BACK STORY ENCORE
Chris Praedel
Kalamazoo City Commissioner and WMU Director of Events C
Brian Powers
hris Praedel was born and raised in Kalamazoo and became one of the newest Kalamazoo city commissioners in November. At 34 years old, he is also the youngest commissioner. “Because of the people who came off and because of me coming on the City Commission, its average age went down almost a whole quarter of a century in one election,” Praedel says. When Praedel’s not downtown, he’s at Western Michigan University, serving as the director of events, or at home with his family. During his campaign for the commission seat, his wife, Erin, and their two young boys were integral in door knocking and connecting with the community. “I love the idea of my boys growing up seeing their dad doing something good for the world,” Praedel says. “You know, it's kind of like teaching through doing. It's really easy to just look at your kids and tell them, ‘Be good people, and do good things for the world.’ But I think in most instances, the greatest teachers teach us things by doing.”
46 | ENCORE APRIL 2020