The writer covered state and regional politics for The Macomb Daily for nearly 30 years, earning 50 honors from journalism organizations, including national Suburban Journalist of the Year Award. This is his first commentary for Deadline Detroit.
By Chad Selweski
Entering his fifth year in office, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel has raised the profile of his county and successfully promoted Macomb as an economic force in the southeast Michigan region.
Hackel is not shy about trumpeting his administration’s accomplishments. When Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson broke his arm a few years ago he pointed to his cast and joked: “This is what happens when you get between Mark Hackel and a TV camera.”
Chad Selweski
But Macomb’s first county executive has not managed to extend his political clout to Lansing. In recent weeks the state’s third-largest county received the silent treatment when it was largely shut out of all leadership positions in the state House.
The Hackel administration is determined to change that dynamic.
Time to flex some Macomb muscles.
The plan calls for creating a bipartisan Macomb County caucus in the House that will stand together and leverage support on key issues.
The 10-person caucus would vote as a bloc to sway the outcome of legislation, giving Macomb more bang for the buck. Bills that would impact manufacturing, Lake St. Clair, roads and community college-based job training would be at the top of the priority list.
For Hackel, No. 1 on the list, at least in the short term, is a proposed $2 million state allocation to allow plans to proceed for a minor league baseball park in Utica. The county executive said more Macomb unity is needed among the county delegation rather than parochialism and infighting.
More People Than Detroit
“I say, ‘Hang on. It’s not about your partisan politics, it’s about Macomb County,’” said Hackel, a Macomb Township Democrat. “I don’t want to hear about Republicans and Democrats.”
Ideally, the goal is to replicate the political impact that the Detroit caucus has displayed for decades at the Capitol. Hackel quickly reminds Lansing leaders that Macomb now exceeds Detroit in population by more than 160,000 people.
Mark Hackel: "I don’t want to hear about Republicans and Democrats."
The snub by those leaders came as a one-two punch. When the new Republican Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter announced the GOP’s 10-member leadership team for 2015-16 in November, Macomb received just one spot -- far down the list – at the deputy whip position.
The second half of the snub came two weeks ago when House Democratic Leader Tim Greimel left Macomb representatives off his leadership list. (It’s important to note that the Detroit caucus automatically receives a spot within the leadership.)
The shutout infuriated some Macomb lawmakers, though Assistant County Executive Melissa Roy politely described the Democrats’ decision as “disappointing.” Hackel said he is unfazed.
Though the county executive hosted a major fundraiser for the House Democrats in the spring and Greimel, from Auburn Hills in neighboring Oakland County, promised a key role for Macomb in the coming two years, the rebuff served as a reminder of the county’s lowly status prior to creating an elected executive position, when Macomb was labeled by some pundits as the redheaded stepchild of the tri-county area.
“Once again, Macomb is a bit of an afterthought, whether it’s on regional issues or statewide issues,” said state Rep. Henry Yanez, a Sterling Heights Democrat who is a leading proponent of creating a Macomb caucus. “Macomb County has been completely shut out among the Democrats in making policy and driving the narrative.”
Consolation Prizes
In the selection process for legislative committee seats, Macomb again failed to gain more muscle. The new lineup of House committee chairs announced last week represents a mixed bag for the county – largely a status quo outcome.
Some in the Hackel administration had responded to the leadership shutout on the Democratic side by focusing on how many committee vice chairs the county would receive from the minority party. That’s setting the bar low. At that point, Hackel’s team wasn’t eyeing the prize, they were seeking consolation prizes.
One local political consultant with ties to Lansing put it bluntly: “Being a vice chair, it’s like getting a handicapped seat at the football stadium. You’re close to the action but they’re not going to let you call any plays.”
In the end, the lineup of 23 Democratic vice chairs included two from Macomb County.
The Macomb County delegation – five Republicans, five Democrats – sits in a good position to unite as a caucus. In addition to their bipartisan makeup, the 10 lawmakers already work as a team on some issues.
Eyes on 2018 Race?
As for Hackel, a potential 2018 candidate for governor, he has just completed his first 4-year term as an executive who preaches bipartisanship on a daily basis. A moderate Democrat who enjoys extraordinary popularity among Macomb Republicans – as his landslide re-election victory in November demonstrated – the former county sheriff takes his approach to governing one step further, often extolling the virtues of non-partisan politics.
Yet, Hackel’s hopes of forming a caucus in the House is not a certainty. Six of the county’s 10 House members are term-limited, and they may be more interested in engaging in some horse-trading during their final two years in office than taking a stand on certain issues and riling their non-Macomb colleagues.
“The problem we run into, over and over again, is that Macomb is big – but small,” Roy said. “There are 82 other counties. And, at the same time, we’re not the biggest, the most powerful.”
The coming weeks and months will determine if Macomb lawmakers get pumped up about the idea that there is strength in numbers.
