My name is Joe Barnabei and I am running against Dian Slavens for State Representative in Michigan’s 21st district.
I am married to Wendy and have two children ages 4 and 2. Wendy and I both have been residents of Van Buren Township our entire lives and have multiple generations of family within the community.
I followed multiple generations of my family and spent nearly 8 years working for Ford on the assembly line and earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration during this time. With a heavy heart, I chose to leave Ford in 2007 and began working in the staffing industry helping people find career opportunities and coaching people to ensure they progress in their careers.
I currently work alongside and manage a team of highly technical recruiters who also work diligently to ensure our families, friends, and neighbors are working.
My motivation to run is simple; I do not want my kids to pay for mistakes from our generation. I want my kids to have access to the same opportunities we have had access to in our lives. I believe in better for Michigan and I want to take solutions to Lansing that addresses both current and long-term issues. Our issues are not fixed by Band-Aids and we must be creative and unified to continue moving Michigan forward.
Michigan has the talent to attract new businesses and we need legislators with the industry knowledge to recognize opportunities. The skills in our manufacturing workforce translate nicely into areas such as information technology. Those who have the knowledge to rebuild a car engine, repair a home furnace, or frame a house can use the same technical abilities in the information technology field with little training which currently has a shortage of workers.
I hope over the coming weeks you will see that I am a different type of candidate and that I offer something different from our status quo politician.
I am open to any and all questions and invite you to visit my website at www.electjoe2012.com or email me directly at [email protected].