Meet Brian Ellis: Running for Republican Congressional seat

Brian Ellis, a Grand Rapids businessman, recently announced he is running for the Republican nomination to Congress in the third district. This includes Grand Rapids. He currently owns a financial investment advisory firm and is president of East Grand Rapids school board.

"Throughout the years, I've believed in giving back to the community and I believe in public service," says Ellis.

Ellis is running against Justin Amash, who currently holds the seat and has since 2010. Ellis disagrees with Amash's votes and says it is this that encouraged him to enter the race.

"Justin Amash may claim to be conservative but he doesn't vote conservative," says Ellis. "The Paul Ryan budget would have cut $5 trillion in spending and he voted no on that. There was another bill about small business tax relief and he voted no on that. The Keystone pipeline has been trying to come over from Canada and that would lower our fuel costs and our energy independence. He voted present and was the only Republican to do so. I would have clearly supported that 'cause we need relief at the gas station."

Ellis says he is the true fiscally conservative candidate and his financial background will allow him to better understand the country's problems.

"From where I sit with a financial background, I see the fiscal position of our country, with a huge budget deficit that show no end in sight, with burgeoning national debt that's at WWII level with no signs of abating. I'm very concerned with the fiscal state of the country," says Ellis.

Ellis believes the best way to reduce the deficit would be to lower taxes to foster economic growth in the long run. He believes many in Congress look more at short term solutions instead of long term ones.

"We need more economic growth which leads to more jobs which leads to what I call a virtuous cycle," says Ellis. "When more people are employed, they have more money to go out and spend and that's good for the economy."

The government budget has been in the forefront of politics lately with the recent government shutdown. Ellis believes it is important to focus on this issue and that his background can help him understand the financial problems and help him win the nomination for the Republican party.

"I have good life experience. I'm financially oriented. The issues the country faces are financial in nature and then through my experiences over time, I've been able to build consensus to move forward on any given issue and make progress," says Ellis. "Do I get what I want every day of the week? No, sometimes progress comes in small increments, sometimes in big but I'm able to operate in a manner that continually promotes progress."