March - 2019

GANGING UP

Haley Stevens It’s good to have friends when you’re in a new place. And newbie Congresswomen Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, western Oakland, part of western Wayne County) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Rochester, Rochester Hills, north Oakland, part of Livingston and Ingham counties) quickly found spots at lunch room tables. According to Politico, Slotkin became part of a “Gang of 9,” a group of freshmen Democrats who bonded over their shared military service and more

GANGING UP

HEAR HER ROAR

Mari Manoogian Freshman state Rep. Mari Manoogian (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills), who was elected as part of the women’s wave that swept through Oakland County in 2018, isn’t taking a backseat to anyone. Despite being the youngest woman in the legislature, Manoogian was recently selected as treasurer of the Michigan Progressive Women’s Caucus. The caucus is intended to advocate for legislation to support women and their families and fight back against attacks on

HEAR HER ROAR

OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET

State lawmakers who left office after the 2018 elections may indeed return to Lansing, as at least half a dozen former representatives and senators have registered as lobbyists or lobbyist agents with the Michigan Secretary of State. Those lawmakers include: Warren Democrat and former Senator Steve Bieda, who now works as director of legislative affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury; Westland Democrat and former Rep. Robert Kosowski, who is serving as government aff

SETTING UP SHOP

David Doyle With the dawn of the new political season comes the need for political strategists. David Doyle, longtiime strategist with the Marketing Resource Group (MRG) in Lansing known for its media relations, political consulting and survey research, has struck out on his own, along with former MRG researcher Kara Douma, opening D2. Doyle is a favorite of Michigan Republicans, having served as chair of the state party from 1991 to 1995. He’s also known for coordinating the

SETTING UP SHOP

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Former gubernatorial candidate Shri Thanedar (D) may have faded from view in August 2018, but for those who put in the work, hours and sweat, it looks like the hangover is hanging on. It appears about a dozen former paid campaign employees are still waiting to receive 1099 forms they need in order to file their 2018 taxes – which are due April 15. According to MIRS, Thenadar told a former employee in early February that the forms had been mailed out...and 40 days later, the w

TSL

This month’s dubious award goes to state Rep. James Lower (R-Cedar Lake), who despite being chair of the state House’s local government and municipal finance committee, may not quite understand how it all works. A law sponsored by Lower during last session’s lame duck (and signed into law), HB 6595, limits petition circulators from collecting more than 15 percent of their total signatures from one congressional district, or they won’t be counted, has drawn fire from across th

THE GURU SPEAKS

Joe Scarborough Good Morning Joe, an early a.m. MSNBC show for political news junkies, is co-hosted by former newspaper editor/publisher and former congressman (1994-2001) Joe Scarborough, considered by many (among them, Vanity Fair a few years ago) to be one of the country's most influential Republicans. So that made the homage he paid to Michigan Congresswoman (8th district encompassing Rochester and north Oakland) Elissa Slotkin – a Democrat – on Friday, March 8, on his

THE GURU SPEAKS

COMING OUT SWINGING

John Akouri Anyone who thought election season was over is looking in the rear view mirror. Candidates are lining up for 2020 which is only 20-some months out. For the 11th Congressional district, where Democrat Haley Stevens is just getting comfortable, Republican John Akouri, a former conservative talk radio host, former councilman and former senior advisor to late Rep. Joe Knollenberg, announced “the formation of an exploratory committee to consider the notion of my possib

COMING OUT SWINGING

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE

John James Republican Senate candidate and rising political star John James grabbed headlines last month when his name was at the top of the list for a potential appointment as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. President Donald Trump has supported James on Twitter, with Vice President Mike Pence visiting Michigan to rally for him last year. Despite James' loss to Senator Debbie Stabenow, James performed better than expected, leading Trump to mention his name as a potenti

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE

NOT GOING ANYWHERE

Karen McDonald Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Karen McDonald announced in early March that she will step down from the seat she has held since November 2012 in order to run for Oakland County Prosecutor in 2020; her last day will be April 12, as she needs to be off the bench for a full year before filing to run. McDonald, who was an assistant Oakland County Prosecutor from 1999-2002, when she went into private practice, is likely to run as a Democrat against Prosecutor Je

NOT GOING ANYWHERE

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