As the Macomb County public works commissioner race has improbably become one of the most closely watched election campaigns in Michigan, particularly in recent weeks, the fact-checkers at Bridge Magazine have taken a close look at the claims and counter-claims made by Democratic incumbent Tony Marrocco and Republican challenger Candice Miller.
The verdict: Miller is sticking to the truth, to a large degree, while Marrocco is veering off into the ditch.
Bridge’s “Truth Squad” scrutinized ads on TV and social media, as well as other campaign materials, for each candidate.
They concluded that Miller’s criticism of Marrocco’s 24-year tenure, his failure to put an end to sewer overflows and beach closings on Lake St. Clair are fair game. They criticized Marrocco for using scare tactics in criticizing Miller’s congressional record, especially his attempt to link her to a 2013 temporary waste site (containing “petcoke”) on the Detroit River banks that was associated with the billionaire Koch Brothers.
But, of course, the numerous details are more nuanced.
Here is the Truth Squad conclusion about Miller:
In a couple of respects, Miller’s campaign accusations are erroneous. One of the two beaches mentioned in the Labor Day Weekend press release reopened that same day. It’s also worth noting that beach closings were down this past summer. And Miller’s charge that “nothing gets done” to protect Macomb’s water supply ignores improvement projects for which Marrocco can rightfully claim leadership. That overreach earns a warning.
But Marrocco has been in office for more than two decades, and there is ample evidence from local and state health records and Bridge’s previous reporting to show that fouled water, sewage overflows and bacteria-related beach closings have been a problem for years in Macomb County. While Miller’s own environmental record appears less than stellar, her campaign is relying upon a wealth of evidence to support its attacks on water quality efforts in Macomb County.
And here’s the conclusion about Marrocco:
The Koch brothers invite plenty of questions about the environmental bona fides of the politicians they fund. So hitting Miller on her congressional voting record is certainly fair game, particularly for a candidate who holds herself out as an environmental steward of Macomb’s waters.
The (Marrocco) ad contends Candice Miller voted to approve Koch company dumping, and could be interpreted as suggesting she specifically approved dumping petcoke along Detroit’s riverfront. Marrocco’s campaign cites Miller’s vote against allowing the EPA to regulate petcoke and other waste as an endorsement of Koch’s petcoke practices.
Certainly, there are legitimate environmental concerns about the handling and storage of petcoke. Where this ad goes south, however, is in mischaracterizing the scary piles of petcoke on Detroit’s riverfront. It misleads and attempts to terrify voters by suggesting the piles are a threat to Macomb’s shoreline, when in fact the available evidence shows the piles posed no threat to Macomb residents when they were there and, by the way, are long gone. Miller must answer for her environmental votes; but not for a threat that has long since vanished.
The Truth Squad, along with Bridge, is operated by the Center for Michigan, a nonpartisan public policy research group.
