Researcher at B-School Will Seek Election as Michigan Congressman

A research assistant at the Business School has announced that he will seek the Republican nomination for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives this fall.

Donald W. Riegle, will run from Michigan's seventh congressional district, an urban area surrounding the city of Flint. Riegle is an assistant in business administration and government policy to Paul W. Cherington '40, professor of Government.

Early in March, backers at the University of Michigan's branch in Flint called to urge Riegle to oppose freshman Democratic Representative John Mackie. Subsequent conferences with Richard M. Nixon and with Michigan's Governor George Romney, he stated, convinced him that his chances for election were promising.

Part of his appeal as a candidate, Riegle said last night, is the familiarity of his name to voters in Flint. Riegle's father was formerly mayor of Flint, and his grandfather was also active in local politics.

Riegle said local officials saw him as a strong "consensus" candidate since he has not been identified with either conservative or moderate wings of the Michigan Republican party.

In his race with Mackle, Riegle said, he plans to emphasize what he terms the "apathy" of the Democratic incumbent. "People want a Congressman again," he said.

If be is elected, he will organize a united front to combat violent crime, Riegle said. As part of his campaign organization, he said, is setting up an advisory panel to study such problems as the need for remedial education for high school dropouts and the possibility of state or local compensation for victims of crimes.