Speaker Chatfield? Buzz Brewing Over Freshman Lawmaker As Next House Speaker

Mr. Speaker? State Rep. Lee Chatfield meets with constituents

By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)

Buzz over the possibility State Rep. Lee Chatfield will be the next Speaker of the House has intensified this week, with multiple Lansing insiders telling WMP the Republican from Levering is well positioned to win the Speakership.Current Speaker Kevin Cotter is forced out in 2017 due to term limits. Chatfield is one of only 2 freshman to Chair a committee, the Local Government Committee.

"Chatfield is ambitious and smart-he's definitely making the right moves to be Speaker," one source said.

A recent MIRS article recently named Chatfield as a frontrunner, along with fellow legislators Tom Leanord and Mike Webber.

Chatfield defeated incumbent State Rep. Frank Foster in the August 2014 primary and then won by double digits over his Democrat opponent in November. He represents Michigan's 107th House District near the Mackinac Bridge.

Chatfield was strongly opposed to Prop 1 and has been a key leader in targeting corporate welfare in Michigan, introducing multiple bills targeting the MEDC that have been approved by the House and await Senate action.

Despite long hours between Lansing and his Northern Michigan district, Chatfield has held two dozen open coffee hours with constituents, that is more than any other legislator in Lansing according to an ongoing WMP analysis.

Stay tuned...

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com 

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Photo By Darlene Dowling Thompson