People Over Politics

Blueprints For A Better Michigan

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Momentum is only as good as what we do with it. We take a hard look at how Michigan turns recent wins into measurable change you can actually feel—on the road, in the classroom, and at the clinic. No bumper stickers here; we talk candidly about competence, transparency, and why laws and budgets fail when they’re built for politics instead of people.

We start with the stakes for 2026 and a reality check on the $80B state budget: if you don’t feel $80B worth of outcomes in your daily life, something’s off. That leads to a concrete reform list, beginning with FOIA for the legislature so residents, journalists, and even students can verify who’s influencing what and where tax dollars go. We unpack how a legislature light on legal expertise produces weaker statutes and a justice system that doesn’t serve communities well—and why adding real subject-matter competence can lift everything from public safety to economic development.

From there, we drill into priorities that change lives. Roads and infrastructure need recurring investment tied to clear milestones, not seasonal scramble. Education is framed as the highest return in public spending: better teacher pay, stronger support staff, modern curriculum, and direct pathways to skilled trades, nursing, clean energy, software, and advanced manufacturing. On healthcare, we make the case for treating access as a right and cutting middlemen that inflate costs between patients and providers. The goal: universal coverage that reduces waste, improves primary care, and keeps families from choosing between a doctor’s visit and the week’s groceries.

We also welcome a competitive primary as a proving ground for ideas, not a demolition derby. Authenticity and competence guide the campaign: show up in coffee shops and town halls, keep promises, and measure results the public can audit. If you want government that works like a job you hired it to do, this conversation is your roadmap. Subscribe, share with a friend who cares about Michigan’s future, and leave a review with the single reform you’d prioritize first.

Jamie Flanagan: 0:00

All right. Welcome to another episode of People Over Politics. And we're diving in. We're getting ready for the the election. The election cycles never end, really. It's uh they go and go and go. There's always elections going on, but we're looking ahead to some elections coming up in in 2026 and trying to share some messages and get some ideas out there. And uh Red and Shy, uh, we're gonna talk a little bit about uh the ideas you have for this uh for these election cycles coming up and uh what's coming up for 26 and your mission. So we're gonna talk about all those things. We're gonna look at things that just kind of recently happened. We saw a bit of a blue wave take over during this current cycle. Uh, it includes elections for Democratic Party in Virginia, Abigail Spanberger, first female governor in the state history. That's kind of cool, right? Uh, and then New York City, that's been all over the news. It's like crazy, crazy, crazy. I was kind of surprised. Were you surprised by the results and and Mandami winning in in New York?

Ren Nushaj: 0:59

I I thank you so much for having me again. Yeah, oh yeah, thank you so much. This is fantastic, obviously, and thank you for taking the time. Yeah, I was I was both, you know, you know, pleasantly surprised, and then uh in in certain respect respects, it was uh it felt as if it was somehow inevitable at the same time. And such is the nature of politics. I think when we uh depending on the outcome uh during the campaign, one thinks uh uh we're gonna do whatever we're gonna do in order to win, and and and of course that's the nature of our politics, but then at the end, uh depending on the outcome, if one wins, everything that they did was pure genius, and yeah, one loses, everything they did was idiotic, right? Right. So in this case, everything that you know all these politicians did over the course was genius.

Jamie Flanagan: 1:42

Yeah, I I I really didn't see him winning, and then as it started to unfold, I'm like, wow, he's he's probably gonna win this thing. It's like it just it seemed like the atmosphere wasn't right for him, and then it came through. And that's been part of that blue wave, which is kind of taken over in this last cycle. So, what are your thoughts? Is this gonna continue through the midterms of of 2026?

Ren Nushaj: 2:03

Potentially, uh, I I think I take the approach that ultimately it depends on what they do with this or what we do with uh with these wins, cycles, political cycles being what they are, uh from time to time the Democrats are gonna win, and then at other times the Republicans are gonna win, and we're gonna do this trade-off that democracy is well known and and we're all grateful for. Um, but ultimately, if we want to increase the cycle and we want to make sure that we, you know, we see wins again and again, well, we have to do the work for it. So it's not sufficient to simply win hearts and minds over the course of one political uh uh election cycle. Uh we have to do the work once you are in government and running the government now. So, how do you personally plan to focus your efforts to you know keep this blue wave going? Yeah, I I I think we have to do the work, and it it's not just sufficient again to simply run and talk to all the people we need to talk to. I I take the approach that uh uh we have to do much more than that. I take the approach that uh uh ultimately every election is about talking to your community, representing your community. And I I I I sometimes think, and not sometimes think, but I believe that if I were to be able to have a conversation with every single resident voter of my district, well, I'd win that election because I think I would be able to speak to them. I'd be able to relay my ideas, my my my strengths, my weaknesses, whatever they may be. Um, and I'd be able to speak to the things that are important to them and carry the day. In the absence of that, we have to do work, you know, this level work, try to get as many people as possible and and and showcase both, you know, things that I've done personally in the past to show what who I am, what my character and personality is, what my strengths are, and how they would fit with respect to this particular role that uh I'm signing up for, uh, and how uh it would benefit the people of my community. Yeah. That's the work that we have to do.

Jamie Flanagan: 4:05

I love community. I love the idea of community and building community. Uh I'm a little on the outside of uh of politics. I'm not super deep into the politics, but community uh is is is very important. Well, I think that makes two of us.

Ren Nushaj: 4:18

Yeah, I don't, I've never run for office before. Okay. And I didn't sign up to run for office because I needed another notch in my lapel. Far from it. At the end of the day, uh the people of the state of Michigan pay their legislators, uh uh, state senators, such as the one, the position that I'm running for, uh, $70,000 a year. Um, as an attorney of 15 years, I I must say I fare better than that in my daily life. And and it was never, to me, it was never an idea about, you know, let's let's get another position or you know, let's get the next best thing. I looked at my community and I saw, you know, a series of of shortcomings that we have.

Speaker 2: 4:59

Yeah.

Ren Nushaj: 5:00

And and and based on my analysis, I thought that this particular position, state senate, is where I would do someone like me, an attorney, a member of this community, would do the most good. I see a shortcoming when it comes to the connection between local politics and state politics. Our uh Michigan State Senate has 38 senators, okay. One attorney serving there right now. Well, okay. All right, it has 110 state representatives, three attorneys serving.

Jamie Flanagan: 5:27

Wow, that's yeah, it's that's that's a stark number. In Washington, there's a lot more.

Ren Nushaj: 5:32

Of course, there's a bigger number of uh and I'm not sure that that is necessarily a great thing either. Yeah, there has to be a balance between you know, you know, attorneys serving in the legislature, which after all the term comes from Latin. It says legislaw and le tour to pass, right? To pass laws, and the quality of the laws that we pass is commensurate with the quality of the individuals that we send. And I think that balanced approach always makes more sense.

Jamie Flanagan: 5:56

Yeah. So you talked about wanting to uh uh if you could knock on each door. How big is the constituency that that you're gonna be representing to me? Just ballpark E. Do you know?

Ren Nushaj: 6:07

So District 9 is uh several cities, right? It's Troy, Rochester, Rochester Hills, and then includes uh Sterling Heights from DeQuinder to Van Dyke, 14 mile, all the way through Utica, and then a few neighbor neighborhoods in Oakland and Shelby Township. Total about 260,000 people live there. Okay, that's a lot of doors to knock. That's a lot of doors to knock, yes. So I ideally, if you could, again, you know, you you arguably you would succeed, but uh it would be impossible.

Jamie Flanagan: 6:32

Because I've had some uh some local politicians uh come to my house, right? And and I think it might be because I live on a main road and they want to put a sign on my lawn. I think they're kissing up a little bit because I'm running out of main street. Would you mind putting a sign out there too? I'm like, okay, sure, buddy. Strategic if nothing else. But uh, but no, but I I enjoyed when they when they came behind. Absolutely.

Ren Nushaj: 6:55

And you know, truth be told, personally, and I think a lot of people have this the the run for office have this quality. Obviously, you would do you wouldn't do great if you didn't enjoy talking to people. And obviously, I enjoy, and as an attorney, I think that that goes to that as well. I enjoy speaking to people, I enjoy talking to my to to you know to my friends and neighbors in the community, basically.

Jamie Flanagan: 7:17

And that's and that's the case, again, it's community. Absolutely. So we were talking about the ebb and flow and the political cycles and and and and winning and losing, and don't get caught on the wrong side of that line. Uh, but uh so it if a different political party uh wins more of the majority while and and you get in, sure, um, how are you gonna how are you gonna find be effective uh in that situation? Maybe that's an exceptional question.

Ren Nushaj: 7:44

It's an exceptional question. And you know, it's true, and that is precisely the shortcoming that I was speaking about earlier that we have with respect to both our state senate and our state uh uh uh uh house and the legislature as a whole, uh sometimes uh um some something is a simple truism, which is attorneys have to make do in a system regardless of the rules being uh uh craft against their particular point of view. And after 15 years of uh uh uh representing members of my community uh as uh as an attorney, as well as representing I work as a prosecutor as well, uh advising and representing a municipality. Okay, uh you you learn to operate within a system, which is after all what lawyers do, operate within a system regardless of the rules and be able to reach out, sometimes across the aisle, sometimes within your own party, to make basically to reach to make the compromises and reach the conclusions that your community needs. At the end of the day, those the benefits that we seek as a community are uh they're not assigned a party color or banner by any stretch of the imagination. The things we need, we need them regardless of whether you're a Democrat or Republican, right? We need education regardless of party. We need healthcare, we need roads and infrastructure regardless of party. And I think my work as an attorney for the last 15 years, as uh an activist in my community for all my adult life has worked to conspire to exactly that, to attempt to accomplish what we need to accomplish for our community.

Jamie Flanagan: 9:18

I keep coming back to community and and and and I like that. I like that. And then the it's way the way I look at politics, it's it's because we hire you for a job, right? And it's like I I get a little frustrated with Washington, especially because things get such a quagmire. And it's like I hired you to go do a job. Yes, set the partisan garbage aside. I mean, you can that could be your platform and that can be what you represent, but now that you're there, get to work and do the job I high higher I hired you to do, and or I might fire you.

Ren Nushaj: 9:52

And that's and beyond that, the job that we begged for, right? We ultimately begged for this job to be able to represent you know our communities, and and I couldn't agree more.

Jamie Flanagan: 10:03

So that sets up the next question I was gonna ask because people I'm gonna fight, I'm gonna fight for you, and uh working hard. And so what's you what sets you apart uh from all those other politicians who are out there fighting for you, working hard, and it's those cliches, but what does that really mean?

Ren Nushaj: 10:19

Ah, I I'm so glad that you use that term. Those are absolutely that's exactly what it is, they're cliches. Um, as an attorney, all right, by definition, everywhere I go in every court of law that I enter to every day, and I'm in court every day, um, I constantly deal with people opposing my desired outcome. Right. So every day is a fight because I'm fighting for again for clients, I'm fighting for uh uh my, you know, the municipality that I represent as a prosecutor, I'm fighting against someone else who seeks the exact opposite of what I want. And so when I hear politicians talk about, I'm a fighter, I'm this, I'm that, and then I start looking at what they do, and then I and I see as backgrounds, I don't know, accountants, and nothing wrong with accountants, of course. But I see accountants, I see, I don't know, diplomat, I see whatever. And I wonder, like, well, what in your daily life causes you to fight? I don't I don't understand it. It's cliches. I think what sets me apart is precisely that understanding, having done it, right? Doing it every day of my life as part of my as my profession, as part of my job daily. I think it gives me an understanding and appreciation for the fact that sometimes outcomes that are needed for us are not the result of a fight, right? They're a result of compromise, they're a result of being competent at the job that you need to do. One of the things that I look at, for example, when it when it comes to our legislature, is the quality of our laws, being an attorney myself. And the quality of our laws is abysmal. The quality of justice in the state of Michigan is abysmal. It is abysmal because it it we couldn't presume to have anything else when you have one attorney out of 38 members of the Michigan Senate. Yeah you are not going to get there's there's a judiciary committee, for example, in the Michigan State Senate, right? Which I presume is comprised of one attorney of seven others, right? Right, which are crafting the rules for the kind of judges that you're gonna get, the kind of justice that you're going to receive when you if and when you show up to court. Right. We could all presume that the the quality of those rules are not perhaps the greatest.

Jamie Flanagan: 12:22

Yeah. Um, all right, so power power of positive thinking, absolutely when you get elected, yes, sir. What is your plan for like 30, 90, 60, 90 days?

Ren Nushaj: 12:32

So when you get elected, I I I think you know, I I think there's we have some shortcomings in our legislature. We have some shortcomings that we are experiencing as a community, and and and they're numerous and perhaps too numerous to go into, but there are some basic things that we need, you know, sort of day one. One of the things that, you know, and and this is in the order of importance, perhaps is not the most important, but uh is this we need our legislature to be subject to the Freedom of Information Act, right? And here's why it's important. On the one hand, you think we're like, oh, what you know, so what they they don't release their information, they don't, you know, we don't have the ability to find out what's happening in the legislature, sort of the background. Well, I I think about it in these terms, and this is why I think it's important to me. If you were doing the work of the people of the state of Michigan, the work necessary on behalf of our community, and you were doing it right, you would want nothing more than to showcase it to the world. You'd want to go on top of the mountain on that mountaintop and scream into the world and say, This is what I did, and this is how I did it. The only reason to want to sort of hide the backdrop, the background of the work that you do is if there is indeed something to hide. Right. We can and must do better. And I think if we fix that one item, the rest is gonna follow. We're gonna have better government in Michigan if we do this. So I think that you know, if if we're talking about the first 30 days, uh you know, and that would be true for 30, 60, and 90, right, as far as I'm concerned, because I imagine is you know work in changing hearts and minds also within the legislature, which sometimes can be rather recalcitrant and and does not necessarily wish to react and engage in this kind of thinking, but I think it's necessary beyond that. Obviously, investing, investing in Michigan, investing in the people of the state of Michigan is critical. And I think that's uh uh um we are either going to do that or we're gonna see our our own failures materialize as a result.

Jamie Flanagan: 14:31

But people don't always understand that they have a right to that information. Um so I teach journalism in high school, and so that's one of the when my kids, one of the things that get my gets my kids really excited is when they realize it's like, what they have to tell me these things, and I'm like, yeah. And uh there's uh the student press law center, SPLC, and they have they do great work for uh supporting student journalism and freedom of information, and it's really cool. And it because if a kid's trying to get some information from the school district or from the city, they can go to the the website and it creates a FOIA letter for them, a freedom of information, and it's great. We do it as an exercise in class and we create things. And I've had kids, you know, when because the especially a student journalist walking in wanting some information, and they're like, No, we you're not gonna give you that. And they're like, No, you kind of have to, and they're like, No, we don't, and they're like, All right, I'll be back. Hey, Miss Flanagan, help me do this FOIA letter, and then they take it in and they're like, It's very it's it's a great thing. Uh, and they get very excited about well, this is uh we pay for this information, it's ours, and we have the the right to do it. It's it's it's uh I think it's an important it's open government, we've gotta have it.

Ren Nushaj: 15:41

And I think if if we every municipality, every city that you live in has that same obligation, right? And they provide this information just as you outlined. There's no reason why the governor and the legislature in Michigan shouldn't do the same shouldn't do the same.

Jamie Flanagan: 15:57

Let's switch the economy, let's talk a little bit about uh the economy, day-to-day changes in federal government. It's like, oh uh leaving some Michiganders wondering how it's going to impact their their daily lives, right? So things happening on a federal level really uh impacting lives. Some people, you know, taking kids to Disney World as promised, and other people just getting food on their tables or buying a first home. The it's it the scope of this is it it's it's it's deeply it's deeply wise. What what's your thoughts on the on the the budget passed in the the the state senate lately?

Ren Nushaj: 16:31

Sure. Uh thank you for that, Jamie. It was uh uh it was a long time coming, obviously. The budget was passed entirely too late and blew through every deadline known to mankind at the end of it, left everyone wondering why, because you know there was no need for it at all, uh other than it was just politics at perhaps at its worst. Um ultimately the budget pass was going to be it was a budget that was not too dissimilar to what I imagine they attempted to do from the get-go. So there was really no justification for it. There were things that were good, right? There were investments, you know, additional investments in roads, there were additional investments in education, uh, and trying to make up for some of those shortcomings in healthcare that we're seeing and experiencing that all our members of our community are seen and experiencing from uh uh the the cuts in the federal budget. Um, and but then again, you know one wonders whether that is enough. Um there's always going to be a detriment when we attempt at the state level to plug holes that we otherwise should have had uh completely accounted for at the federal budget level. Um and I think that in and of itself uh um created an issue with our budget. Uh this is not obviously uh it's not a small thing. Our budget is over $80 billion uh uh for the state of Michigan. And I always uh to answer your question, I always, you know, I always pose this question with everybody that that I talk to. Like, does it feel as if we live in a place that spends $80 billion on itself every year? Because the numbers are phenomenal. The numbers are phenomenal. It's it's unbelievable how much money we spend. Absolutely, but think about the outcomes, right? Think about the outcomes at a community level. And we're fortunate to live in the metropolitan area in Detroit, right? And most of the money in this great state, most of the taxes paid come from the metropolitan area, right? Yeah, this is where most of the businesses, this is where you know a huge chunk of the population of the state lives in a concentrated area. And and and this is obviously where all the infrastructure takes a hit, where uh um all the dollars go to our uh seniors, uh, because we have over three million in just the tri-county area alone, right? So at the end of the day, when you start asking the question, you know, are we does it feel as if we live in a place that spends over 80 billion dollars every year on itself? I think the question, the answer that the average you know, person gives is probably not. It doesn't feel that way. And I think that's ultimately the shortcoming. We can and must do better. Uh uh, first of all, to play games with our budget the way that you know our uh state senate and the legislature, you know, the legislature overhaul. And of course, this is not every senator and every uh uh legislator in Michigan, far from it, but the leadership on the other side of the aisle played games with it, and the outcome uh uh uh at the end of the day was something that did not help the community, did not help our community. Take it back to the individual.

Jamie Flanagan: 19:32

So, how how does a state 80 billion thing how's that translate to making an individual who's maybe having a hard time getting food on the table? How's that how's that help ease their situation?

Ren Nushaj: 19:45

I'm not sure that our budget does necessarily. I mean, that's that's a short answer, or their concerns at least. Well, absolutely, not far from it. And I think we're experiencing and and we don't live in a vacuum, right? You know, the the state budget, federal budget, local budgets are all work in tandem. At the local level, you know, we live in these cities, right? We live in you and I live in Troy, we live in Rochester, Rochester Hills, we live in Sterling Heights, we live in Senate District 9, right? All you know, you know, all of us. And at the end of the day, right, if we have money that is not going to our roads, but they're going to other fringe uh uh uh uh Senate beneficiaries uh uh and legislature beneficiaries, uh, that's money out of our, you know, that money that is not going to go to improving our lives, right? But the programs that you're cutting in order to plug holes from the federal budget are programs that are impacting our community at an individual level. And and I think that goes all throughout programs that say, you know, if we're all of a sudden fighting for uh uh um you know school uh meals for kids who don't have the ability or who are going to school hungry, which is absurd to hear and think in the richest, wealthiest nation in the history of mankind, uh I think that but for us to be able to talk about that in 2025 and to be able to carry this conversation uh is absurd. I mean, the reality of it is again, we can and must do better. There's no reason why our in our focus shouldn't be the people of the state of Michigan, the people of our community and improving their daily lives in every which way, so that they feel that the budget that this great state spends on itself every year is one that benefits them individually.

Jamie Flanagan: 21:27

So looking at that budget that they came out with and and and how they're spending the money, do you think they made some good choices? And how is it impacting Michiganders? And then second part of that is is there something you would prior prioritize differently than that's in there?

Ren Nushaj: 21:42

Absolutely. There were uh I I I was pleased to see, even though uh I was pleased to see that there was investment in roads and infrastructure, for example, that was increased investment there.

Jamie Flanagan: 21:52

Fix the blank roads, precisely absolutely necessary.

Ren Nushaj: 21:56

Does not bode well for us during the summertime, summertime months, but you know, uh you know it's actually chasing her around. That's right, that's right. But but ultimately it's something we need. So in that sense, you know, is great. Uh, I also was pleased to see again you know, some you know, maintaining stability uh uh uh when it came to uh education, uh um the educational budget. Uh and if I right precise teacher, precisely, and if I if you were to ask me what you would do differently or the same but improve upon, that that's exactly who it would be investment in education, critical. If we invest in education, you know, there's not uh a dollar amount that is too much when it comes to that, in my humble opinion. The reason is again, uh we're investing not just in education, we're investing in the future. You're investing in future jobs, you're investing in your community, you're investing in your in the youth, you're investing in your future economy. And if we're if our approach is we're gonna fight for the jobs of yesteryear, uh uh, and that's your economic approach to you know the the future of the state of Michigan, uh we're bound to lose. We're not gonna benefit. There's a good reason why we no longer have those steam jobs, steam engine jobs around here. It's because they've moved on and we we don't want them back either.

Speaker 2: 23:16

Yeah.

Ren Nushaj: 23:16

What we need to do is invest in the future, and the only way to do that is to pour money into education, pour money into our teachers, pour money into our uh kids, pour you know, in every aspect of education.

Jamie Flanagan: 23:28

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's it's uh living in it. Yes. Um, it's people say education, and people think, oh, what we're it's like what we're paying teachers, but there's so much, so so little of it goes to the teachers, trust me. Uh so much of it is is supporting these kids because their parents are working so hard. Absolutely, absolutely. And and sometimes a lot of things fall into the school that used to fall into home because the parents are working so hard to make ends meet. It's it's it's interesting. So I'm I'm glad that uh education and the money heading in that direction is a priority for you.

Ren Nushaj: 24:00

Number one, and with a lot of empty spots, selfish teacher guy here, you know. It's not we should be all selfish that way, actually, when it comes to it. And and I think, and to your point about teachers, you're absolutely right. And I know you live it every day. Teachers, in my humble opinion, are not paid enough. If we value education, yeah, if we truly value education, if we truly value the outcome of education, which again is our future, then there can be there, there can not be enough money that we pour into it and every aspect of it, right? And teachers are the number one uh uh uh sort of component giving meaning to that entire scheme. Yeah.

Jamie Flanagan: 24:36

Yeah. Well, let's talk a little bit about healthcare, right? Because that's another like really big concern and in the whole idea of of taking peak care of people, making sure people are are taking care of a lot of people, a lot of instability, increases in premiums. It's it's it's a it's a tough haul for folks. Um but is healthcare a right?

Ren Nushaj: 24:58

Is it oh absolutely absolutely so I you know and to go very slightly back, yeah, I believe that government's only role is to improve the lives of its people. Okay, above and beyond that, you know, everything else follows. When you believe that government's role is to improve the lives of its people, by definition, one believes, as I do, that healthcare is a human right, right? You by definition also believe that uh um once you believe that healthcare is a human right, that we have to have universal health care for every man, woman, and child in this great state of ours. And there is absolutely no reason why, again, in 2025, in the wealthiest nation in the history of mankind, we cannot provide for such in this great state. There is no reason in my mind why the benefits of that portion of that $80 billion budget that we were speaking of just a moment ago, why the benefits of that budget should go to insurance companies. I don't understand that at all. We don't need middleman between our, you know, between us and our doctors and our healthcare providers. Okay. We don't need that. What we do need is universal health care for every man, woman, and child. Okay. If you elect me, and when I'm elected, yeah, power positivity, all right, I will work every day to get us precisely that. And every proposal that comes my way, which stands in contradiction to that, I will fight against. Every proposal that furthers us and gets us closer to that ultimate goal, I will work diligently for.

Jamie Flanagan: 26:41

So is that your proposal for bringing down healthcare costs? Is trying to cut out the middleman? Absolutely. Is that uh I think that goes to the plan stand?

Ren Nushaj: 26:49

If that is the plan stand. And and I think it makes sense. Yeah, ultimately, uh, there is no reason why we should have middlemen. Right. But at the end of the day, you know, there's a million professionals out there offering solutions to this issue. The only missing component is a legislature unwilling to take up the issue, a legislature unwilling to look at all the options they have before them. And I'm giving you the larger sort of, you know, the notion behind my beliefs, yeah, but the practical aspects of it, there could be a thousand solutions unless we're willing to look at all those solutions and provide and pick what works best for the people of the state of Michigan. Yeah, we're gonna get nowhere. We're gonna have this situation going forward. It's like Quagmire.

Jamie Flanagan: 27:36

It's like I'm hiring you to do a job. Yes, do it, get it done. Let's let's get something done. And that's uh sometimes easier said than done. Done. It is, it is.

Ren Nushaj: 27:47

But you know, again, that's why we beg for the jobs, right? As politicians, and you know, that's why the average politician is out there, you know, knocking on those doors, trying to have all the conversations that we're attempting to have with every member of our community, trying to put all our signs onto your lawn, right? Right, you know, to be able to tell the world that yes, you know, if and when elected, I'm the right guy for the job, right? I'm the right man, woman for the job. And if you elect me, I'm gonna come up with I not only do I know the problems that ail this community, but I also know and can provide the solutions. If we're not doing that, then what's the point? That's why I'm running, because I look at what the average politician around our community has done for the previous four, eight, twelve, however many decades. Yeah, and and we haven't seen market improvement in our you know uh in our uh a status quo, right? Far from it. And I think more is needed, and I think we can and must do better.

Jamie Flanagan: 28:40

All right, I like it, I like it. So uh the primary, right? So now there's gonna be a primary because uh Oakland County Commissioner Brendan Johnson announced he's gonna be running as a Democrat. Yes, district nine, that's the one you want, right? Yes, so now there's gonna be a primary. Uh, what's your thoughts on on this? I you know, we I welcome this Brendan Johnson character, very nice guy, very nice guy, very nice guy.

Ren Nushaj: 29:04

Uh or Brendan Johnson uh uh is running, and yes, we're gonna have a primary. I uh am of the opinion that primaries at the end of the day make us better candidates. Sure, make us better candidates and and force us to articulate all our beliefs ahead of time, as opposed to having that carefully crafted uh uh a series of statements for purpose purposes of a general election, right? Uh we uh need to win on two very different fronts now, right? We both need to articulate to our democratic base what we stand for, who we are, and how what we've done informs the electorate to say that to think that we are the right person for the job, both to win at the general election, but then deliver at the end thereafter. But then also, again, focusing on the general election, we have to do so. We have to run the primary in such a fashion to where our ideas are not counterintuitive and They don't work to our detriment with respect to the general election. That's a fine balance, which if it isn't just that, if it isn't just a balance, right? But if it is who you are, authentic to yourself and your ideas are true and you're true to them, we should be able to do just fine. If not, then the uh the opposite is obviously true. So I'm of the opinion that if, and this is true of us all, right? Both you know, Mr. Johnson and myself and Mr. Webber on the other side of the aisle, if we are as smart as we believe we are, if we are as capable as we believe we are, if our ideas are as great as we think they are, yeah, then the results should follow. And if the results don't follow, something was amiss. Yeah. Right. So I think the people of this great state and of this community, Center District 9, are going to make the right choice. And I think ultimately it turns on competence. So I believe my competitors on both, you know, on both sides of the aisle, I think have some accounting to do because they've been in office. And and for those of us that do pay attention when we look at their time in office, uh, it is less than grand. Uh, and the outcomes are less than grand, which is why if we were to ask that cliche of a question, which is is your life better today as a result of their time in office than it was four years ago? I think we'd all answer it a certain way. What have you done for me lately? Well, what have you done for me? That was question number one in explaining contract law from one of my professors in law school. Oh, yeah. You know, like, what have you done for me lately? And and I think the answer with respect to both of my competitors is again less than grand. That's why I'm running. Okay. I didn't need to, you know, un you know, sort of, you know, uh uh blow up my private practice and and everything that I do over my daily life uh uh for that 70 grand that we were talking about just earlier. I'm doing it and I'm running because I see your shortcoming, I see a lot of shortcomings, and I believe I'm the person to be able to answer you know the needs of my community and better address them in the future.

Jamie Flanagan: 31:55

All right. All right, it might be time for uh uh a fashion show here. Yeah. I'm gonna we're gonna talk about the talk about the bear. All right. I might have to have you stand up and you got a superman that and uh a little bit about the the bear. So uh I'm looking at this bear. Um, it's your campaign logo.

Ren Nushaj: 32:13

Well, you know, sort of the sort of someone talk to me about the bear. So I'm the proud father, uh proud dad to two uh twin nine-year-old girls. All right, and uh uh and and they are of course fantastic, and of course, at nine years old, they have their own ideas of everything. And and to them, because I'm and of course I don't know anybody can tell, but I'm 6'5 and 200 and maybe 30 million pounds, and I'm bald, and I always have this, you know, I have to make up for my you know lack of hair up top with this grisly beard, right? And so to them, I'm like a bear, and they constantly they constantly talk about it. And and some you know, recently they they said what they conspired with my wife, uh, and they said, Dad, we're getting your shirt and you have to wear it at your next event. And they didn't tell me what the shirt was, and and I said, of course, of course, they had me agree to it ahead of time. So I did, sure. And so this is me keeping my promise. The shirt came yesterday, and here I am today, you know, like you know, with it is the bear and and it has my our logo, and and and I'm ready. So, yeah, just like I'm keeping the promises of them, I'll keep the promises of this community as well.

Jamie Flanagan: 33:14

So I'm ready. So, talking about the community and and knocking on the doors and meeting people, how can people you know connect with you? And and if they wanted to meet you, uh are there events and things? Are you doing coffee at the local coffee? What do you do?

Ren Nushaj: 33:28

How do you how are you connecting with people? Thank you, Saw. Yeah, thank you. Everywhere, obviously, we're we're I'm constantly everywhere and constantly trying to meet everyone wherever they're at. They don't even have to come to me. I'm happy to go to them, whatever it is. So we're doing a lot of events. Uh obviously, there's you know, some events are uh necessary components of the campaign, which are fundraisers and things things of this nature. Uh, we're having one coming up in a in a week or so. But then above and beyond that, you're right. Every coffee shop uh uh in in this you know in these cities, uh you will find me there. Yeah, yeah. Um I'll I'll you know look for the guy with the bear. When look for the guy with the bear, usually like you know, suit and tie. Uh um we uh uh and I'm uh uh every uh every town hall, the every year for we're there. And okay, you know, so we and most importantly, again, I'm willing to come talk to you whomever you are, wherever you are. Okay, and if anybody can they email you? Is there a website? Of course, and we have all that, right? We have a website, rent for mysena.com, okay, and then we have you know, we're you know, social media presence, both Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, the whole nine yards, um, and all the information. We we constantly mod monitor all our communications to be able to answer people's questions, and it's been great so far. We you know the feedback has been wonderful how this community, I think, shows, and and if if this campaign has shown anything to me, at least is that there's been a yearning in our community for actual conversations, and we no longer want to simply pick people uh um like my comp my uh opponents on on both sides, which have been in office and simply uh are raising their hand and saying, Well, we were here in office for four years, and well, we didn't do anything much for four years, but now we want position B and we want to continue not to do much.

Jamie Flanagan: 35:10

But no, I'm really gonna do it this time, I swear.

Ren Nushaj: 35:14

I think we are here, I think if I if I if I have one uh uh uh uh one thing that pleases me the most is when I notice that our community seems to want to be more discerning about whom we elect. Yeah, and I think competency in delivering the tasks that you're promising to deliver is something that is important to them. And I think I I I couldn't be more more pleased. There you go.

Jamie Flanagan: 35:39

All right, so um hit the website, hit the socials, uh, we'll sit down and talk some more. Ren, thank you for uh sharing a coffee this morning and uh diving into diving into these issues. Thank you so much, Amy.

Ren Nushaj: 35:52

This has been just a great fun, great pleasure.

Jamie Flanagan: 35:55

Thank you so much.

Ren Nushaj: 35:55

All right, we'll do it again.

Jamie Flanagan: 35:56

Sounds good very soon.