Julie Rogers' Office for Nobody

One of Julie Rogers' big plans for the 61st district is to create a "district service office". This would be modeled on a similar office in the 60th district, which is mostly made up of the city of Kalamazoo.

Rogers has promoted this plan both as the democrat challenger to Rep. Jack Hoogendyk in 2006 and again as the democrat nominee for the 61st house district in 2008.

What would this office do? Constituents can easily contact their legislators by phone or email.

A district office might not help citizens much, but it would definitely help Julie Rogers by raising her name recognition and helping her chances for reelection.

Is there any demand for such an office? The person to ask is the current district representative, Jack Hoogendyk. Jack has talked to many thousands of voters in the 61st district during his campaigns. How many of them have asked for such an office? To quote Jack exactly, "zero".

Jack further states:

I talk to many constituents every week. Only a few call because they have concerns. When they do, we help them cut red tape and get answers quickly. Our 800 number makes its very easy for constituents to get quick answers.

I used to have coffee talks in the district, but the turnout, even though the events were heavily publicized, was very low.

I have never had a request for a district office or a complaint from a constituent because we were not accessible. I think a district office would be unnecessary and a poor use of taxpayer dollars.

The 61st district is not like the 60th. The 61st is mostly suburban, with some rural areas. If citizens want to contact their representative, they can call him on the phone, email him, or visit his website.

But Julie Rogers is itching to spend taxpayers' money on a district office whether they want it or not.