Dale W. Zorn (born December 31, 1953) is an American politician. He is currently serving in the Michigan Senate for the 17th district, having previously served 4 years in the Michigan House of Representatives, 20 years on the Monroe County Board of Commissioners (including 4 years as chairman from 1996 to 2000), 6 years as a Raisinville Township trustee, and 4 years as a township constable. He is a member of the Republican Party. Zorn's family is the owner of an automotive business, Zorn's Service Inc. Zorn belongs to several community organizations; including

Fraternal Order of Police The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is a fraternal organization consisting of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It reports a membership of over 355,000 members organized in 2,100 local chapters (lodges), state lodges, and th ...

Lodge 113, and Monroe County Vietnam Veterans Chapter 142 (although there is no published history of service in Vietnam).

Political career

Due to term limits, Senator Zorn is ineligible for re-election in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

. In 2022, Zorn co-sponsored Michigan Senate Bill 885, directing $1.4 billion for the purpose of improving Michigan’s food security and investing in rural communities.

Controversy

April 25, 2020, Zorn apologized for wearing a protective face mask on the Michigan Senate floor depicting a design similar to the battle flag of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

, a deeply divisive image offensive to many Americans as a symbol of racism and slavery. It occurred during votes limiting emergency powers of Michigan Governor

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 ...

. The previous week, protests at the Michigan Capitol had featured Confederate flags and swastikas. Zorn had denied that it depicted a Confederate flag to local television station

WLNS WLNS-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Lansing, Michigan, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to dual ABC/ CW+ affiliate WLAJ (channel 53) under a shared services ag ...

, saying he believed the mask was meant to depict the state flag of either

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

although the mask had no resemblance to either flag. Zorn also stated “... en if it was a Confederate flag, you know, we should be talking about teaching our national history in schools and that’s part of our national history and it’s something we can’t just throw away because it is part of our history." Zorn further explained, "And if we want to make sure that the atrocities that happened during that time doesn’t happen again, we should be teaching it. Our kids should know what that flag stands for.” Asked by a WLNS reporter what the flag stands for, Zorn replied, "The Confederacy." Michigan was a

Union state The Union State,; be, Саю́зная дзяржа́ва Расі́і і Белару́сі, Sajuznaja dziaržava Rasii i Bielarusi, links=no. or Union State of Russia and Belarus,; be, Саю́зная дзяржа́ва, Sajuznaja dziar� ...

. Zorn's constituency in Lenawee and Monroe counties was historically active in the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

. State Senator Jeff Irwin said the Confederate flag should never be worn, "especially by an elected official. It dishonors our fellow Michiganders. It dishonors the battle flags in our rotunda. It dishonors our state." The Confederate battle flag can signal support for white supremacy.

Garlin Gilchrist Garlin Gilchrist II (born September 25, 1982) is an American politician and activist serving as the 64th lieutenant governor of Michigan since 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early life and education Gilchrist was born in Detroit. ...

, Michigan’s first black lieutenant governor and the first black person to preside over the Michigan state senate, called Zorn’s choice of mask “appalling and disgusting”.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zorn, Dale 1953 births People from Monroe County, Michigan Living people Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives County commissioners in Michigan Republican Party Michigan state senators 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians