+ − Contact Information
Email Address: jimtownsend@house.mi.gov
Phone: (517) 373-3818
+ − Biography
State Representative Jim Townsend is currently serving his third term representing Michigan’s 26th District, which includes the cities of Royal Oak and Madison Heights.
Jim believes the fundamental role of government is to protect and empower the people it serves by fostering safe and vibrant communities and expanding opportunities for all people through investments in key public goods, such as public education and infrastructure.
In his first term, Jim was the lead House sponsor of legislation to establish a Regional Transit Authority for Southeast Michigan, the Senate-passed version became Public Act 387 of 2012.
In his second term, Jim was the lead sponsor of Public Act 66, which protects the voter-approved millages for the Detroit Zoo and the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Jim is currently working to restore public trust at the state and local level by enacting substantive reforms to put transparency and accountability at the heart of our transportation system, and to ensure taxpayers receive an objective and quantifiable return on their investment as we work to fix the roads and build a transportation system that serves our residents and economy.
Before joining the House of Representatives, Jim served as the executive director of the Tourism Economic Development Council, where he led efforts to expand Southeast Michigan’s tourism economy. Jim also founded and directed the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, a nonprofit organization devoted to revitalizing and reinventing inner-ring suburban communities. Jim has operated his own strategic marketing and economic consulting firm. Prior to these efforts, Jim was a brand manager at Ford Motor Company and served as a professional staff member in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
Jim holds an MBA and master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan. He received his bachelor’s degree in history, with highest honors, from the University of North Carolina.
A longtime Michigan resident, Jim and his wife, Jennie, live with their two sons in Royal Oak, where he has been active in a wide range of civil and philanthropic causes, including participating in Race for the Cure, serving on the Thanksgiving Day Parade’s Distinguished Clown Corps, volunteering at “Arts, Beats & Eats” and coaching youth soccer.