Howell resident and Livingston county native Lee Ann Blazejewski is running for Livingston County Commissioner in the 5th district, which covers the City of Howell, as well as Howell and Cohoctah townships. In a release, Blazejewski said she submitted her letter of interest on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, to be appointed to the open seat on the commission that is vacant due to Commission Chairman Donald Parker’s resignation.
Blazejewski grew up in Livingston County from birth to age 18 at which time she attended Western Michigan University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Health Education and Biomedical Science. Blazejewski also received a degree in nursing and is a licensed registered nurse in the State of Michigan.
In addition, Blazejewski has two masters degrees in public health (MPH) and business administration (MBA). After graduation from WMU, she married a member of the United States military and moved throughout the United States and Italy. Blazejewski was a military spouse for over 20 years, and she said that she moved back to Howell in 2013 to finish raising her children and be near many close family members. Blazejewski’s son graduated from Howell High School in 2017, and her daughter is currently a junior there.
Blazejewski is a PhD candidate in public health with a concentration in community health and will matriculate in December 2020. She works full-time as a clinical nurse manager at MPI Home Care in Flint, where she manages catastrophically injured and paralyzed patients and supervises more than 50 nurses and aides across southeast Michigan.
Blazejewski feels that her love of God, family, and country; management experience; and education will allow her to be a highly effective, thoughtful, and determined county commissioner.
“I really care about people and I am passionate about ensuring that the needs of ALL county residents are taken into consideration when the board of commissioners makes decisions,” she said.
Blazejewski said that the national sentiment in 2020 is to bring new leadership to all levels of government that reflect the whole community: “We need people like me on the board who recognize the importance of representing ALL people in the community, like the residents in my district who grow our food, fix our cars, care for our children, police our towns, etc.. We need every voice at the table.”
Blazejewski said that her children are a big part of why she is running because she is very concerned about the chipping away of fundamental constitutional rights.
“Liberty begins at home and what politicians do locally affects our children’s future such as when past leaders were asleep at the wheel while individuals’ innate rights, including the right to bear arms, were chipped away or when prayer was removed from school and our children were taught a watered down curriculum that didn’t teach about the horrific societal outcomes of socialism and Marxism,” said Blazejewski , who added that she is an avid Trump supporter and believes elected officials need to be keenly aware that the choices they make today effect the future security of the community.
“Government leaders have been negligent about protecting our liberties, which created a void, and we are now seeing the impact of this with increased interest in socialism and big government which will destroy our nation if we don’t prevent it from happening,” Blazejewski said.
Blazejewski wants to help continue the legacy of conservative values in Livingston County: “In my extensive experience living in many different communities during my time as a military spouse I came to an intense appreciation for the community in which I was raised,” she said. “Livingston County is an amazing place to live and I want to keep it that way. I pride myself for my solid ethical standards that I uphold in my role as a licensed registered nurse and I will bring these ethical standards into my position as county commissioner if I am appointed and/or elected.
“I am a fiscally conservative Republican and I believe that limited government is in the best interest of the people. I have a strong belief that all life should be protected in the womb and after birth as well as for people with disabilities and the elderly. I also believe that we must defend the constitution of the United States and Michigan. I intend to bring these values with me to my position as county commissioner if I am appointment and/or elected.”
As a healthcare professional, Blazejewski said one of her biggest concerns is that there aren’t any commissioners on the board who work in the health and human services field.
“I am very aware that the Livingston County Health Department needs to be appropriately funded to respond to health threats such as the Corona virus,” she said. “In 2019 the health department had to activate its Public Health Emergency Coordination Center twice in response to outbreaks of EEE and Swine Flu affecting the county, and we must ensure that the board continues to support the health department’s critical functions.”
Blazejewski said the county needs to increase funding for health and human services in Livingston County.
A large part of the board of commissioners’ job is to decide how the county’s revenue is spent and I am determined to fight to allocate more money in the budget toward health and human services when I am elected or appointed to the board of commissioners,” Blazejewski said. “We do not need to raise taxes to provide better, more equitable services to the residents of our county. We need to better appropriate the revenue we already receive. We can’t have a healthy and thriving economy in Livingston County without a healthy and thriving population of residents.”
Blazejewski said her best qualification for the county commissioner position is her “exceptional ability to get things done by building strong relationships with coworkers and those she serves.”
“Livingston county is growing and becoming more diverse and we need to have leaders who have a fresh perspective on the opportunities and challenges that come with a changing demographic,” Blazejewski said. “It is important for the board of commissioners to be relatable with all the constituents being served and often it is necessary to have a new face to bring about a renewed sense of purpose and passion for service.”
Blazejewski said that she is talking and meeting with residents of the 5th district as well as organizations and business throughout the county to learn their concerns.
“Livingston County must be innovative — especially with increasing demands on health and human services, growing diversity, and challenging budget decisions every year,” Blazejewski said. It’s going to take servant leadership and vision to protect what we love about Livingston County and I hope the voters will support me so I can the serve the community that I love”.
