Nancy R. De Boer is an American politician from Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in the 2022 election from 86th district.[1]
Nancy De Boer | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 86th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Albert |
| Mayor of Holland | |
| In office November 9, 2015 – November 1, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Vande Vusse |
| Succeeded by | Nathan Bocks |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Grand Rapids, Michigan |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Holland, Michigan |
| Alma mater | Calvin College |
Early life and career edit
De Boer has a bachelor's degree in secondary education from Calvin University.[2]
Before entering local politics, De Boer was a schoolteacher,[3] teaching English at Holland Christian High School.[4]
City politics edit
She then spent 14 years on the Holland, Michigan City Council,[2] the first ten years as an at-large councilmember (2005–2015) and the last four years as mayor (2015–2019).[2][3]
In 2011, De Boer voted against an anti-discrimination measure, which would gave protections against discrimination against LGBT persons in housing and employment; the proposal failed in a 5–4 vote in the Council.[5] In 2019, De Boer again opposed proposals to expand the city's anti-discrimination ordinance to protect LGBT protections; the measure was passed in 2020.[4]
De Boer became mayor in 2015 after defeating incumbent Bob VandeVusse, 52%–48%.[6] During city debates on renovation of Holland's 62-year-old Civic Center; De Boer favored a more ambitious $12 million project, but this proposal was rejected by a 5–3 vote in July 2016, with the Council opting instead of a smaller $10 million project, prompting De Boer to express disappointment.[7] In 2017, De Boer narrowly won another two-year term as mayor by a 126-vote margin, defeating Councilman Jay Peters.[6] In November 2019, she was defeated in a bid for reelection,[2] losing to Nathan Bocks.[4]
De Boer was the assistant director of She Leads Michigan and She Leads America, organizations of Christian women.[2]
Michigan House of Representatives edit
In 2022, De Boer ran for state House in District 86,[2] an open seat created during the 2020 redistricting cycle.[4] District 86 encompasses all of the City of Holland, Park Township, and Laketown Township, as well as part of Holland Charter Township.[4]
In the Republican primary election, she faced Seth Getz, the owner of a marketing firm.[2] During the 2022 primary, De Boer refused to answer questions regarding Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 election; by contrast, Getz accepted the legitimacy of the election.[8]
In March 2023, De Boer voted against a bill to expand the 1973 Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; she also introduced unsuccessful amendments to water down the bill.[9] Later the same year, De Boer voted against a bill to ban the practice of youth "conversion therapy" in Michigan.[10]
References edit
- ^ "Nancy De Boer". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g Michael Kransz, Former Holland mayor, business owner square off Aug. 2 in Republican primary for state House, MLive (July 12, 2022).
- ^ a b Mitchell Boatman, DeBoer files for second term in Michigan House of Representatives, Holland Sentinel (January 8, 2024).
- ^ a b c d e Arpan Lobo, Former Holland Mayor Nancy DeBoer files to run for new state House district, Holland Sentinel (March 9, 2022).
- ^ Lindsey Smith, Gender identity, sexual orientation laws fail to move forward at Holland City Council, Michigan Public (June 16, 2011).
- ^ a b Sydney Smith, Close call: Nancy DeBoer ekes out re-election bid over challenger Jay Peters, Holland Sentinel (November 8, 2017).
- ^ Matt Vande Bunte, Why mayor feels bad about $16M Civic Center renovation, MLive (July 7, 2016).
- ^ Carolyn Muyskens, Two Republicans running to represent Holland in Michigan House District 86, 'Holland Sentinel (June 30, 2022).
- ^ Laina G. Stebbins, 'It's about damn time': Michigan House passes LGBTQ+ civil rights protections bill, Michigan Advance (March 8, 2023).
- ^ Anna Liz Nichols, Michigan becomes 22nd state to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth, Michigan Advance (July 26, 2023).