Fred Durhal III (born April 1, 1984) is an American politician who currently serves as a member of the Detroit City Council. Durhal served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives for the

5th District District 5, 5 District or 5th District may refer to: Europe * District 5 (Zürich) * District 5, Düsseldorf * V District, Turku * Districts of Malta#District 5, District 5, an electoral district of Malta * Districts of Malta#District 5 2, Distric ...

from 2015 to 2019. Durhal succeeded his father, Fred Durhal, Jr., in the House.

Early life and Career

Durhal was born in Detroit to his parents

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...

and Martha Durhal. He is the second eldest of six children. Durhal attended

Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States and high school students in the insular city of Highland Park. The district, which replaced the original Detr ...

, including Guyton Elementary, Spain Middle School, and graduating from

Detroit School of Arts The Detroit School of Arts (DSA), originally known as the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, is a blue ribbon high school located in Midtown, Detroit, Midtown Detroit, Michigan.

. He later attended

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

, where he studied political science and music education. Prior to his election, he served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Northwest Detroit as the director of a literacy program for young children. He has collaborated with Village Builders of Northwest Detroit and Motor City Blight Busters to help stabilize neighborhoods within Detroit. In 2011, Durhal joined other community leaders to oppose Michigan’s emergency financial manager law in

Benton Harbor Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,103. It is the smaller, by population, of ...

and across the state. Durhal has also worked with

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a Ch ...

to help rebuild homes in Detroit. In 2004, he traveled to Benton Harbor with Habitat for Humanity, where he helped with the rebuilding of over 50 homes in one weekend. Durhal has been a member of the Detroit Branch of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...

(NAACP), the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and a former member of the

Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the ...

Local 377. He previously served on the board of the Dexter Elmhurst Community Center, and is formerly the President of Wayne County Progress PAC.

Political career

Durhal was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2014, succeeding his father. Taking office in January, 2015, he quickly found himself a leader in the Democratic caucus. He was appointed to the powerful House Appropriations Committee, serving as minority vice-chairman of the subcommittee on general government. House Democratic Leader Tim Greimel also appointed him Assistant Democratic Leader. Durhal continued the work of his father, reintroducing legislation that would prohibit employers from requiring applicants to disclose prior felony convictions on job applications, so called "ban the box" legislation. In 2016, Durhal passed his first bill HB 4187, which was signed into law by Governor

Rick Snyder Richard Dale Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Snyder previo ...

on May 10, 2016, and became PA 111 of 2016. This legislation established a misdemeanor for anyone who defaces, destroys, or dismantles any highway sign, traffic sign, structure, or railroad in the State. After being re-elected to a second term in 2016, Durhal was appointed by Speaker of the House Tom Leonard and House Democratic Leader Sam Singh to serve as the Minority Vice-Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, making him the ranking Democrat on the committee. He was also elected by his Detroit colleagues to serve as the Secretary of the Detroit Caucus. In 2021, Durhal was elected to the Detroit City Council to represent the 7th District. Shortly after being elected, Durhal was appointed December 1, 2021 to fill the vacancy for the 7th District. He was sworn into his second term on January 1, 2022. Durhal was appointed to serve as Chair of the Budget, Finance, and Audit Standing Committee and Vice-Chair of the Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee. Durhal also serves as a member of the Eastern Market Partnership Board of Directors.

Election Results (2014)

Durhal was successful in winning the November 2014 General Election to be elected to his first term.

Election Results (2016)

Durhal was successfully re-elected to his second term by winning the November 2016 General Election.

Personal life

Durhal is a member of and worships at Unity Baptist Church in Detroit. He is engaged to attorney Briaunna Buckner.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Durhal, Fred III Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Politicians from Detroit Eastern Michigan University alumni African-American state legislators in Michigan 21st-century American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people 1984 births Living people