State Rep. Andrew Fink was formally sworn in on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at the Michigan State Capitol, after officially assuming office on Jan. 1.
Fink, who represents Michigan’s 58th district, said the ceremony went smoothly and that he was thankful his family could attend.
“The swearing in day itself was particularly special because my family came up and my kids got to go to the Capitol for the first time and see what it means to participate in your government,” Fink said. “They got to experience the reality that the Capitol is where their dad works now. They got to go over and see my office building, so having my family there was very neat.”
Although the formal ceremony happened on Jan. 13, his office began operations at the beginning of the year.
“We’ve been working really hard since Jan. 1 on a variety of issues trying to figure out what we can do to improve the state’s policy and operations in a bunch of different areas,” Fink said.
Fink said one of his top priorities is addressing the effects COVID-19 shutdowns on local business owners.
“I’m working on bills across a variety of areas and there’s going to be a heavy emphasis on trying to help working families and locally-owned businesses get back on their feet and excel in the wake of what you might call the ‘covid shutdowns,’” Fink said.
One of the ways Fink said he is addressing COVID-19 concerns is by fighting for the legislature to be included in the process.
“That’s an area where the legislature has been excluded from the conversation by our governor, much to the chagrin of both the legislators themselves and our constituents,” Fink said. “I hear daily from people who own restaurants or operate the American Legion who are still being singled out by the governor. They know it’s not right, we know it’s not right, we’re trying to get that message across.”
Senior politics major Caleb Lambrecht began working as Fink’s legislative aide on Jan. 4. Lambrecht said one of his favorite parts of the job was giving back to the Hillsdale area through support to businesses and the unemployed.
“Fink is very concerned with making sure his constituents are helped with any issues they have,” Lambrecht said. “With the shutdowns he’s been very passionate about helping small business owners around the area and helping them with any unemployment benefits they need to get, so that’s what a lot of our office has been focused on right now.”
Fink said that in addition to addressing COVID-19 regulations, a major focus will be on accountability and upholding traditional conservative values.
“I know that our caucus is also going to focus on integrity both of our elections and of the operations of state government,” Fink said. “ There’s been a couple of pieces of legislation introduced already to address conflicts of interest in the legislature and how lame duck bills are handled, and that’s in addition to the things that have always been important to conservative legislators like personal freedom and sanctity of life.”
Junior Jacob Hooper, former campaign manager for Fink, said that he is confident the constituents of Michigan’s 58th district are in good hands.
“I know his office has been running well. I got to meet Jacob Damec, his chief legislator staffer, when Andrew had a little private swearing in ceremony at the college on Dec. 21. He’s a very nice guy, they seem to make a great team,” Hooper said. “And I’m confident Caleb Lambrecht is the right man for the job. They’re a great team – three Hillsdale grads fighting for the conservative cause in Lansing, both during the covid pandemic and afterwards too.”