By DEBRA HAIGHT
BUCHANAN – Berrien County resident and Michigan State Police Captain Mike Brown has thrown his hat in the ring to become Michigan’s next governor. Brown spoke recently at the South County Republic Club’s meeting at Lehman’s Orchard Brewery & Farmhouse.
Brown is the third gubernatorial candidate to speak before the club. Fellow Republicans Tudor Dixon and Ryan
Kelley spoke to the gathering in late June. Several Republican candidates have announced their intention to run for governor, including former Detroit police chief James Craig.
Brown, a Stevensville resident, is commander of the Michigan State Police’s Fifth District which is based in Paw Paw and covers Southwest Michigan. He grew up in Belding near Grand Rapids, joined the Marines and then came back to Michigan to work for the state police for 33 years.
This isn’t Brown’s first foray into politics. He served two terms on the Berrien County Board of commissioners nearly 30 years ago.
Brown, 56, describes himself as “a country boy at heart” who has been serving the nation in one capacity or another since he was 18. “The last two years driving back and forth to Paw Paw, I pondered what was going on in the state and it disgusted me,” he said. “The state is going entirely in the wrong direction.”
He said the state’s response to both the pandemic and last year’s public safety crisis convinced him that change is needed and that he wanted to run for governor. “I send troopers out on the road every day and it got to the tipping point that I thought I could make a difference,” he said.
“We have a retention and recruiting crisis in the state,” he added. “People won’t sign up for the challenging job of being a state police trooper unless we have a new governor. I’m committed to working with police if I am elected.”
Brown stressed both his background in government and law enforcement as well as his connections across the state. “I’ve been in politics before on the county board level, I know it’s a big challenge,” he said. “But next November, I believe the governor and the bureaucrats will be gone.”
He spent some time at the South County Republican Club talking about his background. “I grew up in Belding, I worked milking cows until I was 18 when I went into the Marines,” he said. “I started taking some law enforcement classes. I was thinking about working on a cattle ranch or Wall Street, things were going okay until my dad got sick and I went back.”
“A friend of my uncle’s said I should check out the state police and I joined,” he added. “I was sent to St. Joseph and met my wife here. I was the Niles commander and now I’m the district commander for over 200 troopers.”
“I decided to run for the county board at age 27 and won by 187 votes,” he said. “Most of the county commissioners were 40 years older than me, I learned a ton about local and county government. Now I’m dipping back into politics in a huge way.”
He said he will be campaign throughout the state and believes he has a message that will resonate with people. “People know we’re going the wrong direction,” he said. “No matter where I go, the issues are the same about disrespecting business, the economy and public safety and how we’re treating our kids.”
“A lot of towns are like this one with people concerned about the direction Michigan is going,” he added. “We will win the state back. I want to tell people about my economic message, respecting citizens and protection people from crime.”
“Other candidates are not as comfortable in the suburbs, city and country as I am,” he added. “I have a blue collar attitude … I respect people and don’t believe in masking kids. We need to get the workforce back together.”
He acknowledged that he’s putting his career on the line. “I essentially work for the governor,” he said. “I’ve pushed the poker chips in the middle of the table. It’s unprecedented for a Michigan State Police officer to do this.”
People can find out more about Brown at his campaign website, www.CaptainMikeforMichigan.com.
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