Thanks to new boundary lines drawn for the 59th House district, Dowagiac will have a new state representative Nov. 6 — either incumbent Rep. Matt Lori of Constantine, the former sheriff of St. Joseph County, or Democratic newcomer Mike Moroz.

It is rare for Dowagiac to field a legislative candidate, but the small business owner who graduated from Union High School in 1980 wants voters to have an alternative to “career politicians.”

Moroz stresses he is independent minded, with a strong belief in middle-class values and common-sense solutions and beholden to no one so he will not be hamstrung by extreme ideology.

Moroz, a “citizen-candidate with an open mind and an independent spirit,” says, “I believe there has been a planned, systematic attack on the middle class in this country and in this state. Hard-working people are losing jobs, homes and futures for their children, while corporations and corporate CEOs are becoming obscenely rich through outsourcing, offshore investment and tax loopholes — riches that are now being used to control and co-opt our political process. Democratically elected office holders are being cast aside, public education is being gutted and public employees are being stripped of fundamental rights. Basic freedoms of speech, assembly and petition are being threatened as never before.”

Moroz says he supports legislation that brings companies and jobs back to the United States and to Michigan, utilizing fair trade. “I support the right of workers to form unions. I support the right of every citizen to equal treatment under the law. We need statesmen and stateswomen in Lansing — not career politicians. We need those who will think and act on behalf of the people they represent, not punch a party clock. My opponent is beholden to ideology.”

Moroz, who lives in the restored historic Bock house near downtown, grew up fishing and hunting.

He has worked in factories and offices and been president of the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County and its Bonine House restoration effort.

“If jobs are the main issue,” Moroz said, “why haven’t Republicans brought out a jobs proposal? Matt Lori votes with his party on every issue. Ideology, like the emergency manager legislation which throws out democratically elected people, is ruinous. That basically throws away the people’s right to vote.

“My slogan is Common Sense for the Common Good because we need to do what we can for the majority of people, not the smallest amount. There has been a lot of apathy, but people are upset. They’ve had it up to here. They’re starting to recognize that the wolves are at the door. If they expect anything to change, they have to vote someone else into office.”