Lynn Rivers :: Host, The Lynn Rivers Show

Lynn Nancy Rivers was born December 19, 1956 in Au Gres, Michigan (pop. 885). Daughter to a mailman and homemaker who would later own a series of small businesses Lynn was sensitized at an early age to the concerns of average working people. Her background prepared her to bring the voice of ordinary people to Congress.

Married the day after high school, Lynn and her then-husband were introduced to responsibility at an early age. 17 and 18 at the time of their marriage, their daughters Bridgitte and Jeanne had both joined the family by the time the young couple turned 21. The Rivers' struggled and Lynn learned first-hand about the problems that many families face. At times, the family found itself without health insurance, they were never able to buy a home, and, often there was more outgo than income. Lynn struggled with serious illness, which depleted the family's resources even more. Yet, over the course of 15 years, Lynn and her husband worked hard, raised their daughters, and managed to put Lynn through college. Working a variety of jobs ranging from cooking in restaurants, baby-sitting and Tupperware sales representative, Lynn maintained a strong will to succeed. Her hard work was rewarded when she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors and distinction from the University of Michigan. She would later earn a law degree from Wayne State University.

Lynn's career in public office began when she served on the Ann Arbor Board of Education for more than eight years. Lynn would later serve as Ann Arbor's State Representative from 1992 - 1994. Lynn was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 1994 and was reelected to represent Michigan's 13th Congressional District in 2000 before redistricting forced her to run against and narrowly lose to the US’ longest-serving Congressional Representative, John Dingell, in the 2002 primary campaign.

Lynn leads by example. As a public servant (even before such perks fell into disfavor), she maintained a policy of refusing entertainment, trips, and gifts offered by lobbyists. Lynn often disagreed with her fellow legislators regarding salary increases and, in both the state house and Congress, she voted against several pay raises and then returned the increases to the treasury. During her time in Congress, Lynn saved over $1 million from her office budget. She gave that back to the treasury too - and qualified as one of the ten most frugal members of Congress.

In Congress, Lynn served on the House Education and the Workforce and the House Science Committee. As a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, Lynn fought for education, job training, student loans, small business assistance, and other programs that benefit everyday Americans. On the Science Committee, Lynn oversaw legislation concerning technology, the environment, basic scientific research and development, national math and science education programs, issues concerning the Department of Education, university scholarships, and intellectual property. Lynn was particularly vigilant in refuting "junk science" - phony scientific findings that are being used to justify the repeal of environmental protections.

Lynn earned a reputation as one of the most accessible and responsive elected officials in Michigan. She regularly held town hall meetings, coffees and educational forums. She attended a number of community activities across the district and held herself and her staff to high standards for constituent service and ethical conduct.

After leaving Congress in 2003, Lynn took a faculty position at Washtenaw Community College where she teaches Political Science. Beginning in thre Fall of 2004, Lynn will also be teaching at UM. In addition to her college curriculum, she also teaches classes in WCC’s Lifelong Learning program on the U.S. Constitution, and a new course on current affairs. Lynn serves on the Board of Directors of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, the American Association for People with Disabilities, and the UM Depression Center. She is an Associate Director on the Board of the University of Michigan Credit Union.

Lynn lives in Ann Arbor, and spends time with her family, friends and pets - including her orange cat named Harry Truman.

» email Lynn Rivers