"It's a bit like drinking from a fire hose," says Huuki, a glass and collision shop owner from the Upper Peninsula, who was elected to represent the 110th District in the Michigan State Legislature in November 2010. "Luckily, I've hired a staff that is very knowledgeable and they've been in the system a fair amount of time."
Huuki and his wife Janell own Matt's Auto Glass and Body Repair in Atlantic Mine, Mich. The freshman Republican legislator originally entered the industry working at Superior Auto Glass Center as a manager, and then launched his own glass business in 2001. He added the body shop in 2005 when he purchased the business from a retiring owner.
"I saw an opportunity there to get that business rolling again, and it has worked out very well," Huuki says. The shop currently has seven employees, including Huuki and his wife.
Huuki's first foray into local politics was an unsuccessful run for county commissioner. "I think if you are in business, you're crazy if you're not involved in politics," Huuki says. "Once I realized just how much politics affects business and the bottom line, I got involved with the local Republican party."
He was actually considering easing back on his political activism when the local Republican Party approached him about a run for the statehouse.
"My wife and I discussed this over night, and the next day we decided I would run," Huuki says. "Why we're in the mess we're in, I do believe, is because a lot of good individuals that should be in office don't do it, because they feel they don't have enough time. I don't want to be that person. I felt that it's important enough, and the issues before us are important enough, that I'm willing to make that sacrifice. I wish a lot of other business owners would take that step forward also, and feel that it was important also. That's really who we need in office are individuals who know what it's like to make a payroll, what it's like to keep a balanced budget. And I truly believe in my heart of hearts, that's how government should run."
The decision to run was not an easy one, Huuki says. He had his business to think about, as well as two fairly young children at home. (Lansing is a 9-hour drive from Huuki's home.) "I was concerned about that," Huuki says. "I'd be on the road, and away from my family and my business. The guys at the shop said they'd just get a cardboard cutout of me to stand up in the shop and everything would be fine!"
He won by a margin of 4,000 votes in the election, and became part of the Republican majority in the legislature.
Huuki began his first session in office on Jan. 1, and has since received his first committee assignments. He serves as vice chair of the House Natural Resources, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee (as well as chair of the subcommittee on forestry and mining), and serves on the Banking and Financial Services, Health Policy, and Transportation committees.
The Natural Resources assignment is particularly important in his district, which is heavily reliant on tourism and timber. "There has been a resurgence of timber and mining activity in our area, and I felt it was critical to be on those committees," Huuki says.
But it is his Banking committee assignment where he might be able to do the most to help body shops and other small businesses. "There area lot of business incentives out there right now, like low interest loan guarantees, that can definitely benefit small businesses," Huuki says. "There is a fair amount that can be done to spur economic growth."
Huuki also says he hopes to work with the administration to help ease regulatory pressure on environmental issues. "That's primarily a federal issue, but we can do a fair amount here by sending out resolutions asking them to back off a bit to give owners some more breathing room, so we don't bankrupt ourselves through these regulations."
The biggest challenge facing Michigan right now, though, is its $1.4-billion budget deficit and the economic decline spurred by the recent crisis in the automotive industry, which was further exacerbated by the ongoing recession.
"I'm looking forward to helping support [Gov. Rick Snyder's] budget," Huuki says. "It's a tough budget, but it's extremely important for business that government is fiscally responsible. Businesses need to have confidence that they are not considered a cash cow that can be endlessly milked."
His first sponsored bill left committee in February (that measure was designed to help adjust a development authority bond in Houghton, Mich.); he has since put his name on a bill that allows local school districts to combine their superintendent posts.
With Huuki in Lansing, his wife and employees have been handling the collision shop. "I try to keep tabs and check in, so I can keep up to date with what's happening," Huuki says. "I'm really leaning on my wife and my crew."
