Politics & Government

Farmington Hills Resident Announces 37th District Candidacy

Oakland Schools board vice president Theresa Rich wants to fill State Rep. Vicki Barnett's term-limited seat in 2014.

The race to fill State Rep. Vicki Barnett's seat in the Michigan House began this week, as Farmington Hills resident Theresa Rich announced her candidacy.

Barnett, a Democrat, is in her third and final term. The election to fill her seat will be held in November, 2014. 

In a press release, Rich, also a Democrat, said she believes it is important "for another strong woman with depth in strategy and policy" to represent the 37th District, which includes Farmington and Farmington Hills. 

Rich, who has lived in Farmington Hills for over 20 years, is current vice president of the Oakland Schools board of education and has served in leadership positions on over a dozen community boards, councils and commissions. She holds a Ph.D. and is the author of Staying Sane in Crazy Times, a motivational book that helps people achieve their best, no matter what craziness is going on. 

Find out what's happening in Farmington-Farmington Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With her teen daughter Alyson, Rich co-authored a children’s book about resilience called Bretta Bunny Bounces Back.

In the release, Rich noted her platform is "creating a safe community to improve the quality of life for all, from our children to our seniors."

Find out what's happening in Farmington-Farmington Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"This needs to be our community for a lifetime, where our kids want to come back to and raise their families, not be just the place where they grew up," she said. 

A Benton Harbor native, Rich holds an Associate’s degree from Lake Michigan Community College, Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Business Administration from Grand Valley State University, and two law degrees from Wayne State University. She has served as adjunct faculty for both Michigan State University and Wayne State University.

Rich has spent her career with General Motors and currently leads the global training and professional development team for GM’s employees around the world.

Learn more on her campaign website, richforrep.com


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Farmington-Farmington Hills