Updated: Ned Staebler announces candidacy for Michigan House of Representatives in the 53rd District

Posted on Fri, Oct 2, 2009 : 11:50 a.m.

Ann Arbor resident Ned Staebler, a vice president of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, announced today that he's running for the Michigan House of Representatives in the 53rd District.

Staebler will be running in the Democratic primary to succeed Rebekah Warren, who is running for the state senate.

"I ran because I don’t believe that things in Michigan are currently headed in the right direction," he told AnnArbor.com this afternoon. "I think that it’s time for a new generation of leaders to take a stand and help Michigan get back on track. Unfortunately, right now we have deep and structural problems that will require commitment in order to ensure long-term solutions. I think that I’m part of that generation that can make that change."

The seat 53rd District seat is currently held by Warren, a Democrat who was first elected to the seat in 2006.

Staebler, a Democrat, is chairman of the Ann Arbor Housing and Human Services Advisory Board, serves on the distribution committee of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, and was involved in the founding of the Ann Arbor Social Capital Fund - a group of local residents dedicated to supporting human service agencies in Ann Arbor through both philanthropy and public service.

Staebler currently serves the the vice president of Capital Access and Business Acceleration at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, where he oversees efforts to increase the availability of capital for companies in Michigan and manages the state’s portfolio of direct investments in entrepreneurial ventures.

If elected, Staebler said he would fight to protect scholarships and increase mass transit in urban areas.

"I think that it’s important to continue working for higher education because it’s imperative to continue having the talented workforce currently in Michigan and to ensure the best people emerge in the 21st century in the workforce," he said. "I want to continue working for green jobs and the protection of the environment. I want to create a real urban policy that I believe is solely lacking right now."

Staebler lives in Ann Arbor’s Fourth Ward with his wife Annie, a veterinarian at the Ann Arbor Hospital, and their 2-year old son Teddy.

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