BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Editor

Andrea Schroeder was proactive, even in the face of death.
Schroeder, who passed away October 1 while serving as the local 43rd District’s representative to the Michigan House of Representatives, could see her successor coming from within.
Independence Township resident Heidi Warrington, a Republican activist and former district representative for Schroeder, announced last week she is running for the Michigan House of Representatives to replace Schroeder, who died after a three-year battle with cancer.
”On September 27, just four days before she passed away, State Rep. Andrea Schroeder urged me to run to replace her in the Michigan House of Representatives,” Warrington said. “She sent me a letter in which she said, ’I would love to see you run for state representative one day as I know you will serve the community as you have served me and that you will lead our district and state the way I have.  You will be my legacy.’
“I knew she was very, very sick when she wrote those words, and it brought me to tears knowing that as ill as she was, one of her last acts was to write and endorse me to be her replacement.  It was a tremendous honor to be asked by her to be her volunteer district representative as she fought her incredibly brave fight against cancer, it is now even a greater honor to run for the office she held, the office she asked me to run for just a few days before she left us.”
Back in the 2020 Michigan State Primary Election, Warrington ran for a spot on the Independence Township Board of Trustees, but only received 2,107 votes, or 12 percent of the vote, and did not gain a seat on the board.
Warrington is currently the chief nursing officer at Common Ground, a $23 million not-for-profit behavioral health agency in Oakland County. She is a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She will have her master’s degree in Nursing next year. In addition, she has several related certifications in healthcare and has won numerous awards.
Her Republican activities include president of Greater Oakland Republican Club, 8th Congressional District appointed representative for Oakland County, and State Republican Committee delegate.
”As state representative, I will continue to serve the citizens of Waterford, Independence, Clarkson and Lake Angelus with the same dedication and hard work Andy Schroeder provided,” said Warrington. “Having worked with her, it will be my most important priority to represent the 43rd District just as she did.”
Warrington said she will focus on several key issues facing the state of Michigan and her district.
“My first issue priority will be to do whatever the state can to lower inflation and lower the prices of gas, food and other products,” Warrington said. “Mental health and healthcare in general is another important priority. I will also fight to assure that schools do not teach Critical Race Theory and address mental health in schools.
“I am a strong supporter of President Trump’s Make America Great policies, and I am pro-life, pro-business, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-family values.”
Warrington will be running in a special election that will be held on March 1, 2022, to replace Schroeder.
Schroeder was elected to the Michigan House in 2018.