| My name is Mike Weissman and I'm the grandson and great-grandson of immigrants and the son of a veteran and a librarian, who all raised me to work hard, get my facts straight, be grateful for the opportunities I had in life, and give back to the world I'm part of.
I've been a proud resident of North Aurora for more than 17 years. My partner and I live just off of Colfax Ave and together she and I enjoy traveling, working on our garden, and attempting to keep our two cats out of trouble.
I first became a candidate for state representative several years ago because I believe opportunity is not an accident. Rather it's a result of choices that our government makes; whether we have laws on the books that reward hard work or just special interest influence; whether we invest in people or not; whether we acknowledge that any of us is prone to get knocked down at some point in our lives and might need a hand to get back up.
Both of my father's parents were from families who fled religious persecution in Eastern Europe and sought refuge in America. My grandfather arrived here when he was about 4 years old, speaking no English. But he learned English, completed school, then put himself through college and medical school and went on to practice medicine for decades, often helping patients from immigrant families like his.
My mom's dad never received formal education beyond the ninth grade, because he had to work to support his family. Both of his parents had immigrated too, escaping the legacy of the famine in Ireland, and they had many children to support.
Despite the differences in their circumstances, my grandparents were able to work hard and save and create greater opportunities for their kids - my parents - than they enjoyed themselves. That's how it's supposed to work in our country - if you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead. That's the American Dream.
My grandmother was a tireless advocate for senior citizens in the small town where she lived. My mother volunteered for years in the public school district where I grew up.
My father, both grandfathers, and two great-uncles served in the U.S. Army.
My mother worked as a librarian in the local public library, and I spent a fair bit of time there and in other libraries as a kid. My father got up before the sun every morning to go work and often came home after the sun was down.
I took an interest in economics during high school and ended up majoring in this subject in college. Although it can seem wonky sometimes, economics is ultimately about how people, businesses, communities, and entire countries interact together in our complex world -- and, critically, how public policy choices can influence these interactions. My background in economics helps inform my work for tax justice - getting rid of special interest loopholes in our tax laws and instead making sure our tax code works for working people - via things like the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and exemptions for small businesses from the Business Personal Property Tax.
A bit later in life I went to law school. To me public policy is values written in the language of the law, so it was important to me to study that language closely. For two and a half years I commuted four or five days a week from Aurora to Boulder to attend Colorado Law, and I remain very grateful for the chance to achieve that education.
During and after law school I put my legal education to work for a number of different environmental organizations as well as a statewide voter education program. As a state legislator I continue to put my legal training and practice to work via legislation to clean up our air and water and fight climate change and to protect and expand the right to vote.
Whether I'm working on making our tax code more fair to working people; increasing the amount of affordable housing being built; better funding our schools; strengthening our consumer protection laws so people don't get ripped off; or anything else, I always try to think about how our state can be a place where opportunity remains alive and available for anyone who reaches for it - like it was for my grandparents. |