LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – U.P. lawmakers are reminding their constituents to reach out to their Representatives when they need help working with state offices. There is a long list of services available at the state level that staff in Representatives’ offices are trained to assist with.
Every Representative’s office in Lasing is staffed with a team to help answer emails and phone calls from members of their district.
Representative Greg Markkanen and his staff connect constituents to the offices in Lansing that are over 400 miles away.
“Constituent services is a big part of being a state Representative. We get calls from 90,000 people that we represent in the 110th district.” Markkanen said. “People will call this office and we’ll file a claim and and say that we’re concerned and we’re doing an inquiry and usually it picks it up a little bit and it resolves it rather quickly.”
Marie Repovz works in Representative Markkanen’s office handling constituent services. She said keeping the district connected to legislators in Lansing is an important part of their process.
“I think for state government to run appropriately, it needs to be that mouthpiece for everybody in the state,” Repovz said. “We try to do whatever we can, with any question that comes our way. A lot of people have a question and they don’t know if we’re somebody who can assist them in answering it, but if we are not, we try to connect them to someone who can.”
The Michigan House of Representative’s website has all the information to help figure out who your Representative is and how to contact them.
108th
(Menominee, Delta, Schoolcraft, Luce, and a portion of Chippewa and Mackinaw Counties)
Representative Dave Prestin (R)
Phone: (517) 373-0156
Email: DavePrestin@house.mi.gov
109th
(Baraga, Marquette, Alger, and a portion of Dickinson Counties)
Phone: (517) 373-0498
110th
(Ontonogan, Gogebic, Keweenaw, Houghton, Iron, and a portion of Dickinson Counties)
Representative Greg Markkanen (R)
Phone: (517) 373-0850
Email: GregMarkkanen@house.mi.gov
38th State Senate District
In the 110th, Representative Markkanen said they commonly help people with issues related to unemployment, taxes and returns, and help businesses with building inspections. Each state department has its own legislative liaison that offices can communicate with to help with questions or to help constituents navigate the capitol bureaucracy.
“I want people to feel comfortable calling.” Repovz said “We want to hear those calls because we want to be advocates for our district and we want everyone up there to know that they have a voice in Lansing.”
Representative Markknen said it’s important, especially ahead of elections, to call and make sure any questions or concerns are heard. He explained that he can then take those concerns to the other U.P. lawmakers or into committees to influence legislation as it’s written.
