Dan Kildee

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

Dan Kildee
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Dale Kildee
Personal details
Born	Daniel Timothy Kildee August 11, 1958 Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Jennifer Kildee ​ (m. 1988)​
Children	3
Relatives	Dale Kildee (uncle)
Education	University of Michigan–Flint Central Michigan University (BS)
Website	House website

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]

U.S. House of Representatives

Dan Kildee at the Spring 2017 Michigan Democratic Convention

2012

His uncle, Dale Kildee, served in the United States House of Representatives representing Michigan's 5th congressional district.[15] In July 2011, Dale Kildee announced he would retire from Congress.[16] 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%.[16]

Tenure

In January 2013, then-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.[17]

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 December 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.[18] 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.[19]

Kildee fought for the release of Amir Mirza Hekmati, a constituent and U.S. Marine veteran who was held as a political prisoner in Iran for nearly five years. Working alongside the Hekmati family and the Obama Administration to raise awareness, Amir's release was eventually negotiated and he was freed in January 2016.[20]

In September 2016, Kildee pushed the United States Congress to include funding to aid in the Flint water crisis.[21] Congress passed a funding measure that provided $170 million in aid to communities including Flint that need infrastructure improvements for their water.[22]

In April 2018, Kildee, together with Jared Huffman, Jamie Raskin, and Jerry McNerney, launched the Congressional Freethought Caucus. Its stated goals include "pushing public policy formed on the basis of reason, science, and moral values", promoting the "separation of church and state," opposing discrimination against "atheists, agnostics, humanists, seekers, religious and nonreligious persons", among others. Huffman and Raskin will act as co-chairs.[23]

Committee assignments

• Ways and Means Committee[24]
• House Budget Committee[25]

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Progressive Caucus[26]
• Afterschool Caucuses[27]
• Congressional Freethought Caucus
• Blue Collar Caucus

Personal life

Kildee is married to Jennifer Kildee, his wife since 1988. They have three children, two of whom are currently in college, Kenneth at the University of Michigan-Flint and Katy at Central Michigan University. Dan and Jennifer Kildee also have two grandchildren.[16][28]

Following an effort to draft him into the 2010 Michigan gubernatorial election,[29] Kildee set up an exploratory committee,[30] but shortly thereafter decided not to run.[12] He was also rumored to be considering a run at the 2018 Michigan gubernatorial election, but publicly declared he would not to focus on his work in Congress.[31] He is close friends with film maker, Michael Moore, whom he's known since high school.

References

1. 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. Archived from the original on January 18, 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. 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. 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.
16. Thorne, Blake (November 7, 2012). "Dan Kildee: Congressman-elect quickly finds himself in the spotlight". The Flint Journal. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
17. Courtesy photo. "U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee of Flint appointed assistant Democratic whip". MLive.com. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
18. "Congressman Dan Kildee: Demolition of 950 Saginaw homes 'first step' toward growth". MLive.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
19. AP File Photo (April 10, 2013). "Kildee backs 'Make it in America' plan aimed at manufacturing rebirth". MLive.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
20. "Amir Hekmati is home after spending more than 4 years in an Iranian prison". Retrieved May 15, 2017.
21. "House Dem: GOP leaders refuse to help Flint because of race". Washington Post. September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
22. "House OKs Flint aid measure, averts shutdown". The Detroit News. September 28, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
23. Manchester, Julia. "Dem lawmakers launch 'Freethought' congressional caucus". The Hill. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
24. "Official Alphabetical List of the House of Representatives, 116th Congress". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
25. "Membership, House Budget Committee Democrats". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
26. "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
27. "Members". Afterschool Alliance. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
28. "Full Congressman Dan Kildee biodata". Dankildee.house.gov. Archived from the original on February 12, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
29. Fonger, Ron (February 1, 2010). "Dan Kildee's support growing—at least on Facebook". The Flint Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
30. "Statewide: Dan Kildee files to begin run for governor". Detroit Free Press. February 24, 2010. p. A3. Retrieved September 18, 2012. (subscription required)
31. "U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee will forgo race for governor". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 15, 2017.

External links

• Congressman Dan Kildee official U.S. House website
• Campaign website
• Dan Kildee at Curlie

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Appearances on C-SPAN