Christina Fitchett-Hickson

Christina Fitchett-Hickson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Flint in 1996. Fitchett-Hickson’s career experience includes working as an independent contractor and small business owner. She has also worked in education, sales, and marketing.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have lived in Genesee county most of my adult life. My family and I moved to Burton my senior year to be with my grandma and my mom's other family. My Dad would guest preach at the Flint Baptist Temple, where my uncle Don was pastor, and I would attend Sunday school and later hang out with all of my cousins. I graduated from Bendle High School in 1990 with honors and immediately went on to attend college at U of M Flint majoring in Education. I then got a job as a Media Specialist. a teacher assistant for their distace learning program and after student teaching I became a substitute teacher and Summer Art program teacher for Flint Community schools. I graduated college with honors and immediately got a full time job as a teacher in Flint Community Schools. I married, had a daughter, bought a house and raised my family in Genesee. During that time I worked K-3 along with the HOSTS coordinator for DTM. I set up their student tutoring program, getting volunteers from the neighborhood churches, seniors from senior programs and parents at the school scheduled and trained to be mentors to our students. , I worked at other schools like Washington, and Scott where I was the Title I teacher. Eventually, layoffs led to leaving teaching, going into sales and marketing and starting my own business in Health and wellness where my cousin Janet Roberson Nd. mentored me. Now, my husband and I volunteer weekends helping citizens take their place in gov. all over USA

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Government has forgotten that they work for the people/We need to take our rightful places in our government/ God/Family/ConstitutionWe need quality education for allWe need affordable auto insurance/Health Insurance for all   Featured local question

How would you close the talent gap in this state?

The talent gap needs to be closed in Michigan. There are many things that can be done to bridge the gap. We need more skilled laborers for our many unfilled jobs. We need to improve the skills of our youth so that they will graduate and get started right away in their jobs. We can encourage apprenticeships and expand their reach beyond the mechanical trades like plumbing and welding into jobs like lab technicians and computer programmers. We could also teach to the skills required and desired by each job.

Featured local question

In a time of strained resources, what should be the state’s spending priorities?

We should prioritize our infrastructure. You probably saw the damage that can occur from putting off needed dam repairs. So, we need road and dam repairs for Michigan's over 1000 dams. Our Legislature needs to agree this time on a sensible budget that prioritizes education, safety, infrastructure, and minimizes state legislature pay. We could all tighten our belts a bit and settle for a pay cut.

Featured local question

Michigan has among the weakest ethics and transparency laws. How would you improve them?

Michigan's poor ranking as one of the weakest in transparency laws is not a big secret. People have been concerned about the F rating for a while now. I am planning on improving categories such as lobbying oversight and ethics oversight.

Featured local question

Michigan’s budget has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 virus shutdown. How would you address the deficit? Do you prefer spending cuts or tax hikes?

Michigan has been severely impacted by the strict measures the governor implemented. We are going to have to really go over the budget with a fine tooth comb and make sure we are spending money on things that are absolutely necessary. We will have to make the tough decisions and state Legislature may even be looking at a pay cut. We need to allow the people to keep as much money as possible so they can invest it back into our economy. This in turn, will bring back more businesses, jobs, and families to our State of Michigan. We also can invest our state budget in education for our youth in teamsters jobs which are numerous right now. They are begging for workers even now as we open up and begin our climb back to the strong economy of the last year. We are going to recover and recover very quickly! We will be better than ever before and without raising our taxes.

Featured local question

What’s the best approach for meeting Michigan’s roads and other infrastructure needs?

I think the direct approach is best to tackle the roads and infrastructure. We need to prioritize the budget into the essential needs to run our state safely. If it takes a Legislature payout then it needs to happen. We have seen the devastating effects of when lawmakers put off much needed infrastructure and dam maintenance. It should have been our 1st priority and then budget from there.

Featured local question

What’s your one big idea for improving public schools?

We need to improve our public schools by looking at the curriculum and getting back to what works in the private schools and adapting it to fit our public schools. For instance, children can't learn in an unsafe, chaotic environment. We can work in elementary schools to train them with character standards and hold them to them. This school wide program has been working with private schools and could be adapted to fit our public school standards. This is only one thing that parents are leaving our schools over. As a former teacher I have seen character education completely transform attitudes and get students back on track and engaged in their learning. Another program we could implement is the cop/buddy program. In Coolidge Elementary I was blessed to see the program in action. Students learned to respect police and they learned to respect them. The community was unified when the parents joined hands with the police to help encourage them going to school. The friendships made during this program, I believe, led to the response of our people here in Flint with our Sherriff Swanson. They only wanted to be heard and knew their police and our laws were for their own safety and protection. These are just a few ideas we could implement to bring about positive changes in our public school education.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

One of my highest priorities is to improve our Education system. The Common Core needs more Common Sense. We need teachers with real classroom experience heading up our education system. Who better to help to fix Common Core than Common Teachers? I have spent 15 years teaching in the Elementary schools with my last 5 years in Title I services fixing all the gaps in learning from state and federal government Education programs. We need to implement some of these Title I program ideas and standards into the regular classrooms. Our team will work with other qualified classroom teachers to reevaluate how we are implementing Common Core. We need to see through the research, what is working and what is not. We need to look at excelling schools and see what they are doing differently and work on putting it into practice in our public education programs.This will give our professional educators room to tailor their teaching techniques for their individual learners.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to many great Godly people, the most of which is Jesus.. However, the one on earth who I have really I looked up to was my father, who just recently passed away last year. My father was a Baptist Preacher most of my life. He also served as a Precinct delegate, University of Michigan Dearborn Native American Representative and a missionary to the Muslims in Dearborn. I would help him canvass in our neighborhood and get votes from my paper route. We passed out fliers for Vice President Bush along with his literature. When I got older, I campaigned for his 2nd term as well. My father always taught me that God honors integrity, honesty and your word. He believed that people, not politicians should have the say so in lawmaking. They are only our voice and that God ultimately will put them in high positions. I want to continue that philosophy. I want the people to fulfill the intentions of our Constitution and elect a person who best is represented in their community.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

If you would like to understand more about my political philosophy it is very simple. I have the perfect document for you to read. It is the United States constitution. You can enjoy reading each and every amendment knowingthat i will be in Lansingfight everydayfor you to keep every one of those God given rights. . You can especially focus on the bill of rights which are the 1st 10 amendments.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am an honest, humble and respectful person. I believe in integrity and transparency. I do not like waste and am very careful not to waste resources or money. I am also a lifelong learner and believe in hearing all sides of a situation before making a decision.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave my children with a strong state where they can enjoy the God given freedom that I have known and loved for over 40 years. God Bless America!

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The greatest historical event of my lifetime that i remember was when President Ronald Reagan landed his helicopter in our neighborhood school field. They flew helicopters over our heads for weeks before the event. I took the day off school so I could stand close as he went by across our field into the school. I will never forget the sense of patriotism we all felt as he waved to us!

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I have worked many different jobs throughout my life. I got my first job in newspaper delivery at the age of 12. I had that job until I was 17 when I got a job with my local grocery store, Great Scott.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Authorized King James Rainbow Study Bible is my favorite book because my parents gave it to me for my 21st birthday and it has given me my instructions for a happy life every since then.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

If I could be any fictional character I would be Super Girl so I could live forever and see all of my future grandchildren.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

God Bless America

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have been through lots of struggles in my life but I have overcome them by the grace of God! From taking care of my elderly blind mom and dad to the every days struggles of our health and wellness business during Covid 19 my husband and I have overcome all the obstacles in our way. Just like my mom and dad, my family and I work hard for everything we have. We believe all things happen for good and are always looking on the bright side of our struggles in life for a learned lesson.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

I believe the difference between the chambers in my state of Michigan is the amount of people that they represent. Each senator represents a larger group of people as a whole. The state representatives represent smaller groups of communities and sometimes just one county. Simply put, this form of government allows them, together, to represent everyone in different ways.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that the best State Legislators are the ones who have worked side by side their constituents in the community. They are the small business owners and teachers of the community who have raised their children and have the time to devote to being the voice of the people. Career politicians are what is wrong with the government. They have forgotten who they work for. They work to satisfy their donors and special interest groups. I believe our Constitution did not intend for our Representatives to make a career out of it. They are to serve and move on.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

The state of Michigan has had several challenges in my lifetime. We have always, by the grace of God, overcome them and become stronger because of it. We recently have been hit with a great tragedy and economic crisis called Covid 19. This was made even more serious by the draconian executive orders of our governor. We must now begin the process of recovery and fully open up our businesses, schools, and churches. We need to follow up with tax breaks for the people, as well as small businesses. We need to get as much money in the people's hands so they can in turn put it right back into our community. I believe with responsible spending we can free up the money to improve our roads, and infrastructure as well as tax relief for the citizens. We also have to improve our Education system by adding training for tradeschools for our youth, which are in high demand. By working together in faith and unity, we can make Michigan better than ever!

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

The ideal relationship between governor and state Legislature is equally sharing the powers. Not one is greater than the other. Then the people control them both. They need to both be accountable to protect the interests of the people in the particular district they have been chosen to represent. The governor should not be able to rule over the people like a monarchy or dictatorship. They both should protect all of our Constitutional rights. For example, i believe governor Whitmer overstepped her authority by keeping us closed without a choice for an extended amount of time. People have the right to choose if they want to leave their home or fix their yard, get a hair cut,, mow their lawn, go fishing, plant a garden, paint their homes or fix a roof. None of these measures should have ever been taken. What she did and kept extending was completely unconstitutional. I am proud of our Legislature for calling her out on her draconian executive orders.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. I believe it is very beneficial to build relationships with other legislators who are like minded and have the same goals for their districts. In the last year Republicans have been more united in limiting government than ever and have also added a few Democrats to their side as well. Americans need to unite under common ground and common goals. We need to get through this the same way we did with Covid. We were on our way up before the shutdown. We are all in this State and Country together! Let's work together to make Michigan better than ever again!

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Yes. There are 2 committees I would like to be a part of. The committee of Education and Labor, with a focus on fixing the Education system, and the House select committee on reducing the car insurance rates.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

NA

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I am interested in joining my party's leadership in the legislature. The role I would choose, however, is undetermined at this point.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I have a good friend in Ohio Legislature who wrote a book and encouraged me to take my rightful place in government as a citizen legislator. He told me to keep on fighting and with God nothing is impossible! He kept his word and helped many of his constituents have their voices back in government. I'm going to do the same for Michigan.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I am planning on 1st bringing our peoples' voice to Lansing and when I am done there move on to Congress.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Many of our constituents are concerned about vaccine choice especially since they have been hearing about Bill Gates and forced vaccines. One in particular was very touching. A woman wheeling her child in a wagon came up to me and told me of how her child was completely normal and then they had a vaccine and immediately a fever followed. Their child almost died. They were injured by the vaccine and are praying that they never have to vaccinate them again. She asked me what I was planning on doing to improve vaccine safety for she was denied the ability to sue the manufacturer of the faulty vaccine for the damage to her son. I told her we all will investigate and make sue any vaccine is well researched for safety. We need to make vaccines safe and continue to keep the law for vaccine choice passed in 1978 that my Cousin Janet Roberson ND fought fo so many years ago.

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