David W. Coulter is an American politician serving as the County Executive of

Oakland County Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Metro Detroit, metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, its population was 1, ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

since 2019. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Coulter previously served as the mayor of

Ferndale, Michigan Ferndale is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms part of the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 19,190. Ferndale is well known in the Detroit area for its LGBT population and progr ...

from 2011 to 2019, and as a member of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners from 2002 to 2010.

Personal life and education

Coulter was raised in

St. Clair Shores, Michigan St. Clair Shores is a suburban city bordering Lake Saint Clair (North America), Lake St. Clair in Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms a part of the Metro Detroit area, and is located about northeast of d ...

, and attended St. Joan of Arc Grade School in the city. He graduated from

Bishop Gallagher High School A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Harper Woods, Michigan Harper Woods is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city had a population of 15,492 at the 2020 census. Harper Woods is a northeastern suburb of Metro Detroit and shares its southern and western border with the city of Det ...

. Coulter earned a bachelor's degree from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

. In 2007, Coulter completed Harvard University's

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a

David Bohnett Foundation The David Bohnett Foundation is a global private foundation that gives grants to organizations that focus on its core giving areas – primarily Los Angeles area programs and LGBT rights in the United States, as well as leadership initiatives and ...

LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow. He is openly gay.

Career

Coulter has worked as a civil engineering draftsman and school teacher. He was employed for thirteen years by Michigan Consolidated Gas Company, served as the executive director of the Michigan AIDS Fund and director of external affairs for the

Children's Hospital of Michigan Children's Hospital of Michigan (CHM) is a for-profit, pediatric acute care hospital located in Detroit, Michigan. The hospital has 227 beds and is affiliated with both the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Michigan State Universit ...

Foundation. Coulter was elected to the

Commission in 2002, defeating a 20-year incumbent by 86 votes. He served four terms on the Commission (2002-2010), also serving as Democratic minority leader. He left the seat to run for a

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

seat in the 14th district in 2010, but lost in the primary to

Vincent Gregory Vincent "Vince" Gregory (born July 20, 1948) is a politician from the state of Michigan. From 2011 to 2019, he represented the 11th Senate district in the Michigan Senate. The district, which is located in southern Oakland County, includes So ...

. Coulter was appointed Mayor of Ferndale in January 2011 after his predecessor resigned. Coulter was then elected to the two-year position in November 2011. He was re-elected in November 2013, defeating his predecessor and two other challengers. He ran unopposed to win re-election in November 2015 and 2017. Coulter created the Mayor's Business Council in 2012, helping lead to a period of increased business and economic growth in the city. In 2013, Coulter, along with Congressman

Sander Levin Sander Martin Levin (born September 6, 1931) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2019, representing (numbered as the from 1983 to 1993 and as the from 1993 to 2013). Levin, a member o ...

, undertook a challenge in which they spent less than $4.50 a day on food. They did so to protest cuts to

food stamps In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people. It is a federal aid program, ad ...

. The following year, Coulter became the first mayor in Michigan to perform same-sex marriages. On August 16, 2019, the Oakland County Commission voted to appoint Coulter to serve out the remainder of Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson's term as County Executive following Patterson's August 3, 2019 death from pancreatic cancer. Coulter ran for the position in the November 2020 election, where he was a candidate for the full four-year term. He won the August, 2020 Democratic primary by defeating county treasurer Andy Meisner. He then won the November 2020 general election over former Michigan State Senator Mike Kowall, becoming the first elected Democratic county executive.

Electoral history

References

External links

Dave Coulter website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coulter, David Living people Michigan State University alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Businesspeople from Michigan Mayors of places in Michigan Michigan Democrats LGBT mayors of places in the United States LGBT people from Michigan Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) People from Ferndale, Michigan Politicians from Detroit 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American LGBT people