“Today, I was grateful for the opportunity to support a resolution honoring the late Curtis Hertel Sr., a former Speaker of the House and father of current state Senator Curtis Hertel Jr. In an era where partisanship runs higher than ever, it’s important to remember a time when our state was co-led by Hertel, who shared the speaker’s gavel when the House was evenly split by party. Hertel led through cooperation and compromise, helping to guide our state through a raise in the state’s minimum wage and the creation of the Children’s Trust Fund. Though his work on behalf of the people of Michigan often kept him at the Capitol late at night, he made a point of driving home each day, and rarely missed any of his four children’s events. Curtis Hertel was a true role model as a father, a statesman and a public servant. I’m grateful for all that he gave our state, and I will do my best to live up to the example he set for all of us at the Capitol.”
