Politics

Selweski: Nasty Macomb Fight Brews to Replace Karen Spranger for Clerk

July 13, 2018, 4:17 AM

Chad Selweski covered state and regional politics for The Macomb Daily for nearly 30 years. He contributes to Deadline Detroit and blogs at Politically Speaking.

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State Sen. Steve Bieda, left, and Fred Miller

By Chad Selweski

In Macomb County politics, one controversy leads to the next.

So, it’s little surprise that the removal from office of former county clerk Karen Spranger has led to a nasty campaign to fill her seat.

With a 17-candidate free-for-all in the Aug. 7 primary – six Democrats and 11 Republicans -- the two main contenders, well-known Dems Fred Miller and state Sen. Steve Bieda, are unloading on each other. Earlier this year, Bieda gave up his congressional run for retiring Rep. Sandy Levin's seat to campaign for clerk. Miller, a former state representative and county commissioner, suffered a stunning election loss to Spranger, a Republican, in 2016 and he seeks retribution.

That ‘16 outcome still irks County Executive Mark Hackel, who says that an attempt by Miller to “rig the election” with a backroom deal designed to make him the only Democrat in the clerk’s race, backfired in favor of the GOP’s obscure candidate. That led to “15 months of chaos” in the clerk’s office at the hands of the eccentric Spranger, said Hackel, a Democrat. This past weekend, an anybody-but-Miller message from Hackel to voters countywide was sent in a mailed campaign flyer.

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Mark Hackel (Macomb County photo)

The main issues in this campaign, following Spranger’s odd and unethical behavior, are integrity and transparency. More specifically, the campaign has become a contest to see which candidate can muddy his opponent beyond recognition.

Bieda is accused of campaign finance improprieties during his congressional run and of receiving $16,000 worth of wining and dining from lobbyists during 14 years in the Legislature.

Miller, a Mount Clemens Democrat, faces criticism mostly related to his reliance on the weird world of political bingos, where bingo players, mostly the elderly, unknowingly contribute to election campaigns with their gaming dollars.

Bingo Bucks Finance Miller Run

 Macomb County has several weekly bingos run by Democrats to raise funds for campaigning, and nearly all of Miller's many newspaper ads and mailed literature are financed through the proceeds earned by the Phil Hart Democratic Club, which leases a St. Clair Shores bingo hall.

The club has a bit of a checkered past and earlier this week Bieda filed a complaint with the Lottery Bureau, which regulates bingo games. A Warren Democrat, Bieda claims that Miller has gone beyond the pale -- and has violated state law -- by using bingo money to run attack ads against him.

This intra-party brawl escalated quickly on Monday as Bieda referred to the Phil Hart bingo operations as a “secret slush fund that masquerades as a Democratic club.”

All of this dissension makes state Democratic Party Chairman Brandon Dillon nervous. Macomb County will play a key role in the November elections and if Macomb Democrats are bitterly divided, it could impact the party’s chances at the top of the ticket, particularly in the gubernatorial race.

“We need to be building Democrats up, not tearing each other down," Dillon told WDIV.

No Integrity 

An additional embarrassment for the party is that the club is named after the late U.S. Sen. Phil Hart of Michigan who was known as “the conscience of the Senate.” In other words, a man of integrity.

Now, his name is at the center of a mudslinging contest.

Before the race to replace Spranger, the Hart Club had previously run afoul of state authorities twice in a matter of two years. In 2014, the Lottery Bureau placed the club under a 1-year suspension due to bookkeeping irregularities and failure to follow mandated accounting procedures. In 2016, the club’s bingo license was briefly suspended due to poor recordkeeping.

The suspension was followed by a 2-year probationary period, still in effect, that will expire in October.

As for the allegations aimed at Bieda’s congressional effort, the state senator points to documents that show he addressed and corrected concerns expressed by the Federal Election Commission about donors – including his own contributions to the campaign – and his FEC account was successfully closed.

The Bieda campaign uses the term “malicious smear” when downplaying references to the candidate’s $16,000 in perks from lobbyists, which are documented in lobbying disclosure forms filed with the state. The amount includes two trips – to Mackinac policy conferences – and equates to about $1,100 a year in freebies from the Lansing lobbying corps.

Miller has not commented on any of this as the elusive Hart Club has taken full responsibility for the content of the ads. But Bieda has spoken out with sharp comments aimed at his opponent and the Hart Club, which operates as a federal political action committee (PAC).

He urged the Lottery Bureau to revoke the club’s state bingo license and said the group had “made a mockery” of state law. The law allows non-profit bingos to spend proceeds on any charitable activities or community services included in the club’s by-laws. Documents show the Hart Club’s mission is to promote “progressive causes.”

With a month to go before the election, the attacks and counter-attacks may only get worse. And the Macomb  Democrats, just as was the case two years ago, will likely enter the November election with a wounded candidate for clerk.



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