Vote for
Christopher Crain for State Representative
Long Time Resident of Wexford County
US Army Veteran
Small Business Owner
20 Plus Years in Education and Community Service
Chris will fight to improve the quality of life for our community and all Michiganders by:
Improving policies to strengthen the education of our children!
Working to create jobs and opportunities for small businesses!
Ensuring a path to affordable housing, housing security, and rent stability!
Increasing healthcare accessibility and affordability!
Defending the rights of all!
Introductory Biography
I am a steadfast resident of Wexford County whose family lineage in the area dates to the 19th century. My journey includes a stint in the US Army, entrepreneurship, and a role as a former college instructor. These diverse experiences have instilled in me a profound commitment to my family, community, and the cause of human rights.
My formative years were profoundly influenced by my family’s values of hard work, justice, equality, and patriotism. These principles were further reinforced during early adulthood while serving as a paratrooper in the US and overseas. This foreign service exposed me to stark social inequality and systematic human rights violations, which profoundly impacted my life trajectory. This understanding of systematic inequality has fueled my commitment to addressing social issues. After an honorable discharge, I then embarked on a career as a security consultant, often working with clients who were victims of domestic violence and other forms of social inequality.
After several years, I determined I needed to return to academia to understand systematic inequality, its origins, and its propagation. This commitment to understanding and addressing systematic inequality has been a driving force in my life. During this time, I became interested in anthropology and its perspectives and methodologies for analyzing various cultural and biological conditions within and across social boundaries. This led to my central focus on violence as a methodology for maintaining social stratification in societies. During this period, I had the opportunity to instruct several collegiate courses, first as a graduate student and then as an instructor of record. Through these opportunities, I learned that anthropology’s main pillars of cultural relativism and the cross-cultural perspective were valuable both for the scholar and in navigating the dynamic realities of daily social interaction. With a new understanding of these tools, returning to more active communal grassroots participation was only natural.
My dedication to social justice is not just a belief but a way of life. I have actively participated in my local government, attending public sessions and advocating for others on the community’s current issues. These efforts have earned me the respect of local officials, leading to a recent appointment with my township’s planning commission. I have also been involved in a grassroots organization that provides aid to the less fortunate in the region. My recent work with The Traverse City Housing Justice Team in Grand Traverse County has been instrumental in raising awareness about the urgent issues of homelessness, rent stability, and housing availability.
The Main Reasons I am Running for Office
The reasons I am running for office are clear. First, through my own experience and communication with many of my fellow community members, I was appalled by the growing general sense of disenfranchisement people felt from their elected leaders in Lansing; this cannot continue. In many ways, the few misappropriated the governmental operational model. It’s time for that to change. Think of it as a pyramid with most of the citizenry at the base and the different levels of the government ascending to the zenith. Incorrectly, many see that as representing increasing magnitudes of authority. It is time to flip it. The people elected officials represent must be the source of policy that affects the issues they face. While some very beneficial legislation has passed recently, its potential impact can be short-lived. It only sometimes reflects some of the most significant problems and concerns facing more rural districts. Business as usual cannot continue. Second, there continues to be an overall decline in the quality of life of those in the 101st District and Michigan. While improvements have occurred, people still need help with food and housing security, medical care, educational opportunities, and economic mobility. Since they are not mutually exclusive issues, we must develop a more robust, comprehensive multilateral approach that improves all. Concurrent improvements are necessary individually and as critical components for the people of Michigan to navigate future challenges. Third, as a US Army veteran, I could no longer stand by and watch the growing polarization of my fellow citizens by the various actors and organizations that seem intent on destroying for their benefit that which so much has been sacrificed by so many for over the history of our state and nation. We are, and always have been, a pluralistic society.
The Issues
According to the latest Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed Report (ALICE) from the United Way Foundation, over 40% of Michigan households struggle to cover basic living costs, including housing, childcare, food, health care, transportation, and necessary technology. In other words, many of our fellow Michiganders suffer from a chronically detrimental quality of life. This is reflected in the 101st District by county as follows:
| County | Households in Poverty (MI Avg of 13%) | ALICE Households (MI Avg of 28%) | County Totals, Poverty + ALICE (MIAvg of 41%) |
| Wexford | 13% | 32% | 45% |
| Lake | 18% | 40% | 58% |
| Newaygo | 14% | 31% | 45% |
| Mason | 12% | 30% | 42% |
| Oceana | 12% | 33% | 45% |
| Assessed Avg | 14% | 33% | 47% |
According to the US Census Bureau, in 2022, 58,995 households were identified in the five counties in the table above. Of those, 26,769 (45%) fell below the ALICE threshold. In other words, approximately half of the people living in the 101st District struggle to make ends meet, thus preventing any financial security or economic mobility and negatively impacting their potential for a respectable “quality of life.”
Unfortunately, the usual governmental response to the various factors contributing to the underlying socio-economic conditions is too simplistic and unilateral. As stated above, these are not mutually exclusive issues, and to improve the lives of those affected, lawmakers need to develop a more robust, comprehensive multilateral approach involving several factors at once. Think of it as a stool. To raise the stool level, you must concurrently and incrementally increase the length of all the legs; if not, the stool will fall.
Education
Education is one of the primary foundations of our society and is paramount to determining the success of its citizenry. Because of the challenges we face today, the people of Michigan need to invest further in the education of future generations. For example, to strengthen the education of our younger generations, we need to lower the student-to-teacher ratio in the classroom. Currently, the average ratio reported by the Michigan Department of Education is 23:1. This should be reduced closer to 18:1. While variation does exist, it is greatly dependent on several socio-economic factors, including ethnicity, district operational funding, and curriculum position, which dramatically affects the quality of instruction and subject retention for the students. This needs to become more standardized across our educational system. While it will take time to acquire the appropriate long-term professional staff, we have other options to help mitigate the issue, increase the potential for future recruitment, and proactively recruit the next generation of educational professionals for our future. Many school districts have mentoring programs in which academically strong secondary students assist others. Such programs could be the framework for a larger statewide initiative to increase the instructional quality in our classrooms. Part of this initiative can involve collegiate credit for such mentorship. In addition, a scholarship incentive could be created for participants to utilize when they enter their post-secondary educational journeys, especially if they choose to enter the field of education. This is just one potential policy change, including the modernization of curriculum standards and expanding access to free community college for those outside the district.
Economic Opportunity
While the economy has been improving for some, too many of our fellow citizens are facing economic hardship and stagnation. State lawmakers need to find a multilateral approach that simultaneously enhances the economic potential of both labor and business owners. Steps can be taken in Lansing to promote more excellent wages, job security, and education for our workforce while generating new potential markets, enacting regulatory reform, and responsible taxation for Michigan’s small business owners.
For example, we are losing approximately 4% of our farms yearly in the agricultural sector. If it continues, we could lose up to 40% of our agricultural production capability in a decade. This is due to several factors, including the difficulty for smaller family farms (approximately 80% of the farms in Michigan are 200 acres or less) to compete, the increasing rate of farmers retiring, the high financial burden of starting and maintaining a farm, and lack of market opportunity. State lawmakers in Lansing must find a path forward to counter this dangerous and irresponsible trajectory. There should be expanding dialogue around ways to reenergize our agricultural capacity and assist those who play a vital part in our state’s economy. Some areas that must be considered include enhancing financial incentives for new farming operations, loan forgiveness for those who have made farming their career and increasing our internal market capacity for all benefits.
Housing
Housing is a fundamental necessity not just for maintaining an ample local and regional workforce but also as a human right. We need more affordable housing across the state. Around 50% of households struggle with housing costs, and this must change. Policies must be generated to address the physical housing shortage and state lawmakers’ need to rescind the state preemption against local rent stability/control. In addition, the regulation of short-term rentals can be improved. The tourism industry is vital to the economic viability of our region, and short-term rental properties play a significant role in that economy. However, there is also a cost. The industry contributes to the growing issues surrounding housing availability, affordability, and workforce retention in our region. State legislators should develop and implement statewide standards that balance the economic needs and the communities involved, providing local governments with the tools to determine the best course for their localities.
Healthcare
Michiganders continue to face not only growing healthcare costs but a decrease in the availability of providers. It has unfortunately become the norm for most adults to experience or face the potential of having to decide whether to seek essential medical treatment. Coupled with the decreasing number of healthcare networks in the state, the potential for someone having access or not receiving necessary care becomes more problematic. Our elected officials need to take a stand and effectively correct these trends, including creating a state insurance marketplace that concentrates on the needs of the people of Michigan and is not administered by some out-of-state corporation. Plus, they must generate more state regulations concerning healthcare system monopolization so we can benefit from a more competitive market system to help manage costs and increase treatment availability. These are just a start, but they should be on the minds of all lawmakers as potential ways to enhance the quality of life of all who live in Michigan.
Education
Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice, Eastern Michigan University
Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, Michigan State University
Master of Arts, Anthropology, Western Michigan University
Doctor of Philosophy, Anthropology, College of William & Mary
Endorsements
AFSCME Michigan 925
American Federation of Teachers- Michigan
Mason County Democrats
MI AFL-CIO
Michigan Association of Justice
We the People- Michigan
Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners (MCRGO-PAC)
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Christopher Crain, 10240 E. 22 Rd. Manton, Michigan 49663.
(231) 920-0494