Tim Greimel (born 1973/1974) is an American politician who serves as Mayor of

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

, and previously as a member of 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 2020 ...

, to which he was elected in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

in 2012 following the resignation of Tim W. Melton. After Greimel's election to a full term in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, his colleagues elected him to serve as the House's minority leader. In October 2017, Greimel announced his candidacy for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

to represent

Michigan's 11th congressional district Michigan's 11th congressional district is a United States congressional district north of Detroit, comprising most of urbanized central Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County. Until 1993, the district covered the state's Upper Peninsula of Mi ...

but in the Democratic primary on August 7, 2018, he lost to

Haley Stevens Haley Maria Stevens (born June 24, 1983) is an American politician serving her fourth term as the U.S. representative from since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Stevens represents most of urbanized Oakland County, including many of ...

. In November 2021, Greimel was elected Mayor of Pontiac, Michigan, with 61.66% of the vote. In 2025, Greimel announced that he was running to fill the U.S. House seat being vacated by John James.

Education and background

Tim Greimel attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, from which he received his bachelor's degree in economics and political science, a master's degree in public policy, and juris doctor degree. Greimel was admitted into the

State Bar of Michigan The State Bar of Michigan is the governing body for lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in Michigan. The organization's mission is to aid in promoting improvements in the administration of ju ...

on November 15, 2000. He has a focus in

labor and employment law Labour laws (also spelled as labor laws), labour code or employment laws are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship be ...

, and

civil rights law Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

Career

In May 2005, Greimel was elected to serve on the Rochester Community School District Board of Education. He received 7,817 votes, the second-largest number of votes behind Michelle J. Shepherd, who received 7,989 votes. During his time on the school board, Greimel briefly served as president of the board. In August 2008, and again in 2010, Greimel was elected as County Commissioner of the 11th district. At the end of 2011, Greimel won a special election for

District 29 A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

in the

. Following the special election, Greimel won the election for a full term in 2012. Greimel served as the Democratic Leader for the House until 2018, when he lost the Democratic primary for

by 4,636 votes. In 2021, Greimel ran for mayor of

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

. Greimel delivered his first state of the city address for Pontiac on September 29, 2022.

Views

Education

According to

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

, during his time in the legislature, Greimel supported legislation to expand and support technical careers education. One of Greimel's main campaign promises was to improve Pontiac Public Schools by hiring liaisons-and-recreation coordinators, and working with Pontiac School District, Oakland Intermediate School District, local

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

s, and non-profits to improve recreation, after school activities, and early education, and increase technical education.

Infrastructure

Most of Greimel's views and work about infrastructure has been in roads. Greimel introduced legislation to refund Michigan drivers with a tax credit for car damage caused by damaged roads. According to his campaign website, Greimel planned to spend more money on Pontiac's roads, specifically the

Woodward Avenue A woodward is a Game warden, warden of a wood. Woodward may also refer to: Places ;United States * Woodward, Iowa * Woodward, Oklahoma * Woodward, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place * Woodward Avenue, a street in Tallahassee, Florida, which b ...

loop, to improve access to downtown. His campaign also promised to increase access to Wi-Fi and spend money on water-and-sewer repairs. During his time in the state legislature, Greimel called on former 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. Snyder, who was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, ...

to resign after the

Flint water crisis The Flint water crisis was a public health crisis from 2014 to 2019 which involved the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan, being contaminated with lead and possibly ''Legionella'' bacteria. In April 2014, during a financial crisis, ...

Strengthening neighborhoods

Greimel believed enforcing anti-blight policies and code enforcement for the appearance of buildings would help strengthen Pontiac's neighborhoods. He also planned on implementing

adopt-a-highway The Adopt-a-Highway program, and the very similar Sponsor-a-Highway, are promotional campaigns undertaken by U.S. states, a few provinces and territories of Canada, and some national governments outside North America to encourage volunteers to ...

and adopt-a-block programs, and to re-establish

Community Development Block Grant The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), one of the longest-running programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, funds local community development activities with the stated goal of providing affordable housing, anti- ...

Job expansion and economic opportunity

Greimel believed in making downtown a

one-stop shop A one-stop shop (OSS), in public administration, is a government office where multiple services are offered, allowing customers to access these services in a centralized location rather than in different places. The term originated in the United ...

, and make Pontiac an easier-and-friendlier place to do business. This included consistent and accessible permits, moving the

Farmer's Market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...

downtown, facilitating free entrepreneurship classes, implementing more Pontiac-specific policies, and promoting women-and-minority-owned businesses. Greimel acted on this and developed a Downtown Redevelopment Plan.

Downtown redevelopment plan

During his mayoralty, Greimel worked with

Oakland County Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a principal county of the Detroit metropolitan area, containing the bulk of Detroit's northern suburbs. Its seat of government is Pontiac, and its largest city is Troy. As of the ...

officials to redevelop Pontiac's downtown area and increase foot traffic. Greimel planned to demolish the Phoenix Center and replace it with a recreational space that would serve as a city center. Greimel described the Phoenix Center as a "dilapidated eyesore of a derelict parking structure". Oakland County purchased two buildings to be used as office space in downtown Pontiac. Greimel expected the increased foot traffic from county employees and the new city center would boost economic activity in Pontiac's downtown area. The redevelopment project is expected to cost around $120–130 million, most of which would come from the state, Oakland County, and the

American Rescue Plan Act The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a Stimulus (economics), economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President of the Unite ...

. Greimel said the downtown redevelopment plan "will ensure the city owns a large space that can facilitate outdoor concerts and serve as a town square and public place for the community".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greimel, Tim 1970s births 21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Living people Mayors of Pontiac, Michigan University of Michigan alumni Year of birth missing (living people)