Bentivolio, Levin Sworn in With 113th U.S. Congress

Both of the congressmen now representing Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills were sworn in as members of the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday.

Freshman U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-Milford) was among 84 first-time representatives to take the oath of office during a ceremony on the House Floor televised on C-SPAN. A virtual unknown in politics until about a year ago, the former teacher which stretches from Wayne County to include Bloomfield Hills. He succeeds U.S. Rep. David Curson (D-Belleville), who won a special election on Nov. 6 to fill the remaining weeks of former U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's (R-Livonia) term.

McCotter resigned in July amid an election fraud scandal and leak of a television script to Detroit media.

“I’m privileged to have the opportunity to represent the people of Michigan’s 11^th Congressional District," Bentivolio said in a written statement. "My top priority is to fight for common-sense solutions in Washington and provide superb constituent services to the people of Southeast Michigan.”

Bentivolio will serve on both the Oversight and Government Reform and Small Business committees.

Though new to representing Bloomfield Township, U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, won't have a learning curve in the beltway as a member of the 113th Congress. Levin, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1982. The newly drawn 9th district stretches along 8 Mile from Lake St. Clair to Ferndale, and extends north to Bloomfield Township on the west and Mt. Clemens to the east.

Levin is the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee.