Elizabeth Brater

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Elizabeth Brater (born 1951) is a politician from Ann Arbor, Michigan. As of 2006, she is a Michigan state senator representing the state's 18th district, which includes the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.

Brater was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1975, after her husband, Enoch Brater, took a job as an English professor at the University of Michigan. In Ann Arbor, she worked as an editor and writer, also teaching courses on local government and writing at the university.

Brater won election as a Democrat to the Ann Arbor city council from the city's Third Ward in 1988. She then ran for mayor of Ann Arbor in April 1991, defeating two-term incumbent Republican mayor Gerald D. Jernigan. Brater was the first woman to be elected mayor of Ann Arbor. As mayor, Brater established the city's extensive recycling program. After serving one two-year term, she was defeated in her mayoral reelection campaign, losing in April 1993 to the Republican challenger, city-council member Ingrid Sheldon, who went on to serve four two-year terms as mayor.

After her mayoral defeat, Brater ran successfully for the Michigan House of Representatives in November 1994. She served in the House from 1995 to 2000, representing Michigan's 53rd district. Term limits prevented Brater from running for a fourth term.

In November 2002, Brater won election to the Michigan Senate. In the Democratic primary, she defeated a fellow member of the Michigan House, John Hansen of Dexter. In the general election, she triumphed easily over Republican candidate Gordon Darr, a Scio Township Trustee, and Green Party candidate Elliott Smith.

As of 2006, Brater continues to serve in the Michigan Senate. She is a member of the Judiciary and Finance committees, the vice-chair of the Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs and the Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism committees. Brater also serves as a member of the Governor's Land Use Leadership Council.