Washtenaw Reps. Take Oath of Office for 98th Legislative Session

Representatives excited to continue their work for the region

LANSING – State Representatives Gretchen Driskell (D-Saline), Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor),David E. Rutledge (D-Ypsilanti) andAdam F. Zemke (D-Ann Arbor)took their oath of office today, starting their next terms in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Reps. Driskell and Zemke will be starting their second term after a very active first two years in the Legislature. “In my first term, I worked on a number of issues for my constituents, including broadband accessibility and finding sustainable solutions to access natural resources,” said Rep. Driskell. “While a lot was accomplished these last two years, there’s still a lot to be done.”

Rep. Zemke was equally enthused, stating, “I was proud to work in a bipartisan manner, especially when trying to establish better educator evaluation standards. I will continue this and other priorities to help the citizens of the 55th District and the entire state.”

Reps. Irwin and Rutledge now begin their final terms and will continue their leadership on and championing of progressive values and middle-class priorities.

“I’m excited about the upcoming session. I’m hopeful that Michigan will make progress on issues like clean energy and energy efficiency,” Rep. Irwin said. “Thank you to my constituents for the opportunity to serve, and I encourage you to contact me with any concerns or questions.”

“We ended last session on a high note,” said Rep. Rutledge. “Democrats and Republicans came together to pass a road funding measure that would provide adequate resources to repair our roads and educate our children, while also providing tax relief for our working poor. My hope is that we will continue that sense of bipartisanship into the new term.”