Chris Kolb
State Representative Chris Kolb represents the 53rd District, which encompasses the City of Ann Arbor. He is currently in his second term in the Michigan House of Representatives. Prior to his tenure in the House, Chris served four terms on the Ann Arbor City Council and was Mayor Pro-tem from 1994 through 2000. He also previously served as a Legislative Aide to State Representative John P. Hansen.
For the 2003-2004 legislative session, Chris has been appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, which will be charged with the daunting task of preparing Michigan's budget. He has been named Vice-Chair of the Family Independence Agency Subcommittee and serves on the Higher Education and Department of Corrections Subcommittees.
During his first term, Chris fought to keep Michigan's air, water, and land free from harmful pollution and hazardous waste. As the ranking Democrat on the House Land Use and Environment Committee, Chris introduced legislation that promoted smart growth, land preservation, and flexible land use policies that enable residents and communities to meet their own unique challenges. Chris' Open Space Preservation legislation was signed into law by the Governor. Many of his land use ideas and legislation were developed from a Democratic House Land Use Task Force that Chris chaired. As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education, Chris fought to keep tuition at state universities as low as possible and ensure that the state continued to invest in higher education. He introduced legislation to increase Michigan's minimum wage and has advocated for stronger consumer protection laws. Chris also introduced legislation that would add sexual orientation to the list of characteristics covered under the state's Ethnic Intimidation Act. Chris has fought to ensure that every Michigan resident has access to quality, affordable health care, no matter their economic status.
Chris has more than 12 years of experience in the environmental management and compliance field. He specialized in solid waste management, waste reduction and recycling, environmental permitting, worker safety training, and project management.
Representative Kolb has a long and varied civic service record. He has served on the Michigan Municipal League's Transportation and Environmental Committee; the Washtenaw County Solid Waste Planning Commission; and served as Co-Chair of the Affordable Housing Task Force. His volunteer service is extensive, including many environmental, HIV/AIDS, civic and human rights, youth, hunger, gay/lesbian, housing, health care, veterans, and church organizations.