By By JOHN EBY / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC - U.S. Rep. Fred Upton visited Dowagiac Union High School on Halloween, but he wasn't trick-or-treating.
Cass County's congressman, who spoke to Bob Kwiatkoski's senior government students Monday morning, visits a school every week because “When I was a student, I never, ever had a legislator come visit a class.”
Sunday night Upton spoke in Niles at a Polly's Place fundraiser.
The director of the shelter for abused women told Upton she remembers him speaking to her class in high school about making a difference, inspiring her to do the work she does today with a $250,000 budget.
Upton, R-St. Joseph, grew up in Berrien County and earned a journalism degree from the University of Michigan, where he was sports editor of the campus newspaper, with the idea of writing for the Wolverines or Chicago Cubs.
His mother and brother teach.
Then he met Dave Stockman, who “had a lot of good ideas about balancing the budget and welfare reform. He seemed honest and hard-working, so I volunteered to help him. It was a great job for me. My dad thought I was crazy. He didn't have a chance of winning” until it turned out that he had.
Upton ended up in Washington, where “I had never been before,” with a “terrific job” doing constituent service “from Three Oaks to Three Rivers.”
President Ronald Reagan tapped Stockman as budget director.
Upton logged long hours at the White House. Working “on the legislative side of things,” he lobbied members of Congress and met weekly with President Reagan.
After working there about 4 1/2 years, Fred married Amey. Their daughter, Meg, turns 18 today.
Back home, Upton was being eyed as a congressional candidate himself.
Upton said he made all of more than 500 votes recorded this year. In fact, in his 19 years in the House, he has cast some 10,000 votes and missed only 18 - most of those the two times he went to Iraq.
He averages 1,000 pieces of correspondence a week - 60 percent e-mail and 40 percent letters and post cards - and personally signs “Fred” more than 50,000 times a year.
As chairman of the Telecommunications Subcommittee, Upton gets involved in Internet and broadcasting issues. Another committee assignment is health, since his district's major employer is Pfizer. He formerly served on the Education Committee.
Even though there are 435 House members, “Often there are votes that literally one vote makes a difference, either in committee or on the House floor. Even in the 2004 presidential election, if (President George W.) Bush had lost one state that he won, John Kerry would be president. Perhaps someday you'll be a candidate.”
Upton knows Bush, who shortened his nickname from “Freddie Boy” to “Freddie.” He said, “I'm not afraid to support a Democratic president if I think he's right and I'm not afraid to oppose a Republican president if I thought he was wrong. My vote is very hard to get.”
Upton, who returned to Washington Monday night for votes today, fielded questions for about a half hour.
Upton recalled riding on the bus with Bush and the first lady when they visited Niles. “My wife was disappointed she wasn't here so we called her.” Amey wasn't home, but Stephen, their seventh grader, answered.
His dad passed the startled Stephen the call with Laura Bush on the other end commenting on his Little League game.