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Bergman makes first visit to Alpena

News Photo by Steve Schuwlitz First Congresssional District Rep. Jack Bergman talks to protesters in Alpena Wednesday. Bergman spoke at a private event Wednesday morning at Alpena Community College where about 50 people protested. He also took part in story time with preschoolers at Alpena County Library. After speaking to Bergman many of the protesters were appreciative of the fact he opened dialogue with them.

ALPENA — Congressman Jack Bergman made his first visit to Alpena Wednesday since taking his oath of office last month.

He provided an update and answered several questions at a private event at Alpena Community College, hosted by the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce.

Bergman said he arrived in Washington a few days after Christmas and moved into an apartment. He attended several events with fellow Republicans, freshmen congressmen and was elected as president of the Republican freshman class in the House. He said the responsibility has helped him to develop relationships with congressmen in the Democratic Party.

“It gives me an opportunity to work in a direct way across the aisle and to generate activity, not as a party, but as a class,” Bergman said.

Bergman said he is pleased with the committee appointments he received and looks forward to working on legislation that will benefit northern Michigan.

One committee he will sit on is the House Budget Committee. Bergman said there is a lot of waste, fraud and error in finance accounting and in order to have an accurate and effective budget those issues must cease.

“It is a fantastic opportunity because the committee is the architect of the overall budget,” he said. “In fact we intend to have two budgets this year. We hope to pass the continuing resolution in March and have a new budget later in the year.”

Bergman said there is a need for investment in many areas of government, including education, national defense and infrastructure, but a solid spending plan must be crafted first.

“Just because you have checks in the checkbook, doesn’t mean you have money in the bank,” he said. “You can’t shade the numbers and hope everything comes out in your favor.”

Bergman also is on the Veterans Affair Committee and he is excited to work to improve the VA. He said the last few years the department has been operating less than satisfactory and it is time to clean up the mess that has been festering for too long.

“One of the problems is nobody talks to one another and it has turned into a quagmire to say the least,” Bergman said.

He also was appointed to the Natural Resources Committee. He said residents, visitors and businesses in Michigan deserve and expect natural resources that are healthy and protected. Bergman said he is ready to fight to keep those assets in Michigan untarnished.

“There is no better committee for someone in the 1st Congressional to be on with the water and woods we have,” he said. “I look forward to working with the National Forest Service and everyone else to maintain an environment that is healthy for recreation, as well as right for businesses.”

Bergman said his staff is up and running and he has two offices open, one in Traverse City and the other in Marquette. He encourages people who have concerns to reach out to his staff, who will in turn forward messages to him. There also will be mobile offices that will travel through the district to address needs of residents.

“There is really no sense of having a lot of offices if they can’t be open all of the time,” Bergman said. “We will still be able to provide service to the constituents and get them the help they need. That is what they hired me for.”

Although it has been some time since he has been in Alpena, Bergman said he will be a champion for it in Washington and visit when his schedule allows.

“We will do our darndest to be here often and support efforts in Alpena,” he said. “It’s a big district and I’m still getting acclimated in Washington. When I visit everyone they will have plenty of notice so they can schedule a time to talk to me or come see me.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached via email at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter ss_alpenanews.

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