State Rep. Rick Olson announces he won't seek re-election for 55th District seat
In an announcement issued today, incumbent State Representative Rick Olson, R-York Township, has declared he will not seek re-election this fall after redistricting changed the political makeup of the area he serves.
Rick Olson
Olson has previously said he would consider running as a Democrat for the 55th District seat in the State House of Representatives in the August primary election, but instead has now dropped out of the race.
Former Milan Mayor Owen Diaz is currently the only GOP candidate to officially file for the ticket.
The filing deadline for the August primary is 4 p.m. May 15.
"I thank the voters for the opportunity to serve these two years,” Olson stated in a news release. “I am confident that there will be other opportunities to serve the people of the state, as serving as state representative has created an opportunity to showcase the many talents and energy I bring to any task.”
Olson was hoping to gain a share of the Democrat vote and help from the Republicans in the district to bolster his chances to serve the people of the district.
However, as there’s a contested race in the Republican primary for the position of the York Township Supervisor, there is less of a chance for Olson to gain crossover votes if he ran on the Democratic ticket.
On the Democratic ticket, two candidates are vying on the August primary for the chance to be on the November ballot: Ann Arbor resident Adam Zemke and Andrea Brown-Harrison, a first-term Pittsfield Township trustee.
"Rick Olson is a good person, and I thank him for his service, but his voting record against education, against the environment, and against equality did not represent Washtenaw County's priorities," Zemke said in a emailed statement released today.
Candidate Bob Davidow withdrew from the Democratic race for the House seat at the end of March.
Zemke said he's since received an endorsement from Davidow.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter @amywrites_.
Comments
kurtkoeh
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 3:13 a.m.
Why does Adam Zemke feel the need to attack Rick Olson upon his announcement that he isn't running. Why not just stop after the first 13 words and leave it at that? It is not as if anyone was under the impression that Zemke agreed with Olson on much. It almost seems like Zemke wrote this statement assuming that Olson would run and didn't change it to reflect the changed circumstances.
Peter Eckstein
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 7:14 p.m.
"Changes to the district boundaries last year switched District 55 from about 51 percent Democrat to 65 percent Democrat. . . .Olson was hoping to gain a share of the Democrat vote and help from the Republicans in the district to bolster his chances to serve the people of the district. An adherent to the Democratic Party is a Democrat, but the adjective is Democratic. Terms used correctly in some parts of the story, but not in these. Ever since Joe McCarthy refused to use the term Democratic--becuase it might suggest that these people practiced democracy--the right wing has adopted this usage. But objective news organs should not.
Silent Majority
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 2:37 a.m.
Amy, there are several places in your article where you use the word "Democrat" when it should be "Democratic." Someone may be a Democrat, but they belong to the DemocratIC Party. It should also read "Democratic vote" when you mention what Mr. Olson was trying to get. Thanks.
Townie
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 12:44 a.m.
After all the money he spent on his campaign this definitely didn't turn out to have a very good ROI. Just another Republican rubber stamp; never thought about his district nor did he ever engage his constituents. Same, same ol Republican dogma. Now he'll actually have to get a job. Since he voted for the $1.8 billion business giveaway there should be tons of them out there for him to choose from. Maybe he can go to work for SPARK and bring in lots more imaginary jobs.
trespass
Thu, May 10, 2012 : 11:48 p.m.
It sounds like he is applying for another public sector job. Perhaps he wants to be an emergency financial manager! He did vote lock step for Snyder's agenda so maybe that is the way it works.
xmo
Thu, May 10, 2012 : 9:48 p.m.
No loss, if he even thinks about changing parties, he is considered a Tax and Spend Democrat!
motorcycleminer
Thu, May 10, 2012 : 8:17 p.m.
Sorry to hear it..Thanks Rick .. you worked hard to get it and served 100X better than the usual SE MI. reps ...typical democrook changes to insure they can regain the seat...chicago here we come...
John Q
Thu, May 10, 2012 : 8:26 p.m.
How uniformed can you be? The Republicans in Lansing controlled the entire redistricting process. They are the ones who forced Olson into a majority Dem district.
bobslowson
Thu, May 10, 2012 : 8:02 p.m.
Good News!