Police Officers Association Honors Hills State Rep

State Rep. Vicki Barnett (D-37th District) was recently recognized by the Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) as "Legislator of the Year" at the organization's 2011 convention.  The award was given in light of her steadfast work to protect public safety funding for local communities and as an advocate for the rights of public safety officers.

"It is an honor to receive this award from a group of people for whom I have the utmost respect," Barnett said. "These brave men and women put their lives on the line each and every day to protect us, and as a former mayor and city council member, I know firsthand how important these individuals are to a community."

"We in the Legislature have a responsibility to fully fund our cities and municipalities in order to ensure that they are safe and healthy places to live, work and raise a family," she said.

Since being elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2008, Barnett has been an outspoken advocate for protecting revenue sharing in the state budget – funding primarily used by local governments to fund police and fire services – and has fought to protect the rights of local communities to independently negotiate with their employees without state interference.

"There are so few reasonable people left in the House and Vicki Barnett is one of them," Kenneth Grabowski, Legislative Director of POAM, said. "She has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to public safety and having come from local government, she has a solid understanding of the budget restraints that communities are grappling with but also values the importance of having highly qualified individuals providing these essential services. POAM is pleased to know that there are still some elected officials who are willing to work in the best interest of the public to find common ground."