THREE RIVERS---16th District State Senate candidate Doug Spade today welcomed Burt Fenby and his “Tour de Spade” Team to St. Joseph County as the bicyclists made their way through Three Rivers and Centreville. Fenby, a former Lenawee County Commissioner and current Director for the Lenawee County Community Action Agency, explained the trip from Lake Michigan to Lake Erie as a show of support for Spade’s efforts to take his fight for the people of southern Michigan to the State Senate.

“Doug has been an independent voice for our community for as long as I can remember. He’s always put the people he represents first - before party politics,” said Fenby. “While we won’t see Paris or cycle through the French Alps, we are going to take Doug’s independent message from Lake Michigan to Three Rivers and Coldwater, from Hillsdale to Adrian and on to Lake Erie. We support Doug, and we’ll have the miles to prove it!”

The Spade campaign met up with the bikers to give them a much needed water break and encourage them as they continue their ride across the state. Doug expressed his enthusiasm to have the support of Fenby and to see the Tour de Spade team rolling through his district.

“Burt’s dedication to the community is truly inspiring and it’s great to have Burt and his team finding creative ways to help spread our message of creating jobs, reforming government, and protecting our natural resources from big oil corporations, and doing it in an eco-friendly way that highlights the Great Lakes that define and distinguish Michigan,” said Spade.

Doug Spade has fought for years to prevent drilling in the Great Lakes, and supports a recent proposal to amend Michigan’s Constitution to permanently ban oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes. He also supports lifting the state’s current cap on damages to make sure that negligent corporations like British Petroleum pay every penny for the damage they cause instead of passing the buck to taxpayers.

“State government has been infiltrated and influenced by special interests for too long. I have always been an independent voice for the needs and concerns of the people of southern Michigan, and I will bring that same independence to the State Senate,” said Spade. “Deep pockets shouldn’t take the place of good common sense, and voters can be confident that I will serve the people of the 16th State Senate District and not special interests like Big Oil.”

The Tour de Spade includes stops in Three Rivers, Centreville, Coldwater, Hillsdale and Adrian before making its way to the Toledo Beach Marina on Lake Erie.