OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

Oakland Confidential is a periodic column of political gossip/news, gathered both on and off-the-record by staff members at Downtown Newsmagazine. We welcome possible items for this column which can be emailed to: OaklandConfidential@DowntownPublications.com. All sources are kept strictly confidential. The gossip column can be viewed at OaklandConfidential.com where you can sign up to receive updates via email.

PUTTING ON HER AIR JORDANS: Bloomfield Township Supervisor

Dani Walsh has telegraphed that she plans to run for re-election in 2024. Walsh, who was expected to earn her Masters in Public Policy as well as her Masters in Public Administration from American University at the end of April, said she has learned so much in her first two-and-a-half years on the job, and many improvements implemented are bearing fruition. Chief among them are “getting rid of a lot of the ‘we’ve always done them that way,’” she said. A fresh perspective and a new way of approaching everything from the budget to infrastructure has ultimately invigorated much of the staff, empowering them to find new solutions to old problems. New budget planning and creation with the aid of finance director Jason Theis, as well as excellent investment management by treasurer Brian Kepes, has revealed unexpected surpluses. Walsh said she particularly is enjoying the treasured bond between new Bloomfield Township Police Chief Jimmy Gallagher and Fire Chief John LeRoy. Walsh, a Democrat, said she heard from several local Republicans when word got out that former state Rep. Mike McReady is considering running for township supervisor. McReady, who was a former Bloomfield Hills commissioner and mayor but currently lives in Bloomfield Township, is “too Bloomfield Hills,” they allegedly said. Another plus was the addition of a very seasoned Democratic campaign manager joining her team – one who previously has only run statewide campaigns. As for former township treasurer Dan Devine running again? She noted that Devine, former candidate for treasurer Mark Antakli, township gadfly Marcia Robovitsky, and a few others seem to talk far right conspiracy theories to one another on social media, with little traction beyond themselves. See ya in ‘24.

BOTH SIDES NOW: Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, most of Oakland County) has long emphasized her focus on manufacturing and her former position as chief of staff of President Barack Obama’s Auto Task Force, returning to the district to hold her signature “Manufacturing Mondays.” She’s very proud to have recently been placed on the Congressional Select Committee on Competitiveness on China, with its focus on industrialization. “It’s not a permanent committee. It’s a bright light of this session,” Stevens said, noting they could come up with solutions and ideas that could – and will – “have a great impact with a complicated country. China is more advanced than Russia, and we’re more entangled with China in manufacturing. There are definitely areas where the Community Party has not been fair with us, but what I’ve heard from all sectors of our manufacturing base it to ‘lower the rhetoric. We’re entangled.’” She emphasized that with the narrow Republican majority in the House of Representatives and strong partisanship, “it pushes us towards collaboration.” When we spoke, she was looking forward to joining Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers traveling to Simi Valley to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. “I’m going in with open eyes. I’m going to see what the downtownpublications.com

Taiwanese president has to say,” Stevens said, noting that there is a Taiwan Chamber of Commerce in West Bloomfield. “Because of the supply chain, it’s an important relationship for us.”

SISTER ACT: The calendar may still read 2023, but political wonks and aspiring candidates are reading 2024. At the presidential level, a majority of Washington Democrats – 69 percent – now say President Joe Biden is the party’s best option to win the 2024 presidential election, according to Punchbowl News. Their second choice? None other than our own governor. Despite the fact that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has stated repeatedly that she is not planning to run, 49 percent of Dems responding to the poll picked Whitmer, with Vice President Kamala Harris coming in third with 35 percent. California Governor Gavin Newsom narrowly trailed her with 34 percent of the respondents’ support. Progressive candidates found no favor amongst Democrats at this point, with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) only getting one percent of support while Senator Elizabeth Warren (DMass.) received two percent. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) got zero. Another Whitmer is gaining attention as well – for a battleground Westchester, New York congressional district. Word is Big Gretch’s sister, Liz Whitmer Gereghty, is eyeing a run for this seat, currently held by GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, who surprisingly flipped the seat in 2022.

CLEARING THE FIELD: We’ve always heard about back room deals. If we’re to believe the folks at Politico – and there’s no reason to not –Democratic leaders helped clear the field of high-profile primary competitors to Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Lansing) in her quest to become Michigan’s next Democratic senatorial candidate. Where at first it looked like several state Democratic lawmakers were going to throw their hat in the ring to fill retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow’s shoes, according to Politico, Stabenow herself, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) worked to convey that Slotkin was the one. “Stabenow explained that she directed other ambitious Democrats who might have been interested in replacing her toward alternative statewide offices, from the governor’s office on down, that will open up in 2026 due to term limits.” The two Democratic leaders let potential candidates know that Slotkin is a major fundraising force, and it would hurt her – and the party – if she’s forced to spend big in the primary, rather than saving it for the general election. While many Dems (and Republicans) believe Slotkin will be the one to beat in November 2024, as she is a moderate who considers herself a “common sense Democrat” with a CIA and military background, there are some voicing concerns that she has never represented a district with a significant Black constituency. And her voting record has at times diverged from Black Michiganders’ priorities. Of note, while she voted yes, she was not one of the 114 Democratic sponsors of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021, to repair how Blacks were disproportionately targeted prior to marijuana legalization. Yet, since launching her Senate campaign, she has been visible at numerous events in Detroit and Flint – which together represent a majority of African Americans in the state.

GOP POSSIBILITIES: Word in some Republican circles is that failed (as in, not enough valid signatures) gubernatorial candidate and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is considering running for the open Senate seat on the Republican side. Craig has no previous political experience, and has said he is giving serious thought to it after being encouraged by supporters and party members around the state. “Consultants call you and talk you into it. They need a name and put you on Fox TV,” said one top Republican honcho, who admitted he hasn’t spoken to Craig despite being one who encouraged him in 2022 to run for governor. “Craig has nothing to offer. He arrested some people a while ago.” As to who really will run, this observer believes former Grand Rapids congressman Peter Meijer will, “And he could give (Elissa) Slotkin a run for her money. He’s the real deal, and he voted to impeach Trump.” However, he said, in a primary, Meijer would need to be one of three candidates, because he would be trounced by a MAGA Trumpster. The politico said he has heard that Bloomfield Township former auto dealer and former gubernatorial candidate Kevin Rinke is definitely looking at running, but doesn’t think he has a shot at the trophy. “He’s an egomaniac. He blew a million last time –and if you’re putting up all your own money, it means no one else will. He’s not getting the DeVos’ money. (Late Senator) Carl Levin worked his way up; Slotkin worked her way up from the CIA in Iraq; (Senator Gary) Peters worked his way up. What has Rinke done?”

JOHN JAMES A TARGET: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is wasting no time in attacking U.S. Rep. John James from the 10th District which includes Rochester, Rochester Hills and southern Macomb County now that the group has named his district as a target in the party’s effort to regain the House. The Democratic group, along with some GOP observers, are ranking James as vulnerable after winning this seat in 2022 by a slim margin of only 1,600 votes. The DCCC is issuing press releases painting James as a model MAGA candidate based on some of his votes in Congress, including against a women’s right to choose, and has even dredged up an incident from the James’ 2020 failed U.S. Senate run (one of two failed attempts) when members of the Proud Boys bought tickets and volunteered to help at a campaign event of his. Meanwhile, James in early April picked up his first formal Democrat challenger, Diane Young, a financial planner from Warren with a business in Rochester Hills. Young had previously failed by a very wide margin in 2016 when she ran for the state House against state Rep. Peter Lucido, now the Macomb County Prosecutor. She is not expected to be the only Democrat jumping into the 2024 contest to take on James who is expected this summer to move into the Shelby part of the 10th District. Also throwing her hat in the ring is Democrat is Emily Busch of Oxford, mother of one of the survivors of the Oxford school shooting incident. In making her announcement, Busch noted the Oxford shooting as one of the life experiences which crystallized her thinking about running for office, criticizing James on the issue. Busch, who recently lost a run for a state House seat, does not not live in the 10th District but members of U.S. House are not required to reside in the district which they represent, reminiscent of when James first ran for his current post.