Margaret O'Brien (politician): Difference between revisions

Margaret O'Brien
Margaret O'Brien
	O'Brien in 2014
Member of the Michigan Senate; from the 20th district
	In office; January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2018
Preceded by	Tonya Schuitmaker
Succeeded by	Sean McCann
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives; from the 61st district
	In office; January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2014
Preceded by	Larry Deshazor
Succeeded by	Brandt Iden
Personal details
Born	November 20, 1973 (age 50); Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Nick O'Brien
Children	4
Residence(s)	Portage, Michigan, U.S.
Alma mater	Michigan State University

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Margaret O'Brien (born November 20, 1973) is a former member of the Michigan Senate and the Michigan House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, she represented a district based in Kalamazoo.^[1]

Early life[edit]

O'Brien was born in Kalamazoo County to Richard and Katheleen (Crawford) Wilson. Her childhood was spent on dairy farms with her three brothers, first in Pavilion Township and then in Texas Township.

She attended Fulton and Indian Lake Elementary Schools in Vicksburg and graduated in 1991 from Mattawan High School, where she excelled in track and field and cross country. The women's track record for the 3200-meter relay, set in 1991, is still held by O'Brien and her teammates. In 1996, she earned a bachelor's degree in international relations from James Madison College at Michigan State University.

From 1995 to 2003, O'Brien was a social worker with Catholic Family Services. She then worked as a real estate agent at RE/MAX Advantage and served on the City Council of Portage, Michigan from 2003 to 2010. She lives in Portage with her husband and four children.

Political career[edit]

O'Brien was first elected to the Michigan House in 2010 and became active on private property rights, education reform,^[2] adoption, and direct access to physical therapy. She was twice unanimously elected as associate speaker pro tem and often presided over sessions of the House.

In 2014, she was elected to represent the 20th district in the Michigan Senate, defeating Democratic nominee Sean McCann and Libertarian nominee Lorence Wenke.^[3] In the Senate, she was unanimously elected as assistant president pro tem and again frequently presided over sessions. She worked on bills to ensure the rights of people with service animals,^[4] to provide state IDs to the homeless, to protect victims of domestic violence,^[5] to enact safe passing distances for vulnerable roadway users,^[6] and to train caregivers of seniors and people with disabilities.^[7]

O'Brien is known for her work to change Michigan's sexual assault laws in the aftermath of the Larry Nassar scandal, alongside advocates including Rachael Denhollander, Aly Raisman, Amanda Thomashow, Sterling Reithman, and Larissa Boyce.^[8]^[9]^[10]

In 2018, she lost a rematch with McCann.^[11] In January 2019, she was elected as secretary of the Michigan Senate, only the second woman to have held that post.

References[edit]

^ "State Senator Margaret O'Brien" (PDF). Michigan Legislature.
^ Pratt, Chastity (December 5, 2014). "Teacher evaluation bills aim to improve performance". www.bridgemi.com. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
^ Mitchell, Alex (November 5, 2014). "Close 20th District state Senate race has candidates waiting on absentee-ballot count". MLive.com.
^ "New Law Helps Ensure Access to Public Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities and their Service Animals". Michigan Department of Civil Rights. January 13, 2016. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
^ Oosting, Jonathan (May 15, 2018). "Victim confidentiality plan would shield addresses". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
^ "Legislature expected to finalize bike safety bills". WIN 98.5. June 10, 2018. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
^ Hornbeck, Mark (April 14, 2016). "Governor signs the CARE Act". AARP Michigan. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
^ Gray, Kathleen (February 26, 2018). "Gymnasts to join lawmakers Monday to unveil bills aimed at stopping sexual abuse". Detroit Free Press.
^ Jordan, Aaron (May 9, 2018). "Survivor testimony continues over Nassar-inspired bills". WLNS 6 News. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
^ LeBlanc, Beth; Oosting, Jonathan (June 12, 2018). "Michigan gives sexual assault victims more time to press charges, sue". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
^ Devereaux, Brad (November 7, 2018). "Democrat Sean McCann beats GOP state Sen. Margaret O'Brien". MLive.com.

External links[edit]

[1] "State Senator Margaret O'Brien" (PDF). Michigan Legislature.

[2] Pratt, Chastity (December 5, 2014). "Teacher evaluation bills aim to improve performance". www.bridgemi.com. Retrieved 2023-01-16.

[3] Mitchell, Alex (November 5, 2014). "Close 20th District state Senate race has candidates waiting on absentee-ballot count". MLive.com.

[4] "New Law Helps Ensure Access to Public Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities and their Service Animals". Michigan Department of Civil Rights. January 13, 2016. Retrieved 2023-01-16.

[5] Oosting, Jonathan (May 15, 2018). "Victim confidentiality plan would shield addresses". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-01-16.

[6] "Legislature expected to finalize bike safety bills". WIN 98.5. June 10, 2018. Retrieved 2023-01-16.

[7] Hornbeck, Mark (April 14, 2016). "Governor signs the CARE Act". AARP Michigan. Retrieved 2023-01-16.

[8] Gray, Kathleen (February 26, 2018). "Gymnasts to join lawmakers Monday to unveil bills aimed at stopping sexual abuse". Detroit Free Press.

[9] Jordan, Aaron (May 9, 2018). "Survivor testimony continues over Nassar-inspired bills". WLNS 6 News. Retrieved 2023-01-16.

[10] LeBlanc, Beth; Oosting, Jonathan (June 12, 2018). "Michigan gives sexual assault victims more time to press charges, sue". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-01-16.

[11] Devereaux, Brad (November 7, 2018). "Democrat Sean McCann beats GOP state Sen. Margaret O'Brien". MLive.com.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American politician}}
+{{For|the actress|Margaret O'Brien}}
 {{Infobox officeholder
  | honorific-prefix =
  | name         = Margaret O'Brien
  | honorific-suffix =
- | image        = Margaret O'Brien speaking (12106734856).jpg
+ | image        = Margaret O'Brien speaking (12106734856) (cropped).jpg
- | caption = Margaret O'Brien speaking in January 2014
+ | caption = O'Brien in 2014
  | alt          =
  | state_senate =  Michigan
- | district     =  20th
+ | district     =  [[Michigan's 20th Senate district|20th]]
  | term_start   =  January 1, 2015
  | term_end     =  December 31, 2018
@@ Line 13: / Line 15: @@
  | successor    =  [[Sean McCann (politician)|Sean McCann]]
  | state_house2  =  Michigan
- | district2     =  61st
+ | district2     =  [[Michigan's 61st House of Representatives district|61st]]
  | term_start2   =  January 1, 2011
  | term_end2     =  December 31, 2014
@@ Line 33: / Line 35: @@
  | partner         =  <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married-->
  | relations       =
- | children        = 2: Samantha and Tyjon
+ | children        = 4
  | parents         =  <!-- overrides mother and father parameters -->
  | mother          =  <!-- may be used (optionally with father parameter) in place of parents parameter (displays "Parent(s)" as label) -->
@@ Line 90: / Line 92: @@
  | footnotes       =
 }}
-'''Margaret O'Brien''' (born November 20, 1973) is a former member of the [[Michigan Senate]] and former member of the [[Michigan House of Representatives]]. She is a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]].  Her district was based in [[Kalamazoo, Michigan]].
+'''Margaret O'Brien''' (born November 20, 1973) is a former member of the [[Michigan Senate]] and the [[Michigan House of Representatives]]. A member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], she represented a district based in [[Kalamazoo, Michigan|Kalamazoo]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Senator Margaret O'Brien |url=http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(ewxg3qlogu2dk3w3o0kuwxwn))/documents/2017-2018/michiganmanual/2017-MM-P0157-p0157.pdf |website=Michigan Legislature}}</ref>
+== Early life ==
-O'Brien has a bachelor's degree from [[Michigan State University]]. Prior to her election to the state house in 2010 she worked as a social worker with Catholic Family Services.
+O'Brien was born in [[Kalamazoo County, Michigan|Kalamazoo County]] to Richard and Katheleen (Crawford) Wilson. Her childhood was spent on dairy farms with her three brothers, first in [[Pavilion Township, Michigan|Pavilion Township]] and then in [[Texas Charter Township, Michigan|Texas Township]].
+She attended Fulton and Indian Lake Elementary Schools in [[Vicksburg, Michigan|Vicksburg]] and graduated in 1991 from [[Mattawan High School]], where she excelled in [[track and field]] and [[Cross country running|cross country]]. The women's track record for the 3200-meter relay, set in 1991, is still held by O'Brien and her teammates. In 1996, she earned a bachelor's degree in international relations from James Madison College at [[Michigan State University]].
-In 2014, O'Brien ran against and defeated [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] nominee [[Sean McCann (politician)|Sean McCann]] and [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] nominee [[Lorence Wenke]] for the 20th district seat in the [[Michigan Senate]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/11/absentee_ballots_likely_to_dec.html|title=Close 20th District state Senate race has candidates waiting on absentee-ballot count|work=MLive.com}}</ref>
+From 1995 to 2003, O'Brien was a social worker with Catholic Family Services. She then worked as a real estate agent at [[RE/MAX]] Advantage and served on the City Council of [[Portage, Michigan]] from 2003 to 2010. She lives in Portage with her husband and four children.
-In 2018, she lost to [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] nominee [[Sean McCann (politician)|Sean McCann]] for the 20th district seat in the [[Michigan Senate]]. <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2018/11/michigans_20th_senate_district.html|title=Democrat Sean McCann beats GOP state Sen. Margaret O'Brien|work=MLive.com}}</ref>
+== Political career ==
+O'Brien was first elected to the Michigan House in 2010 and became active on private property rights, education reform,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pratt |first=Chastity |date=December 5, 2014 |title=Teacher evaluation bills aim to improve performance |url=https://www.bridgemi.com/talent-education/teacher-evaluation-bills-aim-improve-performance |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=www.bridgemi.com |language=en}}</ref> adoption, and direct access to physical therapy. She was twice unanimously elected as associate speaker pro tem and often presided over sessions of the House.
+In 2014, she was elected to represent the [[Michigan's 20th Senate district|20th district]] in the [[Michigan Senate]], defeating [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee [[Sean McCann (politician)|Sean McCann]] and [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]] nominee [[Lorence Wenke]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Mitchell |first=Alex |date=November 5, 2014 |title=Close 20th District state Senate race has candidates waiting on absentee-ballot count |work=MLive.com |url=http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/11/absentee_ballots_likely_to_dec.html}}</ref> In the Senate, she was unanimously elected as assistant president pro tem and again frequently presided over sessions. She worked on bills to ensure the rights of people with [[service animal]]s,<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 13, 2016 |title=New Law Helps Ensure Access to Public Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities and their Service Animals |url=https://www.michigan.gov/mdcr/news/releases/2016/01/13/new-disabilities-law |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=Michigan Department of Civil Rights |language=en}}</ref> to provide state IDs to the homeless, to protect victims of domestic violence,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oosting |first=Jonathan |date=May 15, 2018 |title=Victim confidentiality plan would shield addresses |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/15/michigan-victim-confidentiality-bill/34944497/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=The Detroit News |language=en-US}}</ref> to enact safe passing distances for vulnerable roadway users,<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=June 10, 2018 |title=Legislature expected to finalize bike safety bills |url=https://wincountry.com/2018/06/10/legislature-expected-to-finalize-bike-safety-bills/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=WIN 98.5 |language=en}}</ref> and to train caregivers of seniors and people with disabilities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hornbeck |first=Mark |date=April 14, 2016 |title=Governor signs the CARE Act |url=https://states.aarp.org/michigan/governor-signs-the-care-act |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=AARP Michigan |language=english}}</ref>
+O'Brien is known for her work to change Michigan's sexual assault laws in the aftermath of the [[Larry Nassar]] scandal, alongside advocates including [[Rachael Denhollander]], [[Aly Raisman]], Amanda Thomashow, Sterling Reithman, and Larissa Boyce.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Kathleen |date=February 26, 2018 |title=Gymnasts to join lawmakers Monday to unveil bills aimed at stopping sexual abuse |url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/02/26/gymnasts-lawmakers-bills-stopping-sexual-abuse/368510002/ |access-date= |website=Detroit Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jordan |first=Aaron |date=May 9, 2018 |title=Survivor testimony continues over Nassar-inspired bills |url=https://www.wlns.com/news/survivor-testimony-continues-over-nassar-inspired-bills/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=WLNS 6 News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=LeBlanc |first=Beth |last2=Oosting |first2=Jonathan |date=June 12, 2018 |title=Michigan gives sexual assault victims more time to press charges, sue |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/06/12/michigan-nassar-sexual-assault-limits/696126002/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=The Detroit News |language=en-US}}</ref>
+In 2018, she lost a rematch with McCann.<ref>{{cite news |last=Devereaux |first=Brad |date=November 7, 2018 |title=Democrat Sean McCann beats GOP state Sen. Margaret O'Brien |work=MLive.com |url=https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2018/11/michigans_20th_senate_district.html}}</ref> In January 2019, she was elected as secretary of the Michigan Senate, only the second woman to have held that post.
-In January of 2018, she was elected as Secretary of the Michigan State Senate, only the 2nd woman to have held that post. She is the 4th person from Kalamazoo County to hold this position.
 ==References==
-{{reflist}}
+{{Reflist}}
 ==External links==
 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20141006041131/http://gophouse.org/representatives/southwest/obrien/ State House bio of O'Brien]
 *[http://votesmart.org/candidate/76335/margaret-obrien#.VADdxWcg-1s Vote Smart profile of O'Brien]
-http://www.senate.mi.gov/sos.html<ref></ref>
+{{Authority control}}
-{{Michigan State Senators}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Margaret}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Margaret}}
 [[Category:1973 births]]
 [[Category:Living people]]
-[[Category:Members of the Michigan House of Representatives]]
+[[Category:Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives]]
 [[Category:Michigan State University alumni]]
-[[Category:Michigan Republicans]]
 [[Category:People from Portage, Michigan]]
-[[Category:Michigan state senators]]
+[[Category:Republican Party Michigan state senators]]
 [[Category:Women state legislators in Michigan]]
-[[Category:21st-century American politicians]]
+[[Category:21st-century American legislators]]
 [[Category:21st-century American women politicians]]

Authority control databases
International	VIAF WorldCat
National	United States