Michael Summers didn't take the typical path to politics. Before he ever sat through a school board meeting or negotiated a contract, he was on stage - a professional musician who spent years performing with Precious Byrd and learning something most politicians never do: how to read a room.

That instinct has served him well ever since.

Michael is a third-generation Central Oregon small business owner - which means he didn't just read about payroll, permitting, and the cost of doing business in Oregon. He lived it. He inherited it. And he's watched Salem make it harder every single year.

But Michael didn't just show up to complain. He showed up to lead.

As Chair of the Redmond School Board since 2021, he took on a politically divided board and built consensus around something everyone could agree on: kids need to actually learn to read. He championed the Science of Reading curriculum at a time when most school boards were too distracted by politics to focus on outcomes. He oversaw budgets, managed bond oversight, led contract negotiations, and helped hire Redmond's Chief of Police - all as a volunteer, because that's what you do when you actually care about your community.

When veterans in Central Oregon needed housing, Michael was at the table. When 20-plus local nonprofits needed support, Michael wrote the check. When Westside Church needed leadership, he stepped up. When the Rotary needed a member who actually showed up - you get the idea.

He and his wife Allie are raising four daughters in Redmond. That's not a talking point. That's a mortgage, lots of food, four sets of school supplies, and a very personal stake in getting Oregon's priorities right.

Michael Summers is running for Oregon House District 53 because Central Oregon deserves a representative who has signed the front of a paycheck, run a budget meeting, and still somehow found time to play a gig on Friday night.

Salem could use a little more of that.