Matthew Frumin is an American politician and activist who serves as Ward 3 member of the

Council of the District of Columbia The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state ...

. Before serving on the DC Council, Frumin worked as an international trade attorney and was active on local education issues.

Early life and education

Frumin grew up near Detroit, the son of a psychiatrist who later unsuccessfully ran for Congress.

Career

Frumin served as a Clinton appointee in the State Department. He was a major fundraiser for Clinton, where he was a member of the fundraising group known as the "Saxophone Club". After leaving government, he worked as an international trade attorney and was a partner of the law firm Cassidy Levy Kent.

Politics

In 2000, he ran against

Joe Knollenberg Joseph Kastl Knollenberg (November 28, 1933 – February 6, 2018) was an American politician from Michigan. From 1993 to 2009, he was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing and . In his congressional term, Knoll ...

in a Michigan congressional district. Frumin fared better than his father, who ran against Knollenberg four years earlier in the solidly Republican district. Frumin began his work in local DC politics through his ANC, serving as chair of 3E and various Council and mayoral taskforces. He was an advocate for improvements to public schools in Ward 3, including Janney Elementary, Deal Middle and Wilson High School In 2013, Frumin ran for a vacant at-large seat on the DC Council after Phil Mendelson became chair of the Council. Frumin outraised many of his competitors, but came in fourth place with 11 percent of the vote. He was supported by filmmaker

Aviva Kempner Aviva Kempner (born December 23, 1946) is a German-born American filmmaker. Her documentaries investigate non-stereotypical images of Jews in history and focus on the untold stories of Jewish people. She is most well known for ''The Life and Time ...

and wavered about whether he would hold outside employment if elected. In 2022, following incumbent Mary Cheh's announcement that she would not seek another term, Frumin announced his candidacy. He won the April primary after many candidates dropped out days before the election to support his campaign.

Positions

In his 2022 campaign, Frumin said that "alleviating school overcrowding and increasing access to affordable housing" were "the most pressing issues facing Ward 3.

Personal life

Frumin lives in

American University Park American University Park is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., named for the American University. AU Park, as it is often abbreviated, is situated against the Maryland border in the Northwest quadrant, bounded by Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Neb ...

. He has three adult children who all attended Wilson High School. He is active in the Washington Interfaith Network.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frumin, Matthew 21st-century American politicians University of Michigan alumni Living people Members of the Council of the District of Columbia George Washington University alumni Washington, D.C., government officials Year of birth missing (living people)