Left: Urdan at
6 months old.
Above: Bubba and the gang.
Urdan (foreground), age 3, with
his older brothers, clockwise from
left: Matt, Paul and Doug.
Left: Urdan poses with his moth-
er, Judy, at his 1988 high school
graduation from Bloomfield Hills
Andover High School. Judy Urdan
passed away in 2010.
tallulah
Urdan is not your conventional candi-
date. He hasn't held elective office, nor is
he a college graduate. Urdan's focus has
been on community, serving as president
of the Young Adult Division of the Jew-
ish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
in 2008, and sitting on the boards of
Federation, Jewish Vocational Services,
Jewish Community Center and the Oak-
land County Sheriff's Advisory Board.
His real-world experience, along with
his vast network of contacts and the tra-
ditionally Republican positions he holds,
may prove more potent.
As someone who propelled a T-shirt
store into a promotions business not
long after graduating from high school
(Andover High, Class of '88), Urdan is
naturally a pro-business candidate who
wants Michigan to be an easier place for
businesses to operate. He doesn't sup-
port the medical marijuana law passed
by voters, and he supports the privatiza-
tion of government services, citing the
outsourcing of food service operations
in the Oakland County Jail to a private
company.
"One thing I've learned in business is
you've got to cut, cut, cut and then cut
some more. Same goes with big, cum-
bersome government programs," Urdan
said, adding later, "We need to educate
our kids and take care of our seniors."
His campaign platform is still under
construction, said Urdan's campaign
manager, law student Ryan Fishman.
Urdan's current job is director of busi-
ness development for Statewide Disaster
Restoration, a Southfield company run
by his friend Adam Becker.
Urdan's personal back story is quite
harrowing, but he preferred to leave it
off the record. For the record, he lives
with his golden retriever Rocky, whose
photo he produces on his phone. He
has never married. He is the youngest
of four boys who grew up in a house-
hold marked by domestic strife, divorce
and, at times, poverty. He remem-
bers the electricity and water shutoff
notices pasted on their front door. He
remembers folks wondering how a West
Bloomfield kid could be poor. He doesn't
feel sorry for himself, but the experience
has left a mark. It has spooked him and
sensitized him to the plight of people
who've lost their jobs or their homes.
"I want to make sure nobody has to
go through what I went through," Urdan
said.
Fishman believes Urdan has a real
shot at the seat, given Jewish voters'
disenchantment with President Barack
Obama, which could translate into a
vote for a Republican presidential candi-
date next year. "I think this 2012 cycle is
a great time for Bubba, who has so many
friends on both sides, to run. Frankly,
wvvw.redthreacirnagazine.com
the Democratic party has been weak on
Israel," he said.
Yet, the legislative redistricting this
year that changed the boundaries of
the 39th and 40th State House dis-
tricts could dilute the Jewish vote. West
Bloomfield has been split in two so that
the 39th encompasses the west part
of the township and all of Commerce
Township and Wixom. The 40th encom-
passes the east part of West Bloomfield,
the other Bloomfields and Birmingham.
Both districts are majority Republican.
Frank Houston, chairman of the Oak-
land County Democratic Party, called
the redistricting a "hack job" that divides
the Jewish community, a powerful and
reliably Democratic voting bloc.
"With the Jewish community, they
took most of that district and divided
them in half, cutting the influence of
Jewish voters," Houston said.
Democrat Lisa Brown represents the
39th, but her home is now in the 40th,
an area she hasn't represented. She did
not return phone calls seeking comment
about her plans for the next election.
There is yet another unknown and
that is Republican Dave Law, who twice
represented the 39th District as a state
representative and may run again,
Houston said. His base of support is in
Commerce, so if he can get voters there
to back him, he'll win, he said. Law has
not filed as a candidate yet.
Even though Urdan is well respected
and will work hard as a candidate, "if he
had all of West Bloomfield intact versus
the way it's now been fractured, he'd be
an even stronger candidate," Houston
added,
Long after the suits trickled out of
that initial meeting, Urdan invited the
pair of 20-somethings to take a seat
at the lake-sized table. Both said they
came after seeing the announcement on
Urdan's Facebook wall. They'd never laid
eyes on him before then.
"I live in the community and I'm try-
ing to find out what I'm interested in,"
said Scott Ciborowski, a burly fellow
in a T-shirt and shorts. He's 21, lives in
Wixom and takes classes at OCC. He
described himself as an Independent.
"I came to ask certain questions," said
Nicole Trivax, a 22-year-old nursing
student at Madonna University and a
Walled Lake resident.
'As to the economy, I like what
[Urdan's] saying. I'm also interested
in social issues ... Just because we're
younger doesn't mean there's only one
issue — like jobs — that were interested
in." She did not elaborate.
Urdan nodded in agreement, a look of
genuine interest on his face. It was a ges-
ture he will no doubt repeat a thousand
times between now and Election Day. .g.
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