Mayville senator up for key agriculture appointment from President Trump

Tuscola County’s Sen. Mike Green could be Michigan’s next State Director for USDA Rural Development through an appointment by President Donald J. Trump.
Green, R-Mayville — who is term-limited out of office in 2018 — said he could find out about the appointment at any given moment. If appointed, he would have to leave his current position as a state senator, creating the need to hold a special election.
Green told The Advertiser he worked last year for Trump’s campaign as part of the agriculture team, and was being considered for the position of undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
However, he said, he wants to stay in Michigan, and continue to work with those in the kind of communities he has served in his home district of Tuscola, Bay, and Lapeer counties.
“When Trump was elected, I let a couple of my people know on that committee that I would be interested in the position of rural development director,” Green said.
Green said he received a “huge outpouring of support” from the state and members of the agriculture advisory committee.
If appointed, Green said it would be one of about 250 Trump will make to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
He would take over the position formerly held by Jack Turner, who was appointed in 2009.
Essentially, Green said he would be in charge of “all of the money that goes to the office of the USDA Rural Development” for Michigan.
“I keep working with my rural communities,” Green said. “I only have about a-year-and-a-half left as a state senator and my whole focus since I’ve been here has been rural issues, agriculture issues, hunting and fishing issues, and all of that relates back to rural development, and what we can do to keep building our rural communities to help them help themselves.” (Read more)

(This story originally appeared in the Feb. 15, 2017 print edition of The Tuscola County Advertiser and can be read online in its entirety here.)