Voters of the 14th Congressional District should send a strong message in the Aug. 5 primary: Make Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence the next congresswoman from metro Detroit.
Lawrence, the current underdog in the race for Congress in the 14th District, has a proven track record of building coalitions and working with communities of diverse backgrounds. She is a bridge builder, which makes her candidacy unique, and that is why the Michigan Chronicle has chosen to endorse her.
Our national leaders should be individuals who can stretch beyond partisan and cultural lines to address the problems facing the nation. At a time when Washington is so broken, it needs someone like Mayor Lawrence who can use her creative intelligence to bring people of different views to the negotiating table to solve the problems we face.
For many years Mayor Lawrence has been the political glue that holds together communities in Southeast Michigan. She championed as well as took part in efforts that underscore the diversity of Southfield and the region.
From the African American, Asian and Arab American communities to the Hispanic and Jewish communities, Mayor Lawrence has been there speaking to the leaders of those communities and underscoring the need for us to work together for the benefit of all.
She has virtually never turned down any invitation to be part of significant efforts and dialogues that are geared towards empowering communities that once felt disempowered.
Such is the mark of a leader who understands how to negotiate the meandering paths of our diverse regional and complex life.
Aside from her bridge building record, Mayor Lawrence understands public policy and has a grasp on national issues. Her leadership role in the National Conference of Democratic Mayors and the numerous invitations she has received to participate in White House meetings on urban affairs give us confidence that she will represent this region well.
We need a representative who is already plugged into national affairs and Mayor Lawrence will bring that to bear if voters of the district give her the opportunity to represent them in Washington.
Her effectiveness as mayor of Southfield, which some of her critics have disputed, is not an issue for us. She has served to the best of her capability and extended herself beyond the official duties of mayor to demonstrate that a leader should not only be defined by the four walls of her office.
If Mayor Lawrence is elected she will join a growing number of women leaders from Michigan on the national front. That is something to be proud of, but her leadership skills and track record go beyond gender.
She received the distinguished backing of EMILY’s List, the national women empowerment network, and that support is also an indication of her national outreach to not only force the issues affecting her constituency but to also give the region a voice.
The bottom line is that Brenda Lawrence is the most capable candidate to serve the 14th Congressional District in Washington at this time.
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