Democrat Natalie Price Announces Campaign Launch For Michigan’s New House District 5
BERKLEY, Mich. (April 21, 2022) – Current Berkley Councilmember Natalie Price announces she will be running for state representative in Michigan’s newly-formed House District 5 (HD5), which includes parts of Berkley, Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Detroit, Oak Park, Royal Oak, and Southfield.
“I will bring my perspectives as a municipal leader, a former teacher, and a hardworking mom as I step into the fights to increase progressive values in House District 5,” says Price. “As the only candidate in this district that is currently serving in an elected office, my experience is unique and I think I’m poised to create real change here.”
As a current councilmember for the city of Berkley, Price serves as council liaison to the Library Board, Beautification Advisory Committee, and Citizens Engagement Advisory Committee. Price also championed a successful effort to expand Berkley’s Non-discrimination Policy. She is also an active participant in the Michigan Municipal League’s (MML) Elected Officials Academy and was recently given their Education Award.
“I’m very proud of my work in Berkley, but I understand the weight of representing the entire district,” adds Price. “The boundary lines of the new districts are historical, not only because they represent the end of partisan gerrymandering in Michigan but also because many of the metro-Detroit districts include both Oakland and Wayne Counties. This forces us to think and act regionally on all issues and to recognize that the democratic progress that benefits Detroit directly benefits Birmingham. We rise up together.”
Price has already accumulated an impressive list of endorsements, including former state senator and Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame inductee Gilda Jacobs, Berkley Mayor Dan Terbrack, and Oak Park Mayor Marian McClellan, and former state representative and current Oakland County Treasurer Robert Wittenberg.
“I’m happy to endorse Natalie Price for state representative,” says Wittenberg. “She serves in the district, lives in the district, and has always been a champion for all of her constituents. She will bring a much-needed voice to Lansing.”
Price grew up in a large Irish-Catholic family in Toledo, Ohio. She lived less than a mile away from her paternal grandparents and was very inspired by her Grandma Marie. Marie was a community organizer and she knew everyone in town, their skills/abilities and needs, and her landline was constantly ringing as she connected people with each other and helped solve their problems.
Following her grandmother’s example, Price has a history of stepping up when needed. When her family moved to Berkley, she tried to sign her kids up for a Parent-Tot class at the community center, but they didn’t have a teacher for the program, so she stepped up to teach. When she joined the MOMS Club and they didn’t have someone to organize the service projects, she stepped up to become their Administrative Vice President. When a local church wanted to build a free play space for caregivers to bring children under 5 years old, she stepped up to co-create The Backyard Playroom. Berkley’s Communications Advisory Committee was defunct, so she stepped up to chair the Citizen’s Engagement Advisory Committee. And in 2019 when Berkley needed a progressive candidate with a community-building approach, she stepped up to that challenge too.
Price, and her husband Jacob, live in Berkley with their two young children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Classics from Vassar College and a master’s degree in English Studies from the University of Exeter, UK.
“I have a big agenda and Lansing better get ready,” adds Price. “I will fight for regional collaboration, education, ending gun violence, inclusion and equity for all, healthcare including women’s reproductive rights, and a clean and safe environment.”
