Roy Schmidt is an American former politician. He served several terms as a member of the

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

City Commission, and two terms as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives representing the 76th district, which includes part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. He retired from politics after losing re-election following a change of parties and controversial campaign activities.

Career

Beginning in the late 1980s, Schmidt was active in the West Grand Neighborhood Organization, becoming a board member and later president. Schmidt served 16 years as one of two non-partisan commissioners for Grand Rapids' 1st ward, representing the city's northwest side. He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2008 as a conservative

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 ...

, and was re-elected in 2010. In 2012, after fund-raising as a Democrat, he quietly changed parties and filed to run for re-election as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, 10 minutes before the filing deadline. Meanwhile, Schmidt's son offered family friend Matt Mojzak $1000 to take Schmidt's place as the only Democratic candidate on the ballot, but not campaign. Mojzak filed, but when the scheme became public knowledge, growing scrutiny forced him to abandon his "candidacy". Schmidt won the Republican primary, but lost the general election to

Winnie Brinks Winnie Brinks (born February 17, 1968) is an American politician who has served as a member of the Michigan Senate since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Brinks assumed office as Majority Leader of the Senate on January 1, 2023; she is th ...

, who had run as a write-in Democratic candidate in response to Schmidt's change of party. Schmidt and state house speaker Jase Bolger were investigated by the Michigan State Police for potential fraud. Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth condemned the scheme as a "travesty" that should not have been allowed to happen, but no charges were filed. Schmidt subsequently apologized for his role in the scheme, saying he had made "a dumb political decision."

Personal life

Schmidt earned a BBA from Aquinas College. He and his wife Donna have three children. He is Roman Catholic. In 2016, Schmidt pleaded "no contest" to a charge of growing marijuana for sale; police had confiscated three pounds of marijuana and 71 plants at one of his two homes. He dropped his initial defense that he was acting under the state's "

medical marijuana Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions ...

" law, and admitted that he had been supplying "no more than 20" customers who were not his patients. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail and two years of probation.

References

External links

Vote Smart bio of Schmidt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, Roy Living people Members of the Michigan House of Representatives Aquinas College (Michigan) alumni Michigan Democrats Michigan Republicans Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Michigan politicians convicted of crimes