STIRRED, NOT SHAKEN
State Senator Marty Knollenberg (R-Birmingham, Bloomfield, Rochester, Rochester Hills) said he’s not shaken by an apparent push-poll attack against him which he said is trying to stir up dirt from alcohol-related mistakes of his youth. Knollenberg said he didn’t personally hear the phone call – but said he received calls from supporters who received a “nasty phone call” that mentioned a pair of DUI charges he received in the past. “The people who called me were offended and wanted to let me know,” he said. Knollenberg received the DUIs in 1985 and 1986 in Birmingham and Beverly Hills. He said he was told by callers that the phone call failed to mention that the incidents occurred more than 30 years ago. “Thirty years ago, I made a couple of serious mistakes. While in college, I received a DUI. Shortly after college, I received a second DUI,” he said in a statement. “I learned from the mistakes of my youth from 30 years ago, and these lessons have made me a better person. I have since worked hard to lead a life focused on serving my family and community.” Michelle Pallas, campaign strategy manager for Knollenberg’s Democratic challenger Mallory McMorrow, said they haven’t conducted any polls and weren’t aware of the phone calls until they were notified by a reporter. “We’ve been committed since day one to running a clean campaign, and we are out talking to voters every single day,” she said. “The McMorrow campaign hasn’t conducted any polls. I’m not sure who got the poll. I didn’t even know he had a DUI, and I don’t know if he really does.”