Kevin McNamara announces candidacy for VBT supervisor

Kevin M. McNamara, the former Wayne County Commissioner of District 11, has declared his candidacy for Van Buren Township supervisor. He officially filed his petitions on April 15.
McNamara said he is running on a strong, results-oriented platform that will add businesses and jobs to Van Buren Township and make it a “go to” place to live, work, and play.
“The possibilities here are greater than our challenges,” he said. “I’m not just asking for Van Buren Township residents’ vote, I’m asking for participation in a social movement that will change this township for the better.”
McNamara’s platform has five points:
• Business Attraction. Develop robust and sustainable attraction and retention programs that support businesses and get them to start and stay in Van Buren Township. Those efforts will fill vacant properties and build a strong tax based made up of quality business developments within established business corridors, which respect our residential neighborhoods.
• Asset Management. Quickly develop an aggressive strategy that ensures Van Buren Township captures its share of the venture capital funds needed to support the American Center Mobility (driverless car) project at Willow Run Airport.
• Destination. Make the Van Buren community a “go to” not a “drive by” destination by implementing a strategy to brand and grow local tourism that will augment the township’s revenue base.
• Transparent and Sound Governance. Balance the budget, create an environment of innovation and transformation, and ensure transparency within a civil environment that encourages community participation and collaboration.
• A United Community. A United Approach. Work closely with all Van Buren Township residents, business, civic and community associations to create and implement a shared vision regarding education, economic and community development initiatives.
“I’m a results-oriented leader, who understands the complexities of issues and opportunities in Van Buren Township,” McNamara said. “Given our natural assets, our residents should not be saddled with debt. We must work our way through our township’s financial challenges and seize the development opportunities associated with our runways, waterways, highways, pathways, and acres of agriculture.
“There are endless possibilities ahead of us,” he said. “I have the knowledge, experience and relationships to turn those possibilities into realities.”
A bold leader, McNamara has earned the trust of Van Buren Township and Wayne County residents. He has been re-elected as Wayne County Commissioner for District 11 four times since 2006 and is the only county official who balanced a budget in the past 12 years.
McNamara Biography
During his time as Wayne County Commissioner, McNamara chaired the Youth Services Committee, which was created to oversee Head Start, juvenile justice, indigent childcare and the juvenile courts. He also served as chairman of the Committee on Public Services, where he was responsible for oversight on the county’s roads, bridges, and parks and recreation operations. He also was a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Public Safety Committee, Technology Task Force, and the Transparency in Wayne County Task Force.
McNamara served as chair on the Executive Finance Committee at SEMCOG, Southeast Michigan’s regional planning agency, overseeing consecutive years of balanced budgets and a strong rainy day fund. He is also active on committees that oversee transportation and infrastructure projects.
As current chairman of the Wayne County Head Start Board, he has been instrumental in ensuring five consecutive years of a balanced budget for thousands of pre-school, at-risk children.
He also chaired the Wayne County Airport Authority audit committee and spearheaded free Wi-Fi for travelers at no cost to the authority.
Prior to his election as Wayne County commissioner, McNamara was a member of the Schoolcraft College Board of Trustees where he was secretary and on the audit committee.
In addition to his public service, McNamara served on the board of directors of the McNamara Scholarship Fund, which provides more than $1 million in tuition assistance for Wayne County residents.
He also contributes to organizations including the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce, Detroit Historical Society, Homes for Our Troops, Lions Club, Most Holy Trinity Church, Wayne Chamber of Commerce, and Wayne Rotary.
McNamara is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education program for “Senior Executives in State and Local Government” and will receive his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn on May 1. He currently holds an associate’s degree in math and science from that university.
McNamara lives in Van Buren Township with his wife Aida and has two children, Cullan and Jamie.