Profile: Kildee’s staff leader driven by crises

Age: 25

Alma mater: Michigan State University

Hometown: Bay City, Mich.

Washington Examiner: When did you know you wanted to go into politics?

Mitchell Rivard: In college, I was certainly politically active. I served as the president of the College Democrats and was involved in local Democratic Party politics. The moment that really got me interested in politics was in 2009.

Our state legislature targeted a merit-based scholarship, the Michigan Promise scholarship that me and 96,000 other students depended on, for budget cuts … We traveled around the state organizing rallies on college campuses, which grew into a much bigger endeavor than we ever realized … From there my interest was really sparked.

Examiner: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from working with Rep. Kildee?

Rivard: Congressman Kildee has proven this to everyone, including myself, that when you work hard and you put your mind to something, it’s achievable. I’ve witnessed so many times in Congressman Kildee’s office, despite us being a freshman or sophomore in office, despite being in the minority, despite being told no, if you have a dedicated staff that is driven on an issue … hard work pays off.

For us, that was the years we fought to free Amir Hekmati, who was a constituent who was held for four-and-a-half years as a political prisoner [in Iran]. Whether it’s what we’re dealing with now, making sure our constituents have what they need to deal with the Flint water crisis … he’s instilled in me and the rest of the staff a can-do attitude where we come into the office every day, excited and energized.

Examiner: The lead water crisis in Flint has had to have been dominating your work for the last year or so. What have you learned from it?

Rivard: Ever since Congressman Kildee learned of the high blood levels in Flint in late summer, this issue has been the number one priority of our office. It’s a terrible tragedy. It’s clearly a failure of government, but it has shown me the strength of the community that we represent first and foremost.

This is a community of 100,000 people that, because of decisions at the state government level, unknowingly drank water that was laced with lead for the better part of two years … These are people who have not given up, they are strong, they are resilient. Even though this is such a sad story in many ways, this is not going to be the last chapter of Flint or the last chapter in the book of the communities we represent.

Examiner: What other issues pique your interest in politics?

Rivard: I would sum it up in saying equality and equal opportunity. That goes from personal equality — for instance, I’m the president of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association — or whether it’s equality of opportunity for education or employment.

Just that fundamental belief that every person is put on this Earth for a reason, every person should have the opportunity to live up to their God-given potential … That’s what personally drives me and that’s why I work for Congressman Kildee. He has a very similar value system and beliefs that I share.

Examiner: In the rare moments that you’re not working, what do you like to do?

Rivard: I love to travel, both in the United States and around the world, so any opportunity I get to travel with family and friends, particularly to new places I have never been before, I love to do that. I recently had the chance to go to Germany and Wales … The second real stress-reliever for me would be running.

Despite the foot tendinitis I was diagnosed with, I’ve run for a few years now, and Washington, D.C., is one of the greatest towns to run. It never gets old running around the monuments, whether during the day or at night.