor for Women's March". MLive.com. Retrieved 2017-01-22.
  26. ↑ Heinlin, Gary (May 4, 2014). "New Michigan urban farm policy creates more uncertainty". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Michigan Small Farm Council". Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  28. ↑ "Chautauqua Contest Winners". Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  29. ↑ https://olli-umich.org/olli/index.php/member/ctlg/viewEventDetails/1010
  30. ↑ "Word Garden". Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  31. 1 2 "Michelle Regalado Deatrick". Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  32. ↑ "Volume 53, Issue 1 - Southern Poetry Review". Southern Poetry Review. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  33. ↑ "Crab Creek Review". Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  34. ↑ "University of Michigan announces Hopwood winners". University of Michigan News. 2004-05-17. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  35. ↑ "New Millennium Writings". Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  • Michelle Regalado Deatrick Official Bio, 29 January 2014
  • Word Garden, by Michelle Regalado Deatrick, 29 January 2014
  • Campaign Facebook Page
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