About
Frank LaFata
Frank is a retired union carpenter, Carpenters Local 100. He spent his career building classrooms, plants, and some of the larger infrastructure projects in Michigan.
He has lived in the 91st District for thirty years. He and Marilee have been married since September 22, 1990. Three children, five grandchildren.
Why he's running
The government isn't working for the people who live here. Frank thinks someone who has worked for a living should be the one saying so in Lansing.
“I'm a retired skilled trades carpenter. My education comes from the trades. My education has come from a career of building classrooms and building companies, literally. I'm very proud of that.”
How he campaigns
By showing up. Frank canvasses neighborhoods across Montcalm, Kent and Ionia counties and hosts Coffee with Frank on the second Tuesday of every month. He drives a tan 1930 Model A Ford in parades: Sheridan Springfest, Lakeview Summerfest, the Ionia Free Fair, Stanton Old Fashion Days, the Trufant Jubilee.
“I'm the candidate who will listen to you. The number on my card is my cell; I'm always here to listen.”
He has held a position when it cost him. In July 2026, after his support for a data center moratorium cost him union endorsements, he wrote: “I can look the man in the mirror in the eye and not flinch.”
The district
House District 91 covers most of Montcalm County, the Cedar Springs area and the Solon, Nelson, Spencer and Oakfield townships in Kent County, and Belding plus Otisco and Orleans townships in Ionia County. That is about 811 square miles and roughly 92,000 people.
