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Andy Levin
Plans To Run

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

C

lean energy entrepreneur and former state official
Andy Levin (D) announced that he will run for the
Ninth Congressional District for Congress, hoping to
win his father Sander Levin’s seat and pick up on his leg-
acy of championing economic and social opportunities for
the average American worker and promoting a community
of inclusivity for Macomb and Oakland counties.
Levin is president and found-
er of Levin Energy Partners,
which develops private-public
partnerships for clean energy
initiatives as well as president
and founder of Lean and Green
Michigan, a public/private ini-
tiative that helps finance ener-
gy efficiency and renewable
energy projects in Michigan.
He previously worked as
a deputy in the Michigan
Department of Energy, Labor
and Economic Growth and was
elevated to acting director in
2010 during the final months of
the tenure of former Democratic
Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Levin
also served as the state’s chief workforce officer and cre-
ated the “No Worker Left Behind” initiative to train unem-
ployed residents for new jobs in the Great Recession.
Upon his father’s announcing his retirement, Levin
reflected upon the vast legacy of his father, describing him
as a “general on the battlefield” championing the causes
that are most dear to his constituents, such as the pres-
ervation of Medicare and Social Security and affordable
healthcare.
He said in his remaining 13 months in office his father
will continue fighting for the issues that have always been
important to his constituents.
“Though he knows he will not see the world perfected to
a just order, he is not discouraged,” Levin said. “There is an
energy that has been unleashed after the election of Donald
Trump, and in his remaining time in Congress, he will do battle
for the issues he has always fought for as a general of old
will do, with a sword drawn right there on the field. And after-
wards, he is excited that he will spend the next chapter of his
career with the next generation of leaders who can carry on
his legacy to shape public policy.”
Levin said when it comes to the economy, his mission
is to show that no matter where the political scale has slid
in Macomb County — from “Reagan Democrats” in the
1980s to once-Obama supporters that turned to vote for
Donald Trump in 2016, a new movement of “bottom-up
economics” has to take hold, because for 40 years, trickle-
down economics has only caused a greater divide between
America’s haves and have-nots.
“Louis Brandeis once said that a country can either have
a democracy or great wealth in the hands of the few, but
not both,” Levin said. “Trickle-down economics did not
work under Reagan and the newly passed tax bill will only
exacerbate the disparity of uneven wealth distribution. I am
excited to lead a new generation of activists that will build
an inclusive economy that leads to prosperity for Oakland
and Macomb counties.” •

12

December 7 • 2017

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“He has been a role model in the kind of person you
want to represent you at the state and local level.”

— BERRY LEPLER

his top priority every day he
serves, said U.S. Sen. Debbie
Stabenow, D-Mich., in a writ-
ten statement.
“He has also been a won-
derful partner and a true
friend. It has been my honor
to work alongside Sandy
Levin on behalf of Michigan
Debbie Stabenow
families,” she wrote.
Retired U.S. Sen. Carl Levin
commended his brother for
his decades-long presence as the “voice of rea-
son” in the House of Representatives, empha-
sizing his commitment to creating a feeling
of community in his district.
He said this stems from their
parent’s strong rootedness
in Jewish values — that they
should be committed to the
Jewish community but then
“care for something bigger
than yourself ” — and these
values shaped their deci-
Carl Levin
sions to serve in government
and champion social issues.
“Sandy has been in the middle of the great
[political] battles of our age and always fought
for the average citizen, from advocating for
universal health care to fair trade policies to
saving the American auto industry,” Sen. Levin
said. “At a time when there is so much cyni-
cism, he has maintained his steadfast belief
in the importance of public service. He will
continue this service into his last year in office
and will labor to modify the extreme position
that has been taken by the Trump administra-
tion. Then, he will share his experiences to
inspire the next generation of leaders at the
University of Michigan.”
Jewish community officials from the Joint
Action Committee for Political Affairs to
the Jewish Community Relations Council/
American Jewish Congress praised Rep. Levin
for his demonstrated passion and commitment
to issues that affect Jews and the wider local
community in the House of Representatives.
“Rep. Levin has been a loyal supporter of
JAC’s issues: a strong U.S.-Israel relationship,
reproductive freedom and the separation of
religion and state. He embodies the principles
of tikkun olam — repairing the world. JAC has
been honored to call Rep. Levin our friend and
we wish him well as he begins the next chapter
of his life,” a statement read.
“Sandy has consistently supported a strong
U.S-Israel relationship, and stood up on behalf
of Jewish Americans and Jews around the
world,” David Kurzmann, JCRC/AJC executive
director said. “He has tirelessly defended the
rights of American workers, fought to provide
access to affordable healthcare and to maintain
Medicare and Social Security. We wish him all

the best in the next chapter
of his remarkable life.”
At a private annual holi-
day party at his Royal Oak
home on Sunday evening,
Levin greeted guests from
the different chapters of his
life. Some were old neigh-
bors from when his family
David Kurzmann
lived in Berkley, others were
staff members and others
thanked Levin for giving
them the start to their careers by interning in
his local or Washington, D.C. offices.
One government official who got his politi-
cal start this way in 1994 is Oakland County
Treasurer Andy Meisner of Huntington Woods.
“Getting the chance to spend the summer
in my local congressman’s office was a very
formative experience for me,” Meisner said.
“I was very inspired by Congressman Levin’s
brilliance and insight into policy analysis. He
has an incredible ability to get at the heart of a
policy challenge. That intellectual firepower, I
thought, was really special.
“I also found Congressman
Levin to have incomparable
integrity. There might be
people who disagreed with
him on issues, but there
was never a Levin scandal;
there was a never a question
about Congressman Levin
Andy Meisner
trying to benefit himself. His
behavior in public office was
always beyond reproach and provided a fan-
tastic example for not only his colleagues but
younger guys like me who were just getting
into public service.”
Barry Lepler, 75, of Huntington Woods, a
retired social studies teacher in the Berkley
School District who taught some of Levin’s
children and who worked
on many Democratic cam-
paigns, including Levin’s,
said the soon-to-be retired
congressman is the embodi-
ment of what it means to be
in public service.
“For Sandy, public service
always came first,” Lepler
Barry Lepler
said. “He cared deeply and
understood completely the
responsibility of what it
means to serve the public and conducted him-
self with great integrity. He set an example for
all those who worked with him, he served us
fully in Washington and if you had a problem
or an issue you wanted to take up with him,
he and his staff were available and accessible
both here in in the capital. He has been a role
model in the kind of person you want to repre-
sent you at the state and national level.” •

