Potts, Lawrence will square off in GOP primary race

An article by Kirk Pinho    No Comments

Robert Lawrence is looking to make the jump from the Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education to the state House of Representatives.

The Birmingham school board’s current treasurer, who was first elected to the board in 2003, is running as a Republican in the new 40th state House of Representatives District that includes the eastern portion of West Bloomfield Township, in addition to Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills.

A former commercial banker and current owner of a consulting and real estate development business, Lawrence’s entry into the Republican primary fray means that the Aug. 7 race will be a contest between at least him and Oakland County Commissioner David Potts (R-Birmingham), who announced last month that he is also seeking to represent the new district.

“I think this is a critical time for our state, especially as it relates to education and how we move the business of the state forward,” said Lawrence, who filed candidacy paperwork last week.

He said his nine years on the Birmingham school board and “guiding this district through some of our tough financial times” has lead him to want to bring that experience to Lansing.

While he said that the GOP-controlled state Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder, also a Republican, have done “many things at the state level that will benefit education in the long-run,” he added that some of the proposals related to how the state’s children are taught “just aren’t well thought-out and they are going to have detrimental impacts.”

He cited, specifically, a proposal — Senate Bill 619 — that would do away with a cap on the number of online public cyber schools, as well as the limit on the number of students that can be enrolled in such a school. Under that bill, restrictions on the organizations or entities that run those cyber schools would also be reduced.

Lawrence said a date hasn’t been set for a formal announcement of his campaign for the state House.

The filing deadline for candidates is May 15.

State representatives serve two-year terms and are currently paid $79,650 per year.