Leighton Twp. man to run for state rep. as a Democrat

There will be a familiar face in the race for 72^nd District State Representative, familiar, at least in Leighton Township.

Steve Shoemaker, a 43-year resident of this area, is running in the Democratic primary in August against Dick Cunningham of Kentwood.

The 72^nd District includes Dorr, Wayland and Leighton townships and the City of Wayland. Current State Rep. Ken Yonker is term limited, and a large field of five Republicans candidates filed for his post, including Tony Noto, Robert Coughlin, Ryan Gallogly, Steven Johnson and Bill Hirsch.

Though some consider it political suicide to run as a Democrat in this area, Shoemaker, a frequent guest at Leighton Township Board meetings, said he believes this might be the best year in a long time to challenge the Republican Party’s stranglehold in Allegan and Kent counties.

He noted the State Legislature recently passed a law forbidding straight-party voting by pressing just one lever or coloring in one circle. This would force formerly notorious straight ticket voters to examine each of the races and might encourage them to select him.

Furthermore, he said the Republican State Legislature’s recent missteps, such as the Flint water crisis and lack of action on fixing roads, also might drive voters into his camp.

Shoemaker graduated from Byron Center High School after attending the district from kindergarten through 12th grade.

“I even went to those quaint old one-room schoolhouses for the first five years,” he quipped.

He attended Grand Rapids Community College focusing on industrial technologies, math and business law, and served a four-year apprenticeship that included education and on-the-job training, achieving journeyman skilled tradesman status as a machine repairman at Hastings Manufacturing.

“A sharp decline in the auto industry led me to change employers and I went to work at Steelcase, working there for 24-1/2 years until they too endured a sharp decline in market share,” Shoemaker said. “During most of my employment there I’d placed the maximum amount of my earnings possible into a 401 K account, and when things hit the skids in 2005 I was able to take advantage of an early retirement option.

“By 2005 I had enough money in the account that while the earnings were not insignificantly less than my net income at the time, I no longer had the indebtedness I did five years earlier, so I jumped.  We never lived a lavish lifestyle, and other than my wife’s small monthly car payment we have zero debt, so it wasn’t a difficult transition.”

Since then he completed construction of a home and moved into it, redecorated the home he’d lived in for years and sold that, and helped family members and friends with their projects.

“And I watched Republicans, with too many complicit Democrats, upending the middle-class,” he added.

Shoemaker was married for 12 years to his first wife and they had three daughters, however, she died from an unknown illness at 31 years old.

He married his second wife 30 years ago and raised her daughters as well. Between them, the five daughters no have a total of nine children of their own ranging in age from 10 months to 16 years. Two daughters are teachers in public school systems, one is an IT specialist at Spectrum Health, one works in the dental field, and the one with the youngest child works part-time in the restaurant business.

Shoemaker has been a longtime member of the Allegan County Democratic Party who has resisted the urge to run before, but insists this is the best time to take that risk.