Steve Bieda

Steve Bieda
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 9th district
In office
January 1, 2011 – January 1, 2019
Preceded byDennis Olshove
Succeeded byPaul Wojno
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 25th district
In office
January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2009
Preceded byGloria Schermesser
Succeeded byJon Switalski
Personal details
Born (1961-01-21) January 21, 1961 (age 63)
Warren, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationWayne State University (BA, MPA, LLM)
University of Detroit (JD)

Steven Marion Bieda (born January 21, 1961) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who is the former Assistant Democratic Floor Leader of the Michigan State Senate.[1]

Bieda has served in the Michigan Senate since 2011, representing the 9th district, which includes the communities of Center Line, Eastpointe, Fraser, Roseville, Warren, and portions of Clinton Township and Grosse Pointe Shores.[2]

In December 2017, Bieda announced he would seek election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, representing Michigan's 9th Congressional District.[2] He ultimately lost the nomination to now incumbent representative Andy Levin. In February 2023 Bieda was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the 37th District Court in Warren, Michigan.

Early life, education, and career

Bieda was raised in Warren, Michigan, and attended Cousino High School.[3]

He received his bachelor's degree and Masters in Public Administration from Wayne State University, and later earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law as well as a Master of Laws in taxation from Wayne State University Law School.[4]

Before seeking public office, Bieda worked as the Director of Labor Relations for the City of Warren, and as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Michigan House of Representatives.[3]

Michigan House of Representatives

In 2002, Bieda was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives for the 25th District.

His first term as State Representative, Bieda voted against a 2004 measure banning same-sex marriage in Michigan, which caused pundits to rank him as one of the three most vulnerable members of the House.[5]

He went on to be re-elected in 2004 and 2006.[6]

Michigan State Senate

Bieda was elected to the Michigan State Senate in November 2010, and was re-elected in November 2014.[7]

Bieda has sponsored and passed more than 50 bills and public acts, in addition to co-sponsoring hundreds of others, as he's served in both the majority and minority during his tenure.[5]

In Lansing, Bieda is known as a "policy wonk"[8] and is noted to have "an ability to work with Republicans in the legislature; he finally got them to pass a law to pay compensation to innocent people who were wrongly convicted and imprisoned."[9]

Governor Whitmer appointed Mr. Bieda as Chairman of the Michigan Tax Tribunal within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

Personal life

Bieda designed the reverse side of the U.S. Olympic Half Dollar that was issued in 1992. His design is an image of the Olympic torch and an olive branch. The inscriptions above and below read "United States of America" and "Half Dollar". A central inscription reads "Citius Altius Fortius" which is Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger".[10]

Electoral history[11]

2002 Michigan House of Representatives, District 25
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Steve Bieda 16,910 56.74
Republican Keith Sadowski 12,893 43.26
Total votes 29,803 100.00
2004 Michigan House of Representatives, District 25
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Steve Bieda 25,497 61.05
Republican Michael Wiecek 16,269 38.95
Total votes 41,766 100.00
2006 Michigan House of Representatives, District 25
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Steve Bieda 22,633 67.40
Republican Cecil D. St. Pierre Jr. 10,151 30.23
Libertarian Michael Brylewski 794 2.36
Total votes 33,578 100.00
2010 Michigan State Senate, District 9
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Steve Bieda 42,039 54.34
Republican Michael Ennis 33,258 42.99
Green Richard Kuszmar 2,072 2.68
Total votes 77,369 100.00
2014 Michigan State Senate, District 9
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Steve Bieda 48,146 67.96
Republican Hawke Fracassa 22,699 32.04
Total votes 70,845 100.00

References

  1. ^ "Leadership". www.senate.michigan.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  2. ^ a b "Bieda announces candidacy for Levin's congressional seat". Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  3. ^ a b "About Senator Bieda".
  4. ^ "MIRS News - Biographical Profile - Bieda, Steven". mirsnews.com. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  5. ^ a b "About Steve". Steve Bieda for Congress. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  6. ^ "Steven Bieda, Dem". Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  7. ^ "Steven Bieda - Ballotpedia". Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  8. ^ "It's Andy Levin vs. Steve Bieda (so far) for Congressman Levin's seat - Politically Speaking". Politically Speaking. 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  9. ^ Lessenberry, Jack. "Why Michigan needs the 'law of the jungle'". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  10. ^ "1992 Olympic Half Dollar Commemorative Coin". moderncommemoratives.com. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  11. ^ "SOS - Previous Election Information". www.michigan.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-31.