Posted on 07/15/2002 12:15:03 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
John Austin - Biography
John Austin, 40, was elected to the Michigan State Board of Education in 2000, as the Party's top vote getter after Al Gore and Debbie Stabenow, attracting more votes than anyone in the history of state or university board elections. John's election put the State Board under Democratic control, where he has led the charge to reassert State Board leadership in public education that was eroded under Governor John Engler.
John campaigned for the Secretary of State nomination in 1998 and won the endorsements of a majority of Michigan's Democratic Congressional delegation, state and local party officials, but stepped aside in the interests of a racially diverse ticket and party unity. John serves as Assistant Chair with the Michigan Democratic Party, traveling the state reaching out to young people and improving communication with party regulars. John was the principal author of the Michigan Democratic Party's 2000 Party Platform.
John is a Senior Partner with Public Policy Associates a national think tank based in Lansing, and is a leading national expert on education, economic development, environment and land use issues. John is also a leading Michigan advocate of campaign and political reform, serving on the Board of Directors of Common Cause and a sponsor of the Michigan Clean Campaign Finance network.
Austin has served as Chairman of the Genesee County Road Commission and as a member of the Fenton, Michigan planning commission. He currently serves on the Advisory Council of the Triangle Foundation, and Michigan State Universities' Economic Development Advisory Committee. Austin has also been acknowledged as an Education Policy Fellow by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL).
He received his Masters in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and a Bachelors from Swarthmore College in Economics & Political Science.
John has been married for 14 years to Terese Austin; their three children, aged eleven, seven and five, attend public school in the Austins' home of Ann Arbor.
I don't like Common Cause. I don't like Scott Harshberger. I think this guy can be BIG trouble for conservatives if elected. We can not forget the 'minor' races like Secretary of State and Attorney General.
BTW - This guy is NOT related to Richard Austin, the former secretary of state.
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