Dan Kildee

Dan Kildee
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 5th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded by Dale Kildee
Personal details
Born (1958-08-11) August 11, 1958
Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Jennifer Kildee
Children Katy
Kenneth
Ryan
Alma mater Central Michigan University
Website House website

Daniel Timothy Kildee (born August 11, 1958) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 5th congressional district since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Throughout his career, Kildee has served both as an elected official and a CEO of a national non-profit organization. From 1984 to 2009, he served in a couple of county-level elected positions, as a Genesee County Commissioner and Genesee County Treasurer. He was elected to the United States Congress on November 6, 2012 as the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 5th district. He succeeded his uncle Dale Kildee, who represented Flint in the House of Representatives for 36 years. He resides in Flint Township, Michigan.[1]

Early life and education

Kildee was born in 1958 in Flint, Michigan. He attended Flint Northern High School and Central Michigan University. In 2008, he finished his course work at CMU earning a B.S. in Community Development Administration. He took courses in philosophy and community administration.[2][3]

Flint local political career

At the age of 18, Kildee became one of the youngest elected officials in the nation when he was elected to the Flint Board of Education in 1977.[4]

In 1984, he was elected to serve on the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, where he subsequently served for 12 years, including five as board chairman.[5] As chairman of the board, Kildee led the effort to form the Bishop International Airport Authority.

In 1991, he ran to become Mayor of Flint. He was one of four candidates to challenge incumbent Mayor Matthew Collier in the August 6 nonpartisan primary election. City Councilman Woodrow Stanley ranked first with 24% of the vote. Collier ranked second with 23% of the vote, qualifying for the November election. Kildee ranked third with 18%.[6]

County Treasurer

In 1996, Kildee was elected as Genesee County Treasurer. He was re-elected in 2000, 2004, and 2008. He won re-election to 2008 with 72% of the Vote.[7] During his tenure as treasurer, he oversaw the county's credit rating and presided over five bond-rating upgrades for the county.

Land Bank

In 2002, he founded the Genesee County Land Bank, a first of its kind in the nation governmental authority dedicated to the issue of urban decay in cities such as Flint, Michigan.[8][9] The land bank has helped to clean up vacant and abandoned structures in the community.[10]

The United States government, non-profit organizations and think tanks have approached Kildee to expand his work to 50 cities identified by the Brookings Institution, focused mostly in the Rust Belt and Northeastern United States, including Detroit, Baltimore, Memphis, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, which have many vacant and abandoned properties.[11]

Center for Community Progress

Most recently in 2009, Kildee co-founded and served as the president of The Center for Community Progress, a national non-profit organization with offices in New Orleans, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.[12][13] Kildee resigned as county treasurer to oversee the Center, intended to reform land sales to stop the spread of blight.[14]

Following an effort to draft him into the 2010 Michigan gubernatorial election,[15] Kildee set up an exploratory committee in February,[16] but shortly thereafter decided not to run.[12]

U.S. House of Representatives

2012 election

His uncle, Dale Kildee, served in the United States House of Representatives representing Michigan's 5th congressional district.[17] In July 2011, Dale Kildee announced he would retire from Congress.[18] Dan Kildee declared his candidacy for the House of Representatives on November 1, 2011.[1] He was unchallenged in the Democratic primary. In the November election, he defeated Republican State Representative Jim Slezak 65% to 31%.[18]

Tenure

In January 2013, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer appointed Kildee to become an assistant whip. His fellow freshmen Democratic members elected Kildee to serve as their representative to the caucus' Steering and Policy Committee.[19] So far during his time in Congress, Congressman Kildee has focused on several issues, including urban development and supporting cities, raising the federal minimum wage, and promoting American manufacturing. He has also been a vocal advocate in Congress pressuring lawmakers to extend emergency unemployment insurance after it expired on Dec. 28, 2013.

Despite being a freshman lawmaker, he was successful in his first six months in office in securing $100 million in federal funds for five Michigan cities, including Flint and Saginaw, so they had resources to tear down vacant, abandoned and run-down properties.[20]

Kildee has also been a strong advocate for the ‘Make it in America’ initiative, a package of bipartisan bills that have been introduced in the House designed to help create a national manufacturing policy and promote American manufacturing.[21]

In September 2016, Kildee pushed the United States Congress to include funding to aid in the Flint water crisis.[22] Congress passed a funding measure that provided $170 million in aid to communities including Flint that need infrastructure improvements for their water.[23]

Committee assignments

Personal life

Kildee is married to Jennifer Kildee, his wife of 24 years. They have three children, two of whom are currently in college, Kenneth at the University of Michigan-Flint and Katy at Central Michigan University.[18] Dan’s oldest son Ryan and his wife Ginger are the parents of Dan’s two grandchildren, Caitlin and Colin.[18][25]

References

  1. 1 2 Burns, Gus (May 14, 2012). "Three contenders have officially filed to run for Democratic U.S. Rep. Dale E. Kildee's seat in Washington D.C.". The Saginaw News. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  2. ↑ "New House members of 113th Congress: K-L-M - Politico Staff". Politico.Com. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Central Michigan Life – CMU alum, Flint native Dan Kildee sworn in as U.S. congressman". Cm-life.com. January 7, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  4. ↑ Ryan Garza. "Dan Kildee: Congressman-elect quickly finds himself in the spotlight". MLive.com. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  5. ↑ Fonger, Ron (July 15, 2011). "Dan Kildee says he will consider running for uncle's congressional seat". The Flint Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  6. ↑ Detroit Free Press, August 8, 1991 @ "Flint, MI Mayor - Primary Race - Aug 06, 1991". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Genesee County Treasurer Race - Nov 04, 2008". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  8. ↑ Mostafavi, Beata (December 18, 2009). "Dan Kildee: National efforts to clear blight will be based in Flint". The Flint Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  9. ↑ Streitfeld, David (April 21, 2009). "An Effort to Save Flint, Mich., by Shrinking It". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  10. ↑ Kinchen, Dave (December 18, 2009). "Dan Kildee prepares for national urban blight work". Clio, MI: WEYI-TV. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  11. ↑ Leonard, Tom (June 12, 2009). "US cities may have to be bulldozed in order to survive". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  12. 1 2 Angus, Laura (March 5, 2010). "Dan Kildee announces his withdrawal from race for Michigan governor". The Flint Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  13. ↑ Longley, Kristin (March 8, 2012). "Dan Kildee: Reform land sales process to stop spread of blight". The Flint Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  14. ↑ Longley, Kristin (November 1, 2011). "Dan Kildee announcing run for 5th District seat in U.S. Congress to be vacated by uncle, U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee". The Flint Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  15. ↑ Fonger, Ron (February 1, 2010). "Dan Kildee's support growing—at least on Facebook". The Flint Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Statewide: Dan Kildee files to begin run for governor". Detroit Free Press. February 24, 2010. p. A3. Retrieved September 18, 2012. (subscription required)
  17. ↑ Harris, David (July 16, 2011). "Filling U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee's Congressional seat will be a free-for-all, expert says". The Flint Journal. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Thorne, Blake (November 7, 2012). "Dan Kildee: Congressman-elect quickly finds himself in the spotlight". The Flint Journal. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  19. ↑ Courtesy photo. "U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee of Flint appointed assistant Democratic whip". MLive.com. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Congressman Dan Kildee: Demolition of 950 Saginaw homes 'first step' toward growth". MLive.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  21. ↑ http://www.abc12.com/story/25754398/congressman-dan-kildee-introduces-legislation-to-expand-job-training
  22. ↑ "House Dem: GOP leaders refuse to help Flint because of race". Washington Post. September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  23. ↑ "House OKs Flint aid measure, averts shutdown". The Detroit News. September 28, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  24. 1 2 "Representative Daniel Kildee Biography - Project Vote Smart". Votesmart.org. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Full Biography | Congressman Dan Kildee". Dankildee.house.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2013.

Further reading

External links

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Dale Kildee		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 5th congressional district
2013–present 		Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Joseph Kennedy		 United States Representatives by seniority
330th 		Succeeded by
Derek Kilmer
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