William Sayre, Candidate for State Representative, House District 26

General information

Name : William Sayre
Age: 70
Place of residence : Royal Oak, MI

Education

M.Ed., Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 1990
B.A., Oakland University, Rochester, MI, 1974
Undergraduate Studies, Albion College, Albion, MI

Employment Information

Current job title : Teacher (Retired), Cass Technical High School, Detroit, MI;  1987 - 2004.

Political information

Running for a: State office
Running for position: State Representative 
Chamber/district: District 26
Incumbent: No
Previous elective offices : 

Trustee, Pontiac Board of Education, Pontiac, MI
Precinct Delegate, Precinct No. 8, Pontiac, MI
Precinct No. 8, Royal Oak, MI

Party affliation: Republican

Party HQ

Address: 1003 Cedar Hill Drive, Royal Oak, MI 48067

Website

none

Statement of Purpose: 

I am not running for office as much as volunteering to represent my neighbors in the Michigan House, 25th District. It is my wish to apply my core values and the principles of Constitutional Conservatism at no cost to the voter. The Detroit Free Press wrote, "Sayre, a retired teacher, is running an idiosyncratic campaign offering to serve as a sort of volunteer legislator . . ."

I acknowledge this is a rather unconventional approach to public office. Voters might react to it as a "better mousetrap" or  "Field of Dreams." -- or not.  I cautioned a party official my campaign could ignite a firestorm of voter frenzy, or fizzle like a soggy sparkler. Subsequently, Mark Bliss, my Primary opponent entered the race. Mark is a good man and fellow Conservative. So voters have a win-win choice: conventional or unconventional.

Do you trust the pledges of politicians? Modern campaign promises swirl like confetti in a hurricane with typical impact and duration. As an honest candidate I seek to bind my commitments to guarantees. 

• Our Framers envisioned service by citizen legislators, individuals willing to represent their neighbors in Lansing (or Washington), returning home to live under the laws passed. The idea of career politicians would have horrified them. I am not seeking a new career. My age guarantees that promise.

• How many congressmen of ordinary means have emerged years later with considerable personal wealth? "Public Service" is a trite phrase trumpeted by most politicians. I will be a servant in the truest sense. I am volunteering my talents at no cost to the taxpayer; no salary, no benefits, no retirement credits, and no funds for paid staff for the duration of my term of office. This is my guarantee.

• Who do legislators really represent? I promise to answer only to my constituents. No lobbyists, corporate or union leaders, political action committees, or party elite will gain special access to my office.  I will not solicit nor accept any campaign contributions -- not now, not ever -- for this or any future campaign. This is my guarantee.

 I believe in the Constitution of the United States as originally written and in the meaning of each word as commonly defined at that time. Following a brief, unsuccessful flirtation with "communalism" in colonial Massachusetts, early settlers opted for an economic model based upon individual freedom and personal self-interest which has propelled our exceptional nation to world leadership in economic wealth, political influence, and military might. We must return to a leaner, fiscally restrained, and supportive government to restore economic growth, maintain personal liberty, and relight our beacon of hope for many troubled foreign neighbors. 

Specific goals and concerns:

• Restore fiscal sanity and transparency, no tax increases, fixed-percentage budget decreases across the board as needed to balance the budget;
• Privatize prisons for violent felons; non-violent criminals to be electronically tethered and/or housed in special weekend or weekday facilities on state land, not neighborhoods;
• Re-size school districts to balance student opportunities with fiscal integrity, implement statewide curriculum, bargain educators' pay and benefits at the state level;
• Eliminate collective bargaining for public-sector employees;
• Phase out defined-benefit retirement in favor of defined-contribution plans;
• Restore required funding levels for existing pension plans;
• Resist federal encroachment of Tenth Amendment rights, reserving to Michigan or to its people all non-enumerated U. S. Constitutional powers;
• Join Florida and other states refusing to implement Obamacare, as sanctioned by the Supreme Court;
• Examine the Seventeenth Amendment for possible repeal; senators appointed by state legislatures rather than popularly elected;
• Eliminate term limits in exchange for a part-time legislature, with part-time pay, no benefits, and no retirement;
• Begin the process of moving Michigan into the ranks of Right-to-Work states.

My background:
I am William Sayre. I have lived in Michigan since 1967 and been a resident of Royal Oak for 26 years. My ancestors settled in Michigan 177 years ago and my cousin still farms a plot of land continuously under cultivation by his family for more than 150 years. I have deep roots and a great love for our state and the communities of Royal Oak and Madison Heights. I am a U. S. Army veteran and have held jobs in the private and public sectors, representing both union and management. For 25 years I've been a proud card-carrying member of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, Local 231. I have experienced the bargaining table from both sides. I've walked the picket line and, in the past, braved the taunts of "scab" when acting as an agent of management. In addition to working as an Army Special Agent, Office Manager, Assistant Accountant, Internal Auditor, Credit Representative, and public school teacher, I have a 30-year history of volunteerism. These are some of my unpaid challenges:

• Hearing Impaired Volunteer, Webster School, Pontiac
• PTA President, Webster School, Pontiac
• Trustee, Pontiac Board of Education, Pontiac
• Precinct Delegate, Precinct No. 8, Pontiac
• Councilman, Pontiac Cable Advisory Board, Pontiac
• Library volunteer, Parker School, Royal Oak
• Precinct Delegate, Precinct No. 8, Royal Oak
• Parade Official, Dexter Daze Parade, Dexter
• Security, Concours d'Elegance, Meadow Brook Hall, Rochester
• Volunteer, Woodward Dream Cruise, Royal Oak Police
• Officer, Royal Oak Auxiliary Police
• Unpaid Substitute Teacher, Christian Leadership Academy, Troy
• Unpaid Substitute Teacher, Oakland Christian School, Auburn Hills
• Member, FEMA Community Emergency Response Team, Royal Oak
• Skywarn Spotter, National Weather Service, Detroit

It's only natural I would volunteer for the House of Representatives. I bring the same drive and work ethic regardless of compensation. I hope you'll be intrigued by my unconventional campaign and, if you support my effort, please talk to your friends, write an opinion to the newspaper, telephone a radio talk show, or email me to volunteer at a polling station on August 7. Thanks for your support.

William Sayrewksayre@aol.com