HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – A one-time Holland City Councilman and state House Representative has officially announced his candidacy for the state Senate.
Joe Haveman is the Director of Government Relations at Hope Network and says his role has given him a new perspective on being a state lawmaker.
He made the official announcement for the seat at Coffee Grounds in Grand Haven this morning. Haveman told WHTC News that it’s been good to be back in the workforce and to have stepped away from politics for a while as it gives him a fresh perspective. State Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof must relinquish his seat at the end of 2018 due to term limits.
“Arlan’s been a good leader and a good policy man. We’re different people but we share a lot of the same values. I hope they don’t hold a grudges against me for something he may have done and vice versa. But that’s the way it goes. I’m a different person and I’m going to represent everybody in this county no matter what party you’re from.”
MIRS News in Lansing claimed in June that Daniela Garcia of Holland Township, who filled the state House seat that Haveman vacated in 2014 due to term limits, and fellow Representative Roger Victory of Hudsonville are also vying for the GOP Senate nod, although neither Garcia nor Victory have apparently confirmed this report by the Lansing-based news agency.
