MEET JASON BEHR
Homeowner and Lifelong Lincoln Park Resident: My family has long ties to the Lincoln Park community. For three generations my family and I have called Lincoln Park home. I attended Good Shepherd Catholic School from 1st through 8th grade and graduated high school from Gabriel Richard. Lincoln Park is a community I love and a place I have never left.​
A Fighter For What's Right: Growing up I was always taught to stand up for what you believe in and never given in just because things got tough. Over the years, I've worked on a number of important causes from protecting our right to vote and expanding absentee voting with the Promote the Vote Michigan campaign to ending gerrymandering by ensuring fair voting districts with Voters Not Politicians.​
Community Advocate and Leader: Volunteer with the Hands of the City of Lincoln Park organization and member of the Moose Lodge Chapter 1665. Chair of the Lincoln Park Parks & Recreation Commission working to create enjoyable amenities at our parks for every resident.
Scientist and Engineer: B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Tech University and Chemist with U.S. Ecology for the past 11 years.
MY STORY
I’m a life long Lincoln Parker, 3rd generation of my family. My Dad graduated from L.P.H.S. class of 1961. I attended Good Shepherd for grades 1st through 8th and I graduated from Gabriel Richard class of 1989. I graduated from Michigan Technological University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. I’ve worked the past 11 years as a chemist for U.S. Ecology, a treatment storage and disposal facility of hazardous waste in the lab.
I’ve been on the Parks and Rec Commission since 2019 and am currently the chair. I also belong to the Hands of the City of Lincoln Park volunteer organization. An organization that was founded to continue on the tradition of our Memorial Day Parade and has continued to grow to include many other family friendly events within the city.
I see a growing and thriving city coming back from the housing crisis of the2010s. We saw our first census population increase in 2020 since the 1970’s from approximately 38,000 residents to 40,000 residents now. We have become an incredibly diverse community in that time as well. With the Hispanic and Latino demographic making up 25% of our population and an 8% black population within the city. The Lincoln Park Downtown Development Authority just hosted the 7th annual Cinco De Mayo festival along with the many new Mexican markets and restaurants that have opened this past year. We have also seen countless other new businesses opening up as well along with our first new business construction in decades.
There are many areas of concern that are being addressed by the city right now. From increasing pay for our Police officers to help them recruit and retain cadets after they complete their Police Academy training, to pothole and road repair, and water and sewer line upgrades. These last several years have seen the start of much needed road repairs paid for by a millage that was previously passed plus working on the never-ending supply of potholes that need filling. The city is also working hard to upgrade our water and sewer systems with funding from a variety of federal and state sources that will help reduce our water loss percentage and bring down our water costs. We have seen multiple parks get new playsets to replace older ones that had worn out over time. This is just a few of the things that the city is trying to tackle along with many other areas and issues so important to a growing city.
I’m running because I want to see Lincoln Park continue moving forward and be the city we all know it can be.