When it comes time for lawmakers to make the important decisions in Lansing, the people living in our readership area are well represented.

According to data published on the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s MichiganVotes.org website, the pair of representatives and the senator who represent voters in our local communities have done their part in 2015 in ensuring their constituents are represented in an overwhelming majority of votes at the capital building.

Voters living in the 78th District should have no qualms about their level of representation. Rep. Dave Pagel, R-Berrien Springs, was one of 65 state representatives who missed no votes in 2015.

Our area’s other representative, Aaron Miller, R-Sturgis, missed 10 of 504 votes in the state House of Representatives this year — only around 2 percent of all total decisions.

Meanwhile, Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, had an even more impressive 2015, missing four of the 642 votes, or less than 1 percent, during the current year.

2015 was a year full of pivotal decisions, including the creation of a legislation package to provide funding for long overdue state road repairs. With that in mind, we are pleased to see that our crop of lawmakers have done more than their part to ensure our communities are represented.

Certainly, not everyone in our readership area agrees with our elected officials’ voting record or their political attitudes and beliefs. Even members of our editorial board have disagreed with the polices endorsed by them from time to time.

Regardless of whether you agree with their politics or not, it is still important that our representatives and senator perform their duties to their utmost ability. Democracy simply cannot operate without leaders who are educated on the issues, understand their electorate and, most importantly, show up and participate when it comes time to vote.

We hope that our lawmakers continue to keep up an impressive voting record through next year.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.