County Water Exec from Royal Oak Considers Stabenow Challenge

There could be a few extra fireworks following the Fourth of July weekend, but they woudl be more of a political nature.

Oakland Country Water Resources Commissioner — and Royal Oak resident — John McCulloch is expected to announce after the holiday weekend whether he will challenge Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) for her U.S. Senate seat in 2012.

McCulloch was an Oakland County Commissioner for 10 years before taking on his current role. Stabenow is in her second, six-year term and would be seeking a third. Stabenow is a Democrat. McCulloch would oppose her as a Republican.

McCulloch said he is considering running simply because feels he can do a better job than Stabenow has in her first two terms.

“Over the last 12 years, look at what has transpired,” he said of Stabenow’s two terms. “We have lost population, lost the standing of the economic benefits that the state has received in terms of federal support and saw our infrastructure age with no support from the federal government.

“It’s really all about the economy; the high unemployment rate, the loss of jobs, young people moving out of the state. It’s about getting Michigan back on track.”

McCulloch, a longtime attorney and certified public accountant, calls Royal Oak home – or as he puts it, “born, raised and settled.”

He said his experience on the county level has been a fertile proving ground as he considers challenging the incumbent.

“In Oakland County we have a balanced budget and very little debt,” McCulloch said. “I would take prudent financial practices to Washington and implement them. Looking at the financial condition our state is in today — loss of population, loss of Congressional representation — it has put Michigan in a precarious position.

“If you look at her record, she is a career politician. Quite honestly, voters are going to expect more than a five-second sound bite.”

Cullen Schwarz, spokesman for Stabenow, put it simply when asked about the possibility of McCulloch — or anyone — challenging the seat: the senator has bigger priorities right now.

With an election more than a year away, Schwarz said Stabenow continues to remain focused on the commitments to voters who have voted her to victory on the county commission, state House, state Senate and now U.S. Senate levels..

“Senator Stabenow is not focused on next year’s election right now,” Schwarz said. “She’s working on things that matter to Michigan families, like creating jobs and standing up for Michigan in a global economy.”

Stabenow’s office spotlighted some key pieces of legislation on which she has been instrumental, including:

• As chair of the Agriculture Committee, Stabenow created a section of the last farm bill to focus on specialty crops like fruits and vegetables, something her camp says has been long overlooked in Michigan’s agricultural landscape. One in four jobs in Michigan are tied to agriculture, according to her office.

• Announcing new legislation in the coming weeks that will help advance battery startups in Michigan. According to Schwarz, the U.S. represents 2 percent of the world’s advanced battery production. By 2015, he estimates that key legislation like this could boost that number as high as 40 percent.

• Introducing legislation to hold accountable China and other countries that violate trade rules; as well as bills to make Canadian trash import more difficult by imposing steeper fees.

Oakland County Commissioner and Royal Oak resident Dave Woodward said whoever runs against Stabenow in 2012 could have their hands full.

“She is known as being a very determined fundraiser,” Woodward said. “She is a strong political force in this state, and she knows Royal Oak really well. She has a good handle on Michigan’s concerns. Her agricultural role is advantageous to farmers and those in the industry. She is a tireless campaigner and I have a huge amount of respect for her.”

Still, Stabenow’s critics are quick to pounce, and they’re not mincing words these days. Dennis Pittman is the executive director for the Oakland County Republican Party. He said Stabenow has been woefully deficient in key areas, namely the ones on which she campaigned.

“Debbie Stabenow has been nothing but a big disappointment to Oakland County and the entire state” Pittman said. “Her two campaign promises were creating jobs — we can see how that worked out — and stopping trash importation from Canada, and that is still a thriving business.”

Neither Michigan Sen. John Pappageorge (R-Troy), who represents much of Royal Oak, nor Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, who ran unsuccessfully against Stabenow in 2006, could be reached for comment. 

If McCulloch announces that he intends to challenge Stabenow for the Senate seat, he has until 4 p.m. on May 15, 2012 to file the appropriate paperwork, including signatures and an Affadavit of Identity. His post on the county’s Water Resource Commission would become vacant and up for election in 2012.

The primary election in 2012 is set for Aug. 7. The general election is Nov. 6, 2012.