Darrin Camilleri

Darrin Camilleri was born in Brownstown Township, Michigan, and lives in Trenton, Michigan.[1][2] Camilleri graduated from Gabriel Richard Catholic High School in 2010. He earned a B.A. in political science and government from Kalamazoo College in 2014.[3] Camilleri's career experience includes working as a social studies teacher with Consortium College Preparatory High School.[1][2][3]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a proud father of two, former teacher, and the son and grandson of union auto workers. I grew up in Brownstown Township in a family of immigrants who came to Michigan in pursuit of the American Dream, and today I live in Trenton with my wife, Lama. Before serving in the State Senate, I represented Downriver for three terms in the Michigan House.

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?

I am someone who delivers results for Downriver and Western Wayne County. I have secured major investments for our schools, roads, rail crossings, local communities, and police and fire departments. I am running for reelection to keep bringing resources home, and make sure our communities have a strong voice in Lansing.I stand with working families because I come from one, and I will continue to fight to make life more affordable for the middle class. That means lowering the cost of health care and prescription drugs, expanding access to affordable child care, establishing paid family and medical leave for all Michiganders, and creating good-paying jobs that can support a family. I will also continue defending workers’ rights, and ensure every family has a fair opportunity to get ahead.As a former teacher, I believe every child deserves a great public education, regardless of their ZIP code. As chair of the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee I have fought for free breakfast and lunch, smaller class sizes, support for teachers and school staff, expanded career and technical education, and the resources students need to succeed. This year, I was incredibly proud to champion a weighted funding formula that will provide schools with a more predictable funding schedule and channel resources to the students who need them the most.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about strengthening Michigan’s education system, fixing our local infrastructure, and lowering health care costs for families across our state. Michigan tax payers deserve quality public services and good infrastructure.

I am specifically focused on delivering a moratorium on AI data centers, capping utility rate hikes, increasing taxes on hazardous waste facilities, and finally passing the Michigan Voting Rights Act at the state level.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Darrin Camilleri, I’ve been representing Downriver families as a State Representative for the past 6 years, and I’m running to represent Downriver, Romulus, and Western Wayne County in the State Senate. As the son of an immigrant from Malta and a Latina, the son and grandson of union auto workers, and a former high school social studies teacher, I know firsthand the issues that working families face. As our district’s next State Senator, I will continue to deliver bold, proven results and solutions to the problems we face across the district.

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?

I support increasing funding for our education systems and infrastructure (fixing our blocked train crossings, repairing our bridges, and fixing our roads, etc.)We need to continue working to raise wages and lower costs for Michigan families. I voted yes to pausing the gas tax to put money back in the pockets of Michigan families, want to repeal the retirement tax, and want to go after drug companies for price gouging.I firmly support protecting reproductive freedom and a woman’s right to choose.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a former teacher, I care deeply about our public schools and our education systems. We need to invest more in our schools from pre-k through college or trade school to give all our kids the opportunity to succeed. And coming from an area of Wayne County that needs substantial infrastructure investment, I want to do all I can to help fix our roads, bridges, and block train crossings.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials should have a strong sense of integrity, be compassionate and understanding toward the issues facing their constituents, have effective communication and negotiation skills, and be painstakingly diligent about delivering results.

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

Perseverance, collaboration and grit. Downriver has been struggling with many issues, including our train issues for decades. I was excited to lead the negotiation and bring Downriver, Wayne County, State and Federal leaders to finally secure the full funding for the Allen Road/Van Horn underpass project. I’m also excited to have helped secure recording funding for our schools in this last budget.

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

I believe that the governor and state legislature must work together to improve the quality of life for all residents of the state. As a State Representative, I’ve worked closely with the governor and her office to pass legislation that benefits not only the residents of Wayne County, but all Michigan families. I’ll work with anyone to improve the lives of my residents in Downriver and Western Wayne.

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

Yes. My priority is improving the quality of life of my constituents and supporting the district I represent. If there are other legislators that can help further that goal, no matter what party or side of the aisle, I will continuously work with them to deliver results for the residents of my district.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I support the current independent redistricting commission that oversees the redistricting process in Michigan. Including residents in the redistricting process helps reduce and eliminate the gerrymandering present when legislatures oversee redistricting.

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

While in college, I worked for Congressman John Dingell. He is someone that lived a life of service to our residents in Michigan. He believed deeply in compromise and getting things done – and I hope to live up to that level of service during my time in the legislature.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes, as a current State Representative, I know how important and necessary compromise is when working with other policymakers.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Darrin Camilleri, and I'm currently serving my second term as State Representative. As the son of a Maltese immigrant and a Latina, I was incredibly proud to become Michigan's youngest Latino and first-ever Maltese-American elected to the Michigan State Legislature in 2016. I come from a long line of union auto workers, and I understand just how important it is that working families have their voices heard. Before becoming a State Representative, I was a high school social studies teacher in Southwest Detroit, and there I saw firsthand how broken our education system was. I knew then that I needed to go to Lansing to make any changes I could. I'm proud to call Downriver my home, and I'm looking forward to building on what we've accomplished over the past four years.

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?

Educational Opportunity for All: As a former teacher, I've seen firsthand challenges that our educators face, and making sure every student in Michigan can access a high quality education is one of my top priorities. I was proud to vote for the largest funding increase in a generation for students, but there is still so much work to do. We need to address our state's literacy crisis and increase per-pupil funding, continue to support our teachers by increasing wages and benefits, and work to make post-secondary education more affordable. Healthcare Should be a Right, Not a Privilege: The COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how important it is that every Michigan resident has access to quality, affordable healthcare. I believe we need to fight to protect and expand programs such as Healthy Michigan, which has given health coverage to 700,000 people who were previously uninsured, and lower prescription drug costs. Infrastructure for Today and Tomorrow: Our state's roads and bridges are among the worst in the nation, and have financially drained Michigan residents for far too long. Increasing our investment in our roads, bridges, railways, and water infrastructure will not only improve public safety, it will improve economic outcomes by ensuring that Michigan is a desirable place to live in work.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education - Passing legislation that helps our students and teachers is always one of my highest priorities.

Helping Michigan Workers - I believe in creating economic opportunity for all Michigan families so that they can achieve their own American Dream. That's why I am fighting to make sure that Michigan workers can compete for the best jobs and are being paid fairly.

Environment: Lake Erie, the Detroit River, and the Huron River are all in our community's backyard. I stand committed to protecting these vital natural resources and holding corporate polluters accountable.

Camilleri's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[7]

Economic stability for Downriver

Excerpt: "Michigan can support hardworking entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to build and grow their companies here by lowering barriers of entry, providing low-cost loans for start-ups, and increasing tax incentives to hire and keep Michigan workers."

Education and opportunity for all

Excerpt: "It’s imperative that we fully fund our classrooms from Pre-K through college graduation so our students are on the cutting edge of reading, math, science, and technology. Additionally, our teachers need proper pay for their hard work and dedication."

Infrastructure for today and tomorrow

Excerpt: "Our roads are some of the worst in the country, which not only leads to expensive car repairs, but also discourages economic growth. Finding a solution will put people to work and make Michigan a better destination to do business. For Downriver, one major area of focus will be finding the remaining funds to finally kickstart the grade separation project at Allen Road and Van Horn in Woodhaven."