Detroit Regional Chamber > Member News > Auburn Hills’ new mayor is youngest in city’s history

Auburn Hills’ new mayor is youngest in city’s history

November 20, 2013
Auburn Hills, Mich.—Nov. 19, 2013— Auburn Hills announces that Kevin McDaniel has been elected by his peers on the city council to serve as Mayor for a two-year term. McDaniel, 34, is a fourth generation resident of Auburn Hills and the youngest mayor to serve Auburn Hills. He was first sworn in as a city councilman for Auburn Hills in November 2007 at the age of 28 and was most recently re-elected to his second four-year term in November 2011, claiming the highest votes of all candidates. McDaniel succeeds Mayor Jim McDonald, who served as mayor for 12 years and served on the city council since 1989. McDonald did not run for city council re-election.

Auburn Hills is managed under the council/manager form of government, with Pete Auger continuing in the position of city manager. The mayoral role is to serve as the executive officer of the city and the official head of the city for ceremonial purposes, as well as purposes of military law and the service of legal process upon the city. The mayor presides at all city council meetings but speaks and votes in such meetings as any other member of the council.

McDaniel, a healthcare consultant for Pfizer and an Oakland University graduate, received Oakland County Executive L. Brook’s Patterson’s Elite 40 under 40 award earlier this year for his impact on Oakland County. He welcomes the opportunity to serve as mayor.

“I am honored to be chosen to serve as mayor of a city that I care deeply about,” said Mayor McDaniel. “Auburn Hills is a city that has seen great economic development over the past few years and is positioned to continue to grow not only in the commercial realm, but also in residential and educational space. I look forward to working with my fellow council members, city staff, residents and members of our business community to continue making Auburn Hills a great place to live, work and play.”

Also at the Nov. 18 meeting, the city council voted newly re-elected councilman Bob Kittle mayor pro tem. The mayor pro tem steps in when the mayor is unavailable. Kittle succeeds Mayor Pro Tem Maureen Hammond, who served in the role since 2009 and continues as a member of the Auburn Hills city council. Kittle is a long-time Auburn Hills resident and co-founder of MUNETRIX, an internet financial business management software company.

In addition to Kittle, residents of Auburn Hills elected the following four council members to open full-term seats in the Nov. 5 election:
• John S. Burmeister, an Auburn Hills native and 10 year veteran with the Michigan Air National Guard during Desert Storm; Burmeister retired as fire chief of the Auburn Hills Fire Department in 2012.
 Henry V. Knight, an incumbent council member, was elected to the city council for the first time in 1993 and previously spent 22 years on the city’s planning commission; he is retired from General Motors.
 VeRonica Mitchell, who served for the past eight years as a member of the environmental review board as well as the planning and recreation commission and president of the library board of trustees. Mitchell has been employed by GM as an engineer for 17 years.

Based on percentage of votes received, Burmeister, Knight and Mitchell were elected to four-year terms; Kittle was elected to a two-year term.

Scott McAllister and Angela N. River were both elected for six-year, full-term seats on the Library Board. Vickie J. Ellis was elected for Library Board with a term set to expire in 2017; Sean L. Johnson and Toni L. Whitley were elected for two seats on the Library Board with terms set to expire in 2015.

For a full list of the Nov. 5 election results, visit the Oakland County Election Division website.

About Auburn Hills
Celebrating 30 years as a city in 2013, Auburn Hills is home to 21,000 residents and also serves as Michigan’s global business address, with 40 international corporations from 32 countries housed here, including Chrysler Group LLC and Borg Warner headquarters. Auburn Hills’ residents enjoy the amenities of city and suburban living with parks, a revitalized downtown district and a welcoming city complex with a library and community center. Additionally, the city has five colleges and universities, the award winning Palace of Auburn Hills entertainment complex and Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, one of the state’s largest destination shopping centers, providing a variety of cultural, social and educational opportunities to residents, workers and visitors. Learn more at www.auburnhills.org