July 28, 2009

The first thing you noticed about U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra on Monday was the neon green hard hat and safety vest, covering jeans and a chambray shirt.
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It wasn't the typical uniform of the Republican congressman running for governor. Neither were the 25-year-old scuffed and worn work boots.

But it was a uniform he needed for the task at hand. Hoekstra, of Holland, came to Detroit to learn a new way to lay pipe underneath the city's streets without having to break up the concrete.

It was part of his campaign to spend an hour or two with people in 100 different jobs, from picking asparagus to television newsman to sandwich maker. Monday was his day with the workers from Inland Pipe Rehabilitation, a Detroit company that inserts a fiberglass pipe into an existing deteriorating pipe to avoid having to rip up the roadway.

"I did this a couple of years ago, and what you find is that you need a wide diversity of people to keep this economy running," he said.

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