Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Gerald VanWoerkom
Gerald VanWoerkom was a Republican member of the Michigan State Senate from 2003 to January 1, 2011. Due to Michigan term limits, Senator VanWoerkom did not run for re-election in the Michigan State Senate elections of 2010. [1] Van Woerkom also served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002.
Van Workeom graduated with his Bachelor's degree in World History from Calvin College and his Master's Degree in education from Michigan. Van Workeom is a retired teacher and school administrator.
Key votes of 2009-2010
- Click below to see how this representative voted.
- Super Speedway, Lawmakers voting on whether TO EXTEND A SPECIAL TAX PERK for a super speedway.
- Driver Responsibility Fees, Lawmakers voting on whether TO IMPOSE 'driver responsibility fees.'
- Crony Capitalism, Lawmakers voting on whether TO RESTRICT THE RIGHT of shareholders to sell their own stock.
- Golf Carts, Lawmakers voting on whether TO SUBSIDIZE the production of electric vehicle batteries.
- Home Court Disadvantage, Lawmakers voting on whether TO GIVE MORE TAXING POWER to local government in Kalamazoo so it can finance a taxpayer-subsidized sports arena.
- Mandate Beer Keg Buyer’s Tags, Lawmakers voting on whether TO MANDATE beer keg buyer's tags.
- Remonumentation of State Border, Lawmakers voting on whether to appropriate funds up to $500,000 for remonumentation of the Michigan-Indiana border.
- Fire Safe Cigarettes, Lawmakers voting on whether TO BAN the sale of cigarettes that are not "fire safe."
- Commission on Spanish-Speaking Affairs, Lawmakers voting on whether TO EXPAND DUTIES of and rename government's Commission on Spanish-Speaking Affairs.
- Balancing Act, Lawmakers voting on a budget to CUT REVENUE SHARING PAYMENTS to local governments as a way to balance the state budget without raising taxes.
- Balancing Act 2, Lawmakers voting on a cut of less than 3 percent to K-12 school aid payments so as to balance the state budget without tax increases.
- A Good Tax Gone Bad?, Lawmakers voting on the Michigan Business Tax.
- It’s From the Children, Lawmakers voting on whether to RAID $90 MILLION from the Michigan Higher Education Student Loan Authority.
- Don’t Blame Canada, Lawmakers voting on whether TO BAN Canadian trash from Michigan landfills.
- Left Behind, Lawmakers voting on whether TO FINANCE "No Worker Left Behind" with a 59.9 percent increase in general fund spending in the 2009 DELEG budget.
- Politically Correct Capitalism, Lawmakers voting on whether to INCREASE SUBSIDIES for plug-in traction battery packs used in electric cars.
- Politically Correct Capitalism 2, Lawmakers voting on whether to GIVE SUBSIDIES for Michigan film production.
- Politically Correct Capitalism 3, Lawmakers voting on whether to INCREASE ELECTRIC CAR SUBSIDIES for a subsidiary of a Korean battery company.
- Grapes of Wrath, Lawmakers voting on whether TO BAN home shipment of beer and wine to Michigan consumers.
- Subsidize Manufacture of Electric Cars, Lawmakers voting on whether to authorize a refundable Michigan Business Tax credit for makers of plug-in traction battery packs used in electric cars.
- Authorize Special Tax Breaks for Ethanol Gas Stations, Lawmakers voting on whether to authorize a non-refundable Michigan Business Tax credit equal to 30 percent of the costs incurred by a gas station to convert existing pumps and tanks, or acquire new ones that deliver E85 ethanol or biodiesel fuel.
- Presidential Privileges, Lawmakers voting on whether to require state workers to either work on President's Day or take the day off as an unpaid holiday.
Committee assignments
VanWoerkom served on these committees:
- Agriculture and Bioeconomy (Chair)
- Local, Urban and State Affairs (Chair)
- Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs (Vice Chair)
- Education (Vice Chair)
- Transportation[2]
District 34
VanWoerkom represented Michigan Senate District 34. District 34 includes the Greater Muskegon region[3].
Elections
2010
VanWoerkom was not eligible for re-election under Michigan's term limits.
2006
On November 7, 2006, VanWoerkom ran for District 34 of the Michigan State Senate, beating Julie Dennis.[4]
VanWoerkom raised $573,626 for his campaign.[5]
| Michigan State Senate, District 34 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
 Gerald VanWoerkom (R)
|
52,233 | |||
| Julie Dennis (D) | 50,870 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Gerald is married to Valerie VanWoerkom. They have five and reside in Muskegon, Michigan.
External links
- Campaign Contributions: 2008, 1998
- Voting record from Michigan Votes
- Senator VanWoerkom's podcasts and commentary on iTunes
Footnotes
- ↑ List of 2010 state legislative candidates in Michigan
- ↑ "Michigan Senate" List of Standing Committees
- ↑ "Michigan Senate" Map of Senate Districts
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "Election Results - General Election - November 07, 2006," accessed May 30, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money's report on VanWoerkom's 2008 campaign contributions
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Michigan State Senate District 34 2003–January 1, 2011 |
Succeeded by Goeff Hansen |
