Fred Durhal III
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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 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 Rod ...
and Martha Durhal. He is the second eldest of six children. Durhal attended Detroit Public Schools, including Guyton Elementary, Spain Middle School, and graduating from Detroit School of Arts. He later attended Eastern Michigan University, 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 C ...
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 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 Tim Greimel is an American politician from Michigan, who currently serves as the Mayor of Pontiac, Michigan. He previously served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, elected in a special election in 2012 to fill a vacancy create ...
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 previ ...
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 Samir Singh (born March 4, 1971) is a Democratic politician from Michigan who serves in the Michigan Senate. He formerly served as a member of the East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within ...
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