Kevin J. Green (born June 18, 1970) is a

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 ...

politician.

Early life and education

Kevin Green was born on June 18, 1970, to parents Joe and Colleen Green. He grew up in

Wakefield, Michigan Wakefield is a city in Gogebic County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,851 at the 2010 census. Wakefield is located in the western Upper Peninsula about east of the Wisconsin border. The city is mostly surrounded by Wakefi ...

, and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

. He also earned a master's degree in public administration from

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...

. In 1994, Green interned for the city manager of

Cedar Springs, Michigan Cedar Springs is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,509 at the 2010 census. Cedar Springs is a northern city of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is about north of Grand Rapids. History The area wa ...

Career

Green worked as a business manager for

Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loc ...

. In 1995, Green became the real estate and community relations manager of the Western Michigan region for

Viacom Outdoor Outfront Media, Inc. is one of the largest outdoor media companies. It operates in markets including the United States and Canada. The Americas division is led by chief executive officer Jeremy Male. Outfront Media operates both billboards and tr ...

. Green is a member of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce and the

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

Chamber of Commerce. In 1999, Green started to serve as a

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

city council member. He became the youngest elected official in Wyoming, Michigan history. He served on the city council until 2004. On November 2, 2004, Green was elected to the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

, where he represented the 77th district. Green was sworn in on January 15, 2005. On October 29, 2008, Green was arrested for drunk driving. The

Saginaw County Saginaw County, officially the County of Saginaw, is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 190,124. The county seat is Saginaw. The county was created by September 10, 1822, and was fully orga ...

Sheriff's Department report says that Green was found passed out in a parked, running car, covered in vomit and smelling of alcohol in Saginaw Township. Green initially said that he was pulled over by the police. He later claimed that he was not passed out, but instead had fallen asleep. Green repeatedly refused to take a breathalyzer test. He later took the breathalyzer test at the jail. His blood alcohol level was 0.13%. The legal limit in Michigan is 0.08%. News of his arrest was spread by November 5, 2008, the day after his re-election to the state house. Initially, Green was charged with drunk driving, a conviction which had the potential to land Green in jail. On November 25, Green pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, a lesser charge which only involves fines, the adding of driver's license points, and a license restriction. Green agreed to step down from two committees for the rest of the year: the Health Policy Committee and the Banking & Financial Services Committee. Green retained his position on the Senior Health, Security and Retirement Committee and as state house whip. Green served the remainder of his term in the state house until January 1, 2011. He was then term limited. In 2014, Green ran for the

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 representing the 28th district. While Green and

Peter MacGregor Peter F. MacGregor (born February 24, 1966) is a Republican politician from Michigan currently serving as the Kent County Treasurer. He previously served in the Michigan Senate representing the 28th district and also was a former member of the ...

shared many political views, such as standing against

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

, abortion, and increasing the minimum wage, MacGregor's primary campaign managed to get significantly more donations from political action committees. On August 5, Green was defeated by MacGregor, who went on to win the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. In 2016, Green ran to be the supervisor of Algoma Township. On August 2, in the Republican primary, Green defeated incumbent supervisor, Nancy Clary. In the general election, he was unopposed. Green ran for the state senate seat representing the 28th district again in the 2021 special election. The seat was made vacant when

Peter McGregor Peter James McGregor (10 November 1947 – 11 January 2008) was an Australian anarchist known for his political activism, university teaching and commitment to direct action. He was actively involved in and led several major Australian and int ...

left the office after being elected Kent County treasurer. During his campaign, Green advocated for a "

forensic audit A financial audit is conducted to provide an opinion whether "financial statements" (the information is verified to the extent of reasonable assurance granted) are stated in accordance with specified criteria. Normally, the criteria are internat ...

" of the

2020 election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **Cro ...

. The primary took place on August 3. He faced challengers

Tommy Brann Tommy Brann (born December 23, 1951) is an American politician from Michigan. Brann is a Republican member of Michigan House of Representatives from District 77. Early life Thomas Michael Brann was born on December 23, 1951. Brann's father i ...

and Mark Huizenga. He was ultimately defeated by Huizenga, coming in second place. On August 18, Green petitioned for a recount in the primary election. He cited two irregularities which made him question the integrity of the election: Green won more in-person votes, but lost due to mail-in support for Huizenga, and he claimed that there were an unspecified number of people who voted in the primary who do not normally vote in primaries.

Personal life

Green is married to Chele and has two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Kevin Living people 1970 births Candidates in the 2021 United States elections Central Michigan University alumni Grand Valley State University alumni Michigan city council members Michigan politicians convicted of crimes Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives People from Wakefield, Michigan People from Wyoming, Michigan 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians