Environmentalists back Candice Miller as race turns nasty

Clarification: A previous version of this article failed to fully explain the sources of sewer overflows into Lake St. Clair in 2016. Nearly 1.3 billion gallons of sewage have have been dumped into the lake by several municipalities and government agencies so far this year. About 432 million gallons of that contamination came from facilities run by Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco.

A bipartisan group of eight Macomb County environmental activists on Monday endorsed Congresswoman Candice Miller’s campaign for county public works commissioner, as the race for county’s top water quality official turns increasingly nasty.

Those who stepped forward to back Miller, a Harrison Township Republican who is retiring from Congress, were members of the now-defunct Macomb County Water Quality Board, or experts who advised the WQB. Miller’s opponent in the November election is 24-year incumbent Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco, a Ray Township Democrat.

Marrocco has hammered away at Miller’s mediocre record in Congress on environmental issues, based on House votes compiled by environmental groups.

But sewer overflows from the Public Works agency’s facilities, and their impact on beach closings and Lake St. Clair water pollution, have become the overriding issue in the campaign. The facilities overseen by the incumbent have dumped billions of gallons of partially treated sewage into the lake in recent years. This summer, total discharges from all sources have exceeded 1.2 billion gallons, resulting in dozens of beach closings along the lakeshore.

Russell LaBarge, a Democrat who served as a key figure in tracking down the lake’s ongoing E. coli bacteria contamination as chairman of the 1997 and 2008 Blue Ribbon Commissions on Lake St. Clair, said he is backing the GOP candidate. LaBarge praised Miller’s track record of “carrying through and following through” on projects to clean the lake’s waters.

In addition to LaBarge, those who endorsed Miller were: Doug Martz, the first and only WQB chairman; Tom Morley, former vice chair of the WQB; Carl Freeman, a staunch Democrat, Wayne State University professor of ecology and a WQB adviser; Linda Schweitzer, professor at Oakland University and WQB adviser; Kathy Vosburg, GOP county commissioner from Chesterfield Township and member of the former WQB; Philis DeSaele, former GOP county commissioner from Sterling Heights and WQB member; and Peggy Kennard, former Democratic county commissioner from Harrison Township and WQB member.

The WQB was disbanded in 2011 by County Executive Mark Hackel in favor of a new advisory group that focused on upbeat messages about the recreational aspects of the waterfront which can boost Macomb’s “Blue Economy.”

In response to today’s press conference, Marrocco issued a statement raising new accusations against the congresswoman, who previously served as a Harrison Township and Macomb County official before winning election as Michigan secretary of state in 1994:

“County Executive Mark Hackel disbanded the Water Quality Board. I think it’s a shame that this avenue for residential input was halted for lack of funding. This however, doesn’t excuse Miller’s four votes against raising EPA drinking water standards … I wish that Miller cared about clean water during her entire term in office, not just when she’s running for a fourth pension.”

Marrocco also alleged that Miller’s congressional votes helped precipitate the Flint water crisis.

Ironically, Hackel, a Macomb Township Democrat, emerged as the most outspoken supporter of Miller’s campaign when it was announced in the spring. Hackel has tangled with Marrocco often, even accusing him of corrupt practices by subjectively regulating the activities of developers that can impact the waterways.

Marrocco has dismissed such claims while repeatedly accusing Miller of lying about her environmental record. In Congress, where Miller has long established herself as a conservative House Republican, the congresswoman recently earned a “zero” rating from the League of Conservation Voters, based on her Capitol Hill votes.

In particular, the Marrocco camp has cited Miller votes cast to protect the oil and gas industry against additional federal safety measures for pipelines.

On Monday, Miller pointed to two pipeline developments to establish her bona fides: The lawmaker successfully badgered the Enbridge Energy Company to upgrade the safety aspects of oil pipelines under the St. Clair River; and she recently joined with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, a Dearborn Democrat, to push Enbridge to shut down its controversial oil pipeline in the Mackinac Straits.

“I think my record on pipeline safety is very excellent,” she said. “So if he (Marrocco) wants to pursue this, I’m very happy if that’s the debate.”

Former WQB chair Martz, who has emerged as a key Miller supporter, has said that the congresswoman was a leading advocate of a high-tech monitoring system to protect Detroit area drinking water, while Marrocco was a leading opponent of new funding for the project, which has largely collapsed.

Miller’s endorsement press conference on Monday was held at the Lake St. Clair Metropark (formerly Metro Beach) in Harrison Township. In contrast, Marrocco received endorsements from key county officials, fellow Democrats, in May at a political event held at his public works office – on government time.

More recently, Marrocco apparently filmed a campaign TV advertisement at his department’s Chapaton sewage retention basin in St. Clair Shores, according to video released by the Miller campaign.

Both incidents produced ethics complaints that are now before the Macomb County Ethics Board for a decision about misusing county property and employee work time for political purposes.