Lesia Batschynsky Liss (born August 11, 1966) is an American politician from the state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. In 2008, she was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

Michigan State House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 U ...

. Prior to serving in the legislature, Liss was an emergency department nurse for 22 years. She was married to former Warren City Councilman Mark Liss.

Biography

Lesia Batschynsky was born on August 11, 1966, to Marta and George Batschynsky, a Ukrainian immigrant, in

Hamtramck, Michigan Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of ...

. In 1971, Lesia, her parents, and her brother Roman Batschynsky moved to

Warren, Michigan Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 Census places the city's population at 139,387, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb. T ...

, where Lesia has lived ever since. She attended South Elementary and Butcher Junior High, both in Warren. In 1984, Batschynsky graduated from Charles S. Mott High School. She went on to receive her associate degree in Nursing from

Henry Ford Community College Henry Ford College (HFC) is a public community college in Dearborn, Michigan. The institution, established in 1938 by the Dearborn Fordson Public Schools Board of Education, is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The institution was ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

in 1995. In 2007 she earned a bachelor's degree in Hispanic Studies from The

University of Michigan-Dearborn A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. Liss worked as a Registered Emergency Room Nurse in the Henry Ford Health System. Lesia met the man who became her now former husband, Mark Liss, in 1992, and married in August 1993. In 2007 Mark was elected to his first term to the Warren City Council. Both Lesia and Mark are of Ukrainian descent and are active in the Ukrainian Community. Liss is fluent in Ukrainian, Spanish, and English. She is

Ukrainian Orthodox The history of Christianity in Ukraine dates back to the earliest centuries of the history of Christianity, to the Apostolic Age, with mission trips along the Black Sea and a legend of Saint Andrew even ascending the hills of Kyiv. The first C ...

and attends St. Mary the Protectress Church in

Southfield, Michigan Southfield is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,618. As a northern suburb of Detroit, Southfield shares part of its southern border with Detroit. The city was original ...

Political career

Lesia Liss was involved in supporting her then husband Mark's successful campaign for Warren City Council in 2007. The same year, she announced her intention to seek the 28th State House District, located in South-Western

Macomb County Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, making it the third-most populous co ...

and including about two-thirds of the city of

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

and all of the city of Center Line. It was being vacated by Democratic incumbent Lisa Wojno, who was barred from running for re-election because of term-limits. Liss faced seven other Democrats in the primary. She won by a fairly large margin on election day, carrying about 31.3% of the vote. Her nearest opponent received only about 22.2%. In the general election she faced Republican Jason Balaska. The 28th District is one of the most Democratic districts in Macomb County. Democrats usually dominate in this district. Liss defeated Balaska on election day by a margin of 70.5%-29.5%. She took office on January 1, 2009. She sat on the Family and Children Services, Health Policy, Labor, Military and Veteran Affairs and Homeland Security, and Government Operations (vice chair) Committees.

Electoral history

* 2008 campaign for State House ** Lesia Liss (D), 70% ** Jason Balaska (R), 30% * 2008 campaign for State House, Democratic Primary ** Lesia Liss (D), 31% ** Gloria Sankuer (D), 22% ** John Vostoris (D), 17% ** Terry Wisniewski (D), 10% ** Marlon Brown (D), 8% ** Roy Gillette (D), 5% ** Paul Clark (D), 4% ** Alan Shepperd (D), 3%

References

External links

Official Website

House Democrats Website

Detroit News Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liss, Lesia Living people Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives 1966 births Henry Ford Community College alumni People from Warren, Michigan University of Michigan–Dearborn alumni Women state legislators in Michigan American people of Ukrainian descent People from Hamtramck, Michigan 21st-century American women