Tuesday, June 24, 2014
A state House candidate running on a “Families First” agenda to boost the next generation of Michigan workers has failed to vote in every local school election since 1998, according to county records.
Pete Lucido, a Shelby Township Republican competing in the hotly contested race for north Macomb‘s 36th House District, failed to vote in key elections scheduled by the local Utica Community Schools, the Macomb Intermediate School District, which runs special education programs, and Macomb Community College’s ballot issues for selection of MCC board members and technological improvements to the college.
Election records from 1998-2012 show the prominent divorce attorney and first-time candidate has missed all-important votes for president, governor, and the county’s historic 2008-10 reform process in favor of a charter/executive government.
Lucido, who faces Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot in the August primary, initially denied his election participation record was anything but stellar. He said his “voting record speaks for itself” and would withstand any criticism.
But when the many gaps in his voting background were pointed out, Lucido went on the defensive.
“I have participated in every election unless one of my family members was ill,” he said. “… In terms of the presidential primaries, sometimes at that time of year I may have something going on with my business.”
The candidate also indicated he does not participate in school board elections in which the candidates are uncontested. He is not alone as turnout for uncontested races is often below 10 percent. However, election records show that eight of the 12 Utica school board contests since 1998 were contested races.
In fact, some shaped up as intense contests in which local conservatives made a concerted effort to infiltrate a Utica school board, representing the second-largest school district in Michigan, that was viewed as too closely aligned with the Michigan Education Association teachers’ union. In May 2011, that wave of rebellion resulted in the ouster of longtime Utica school board member Carl Territo.
Two years prior, Lucido stayed home for the May 2009 vote on the Utica schools’ $112.5 million bond issue which, at the time, was the largest school borrowing proposal in Macomb County history.
Lucido has waged an aggressive, well-funded campaign for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Pete Lund due to term limits. The 36th District includes most of Shelby Township plus Washington and Bruce townships, including the village of Romeo.
Grot, a longtime fixture in Macomb County Republican politics, was a Sterling Heights city councilman, a county commissioner and the chief deputy for then-Secretary of State Candice Miller in the 1990s. He made a return to local GOP politics in 2010 as the leader of a tea party contingent that took control of the Macomb County GOP.
After a setback for his followers in 2012, Grot remains a divisive figure among county Republicans as his grassroots forces prepare to regain control of the local party. He was elected township clerk two years ago and has used that post as his platform for the House campaign.
Election documents show Grot has voted in 39 elections from 1998-2012 while Lucido has cast ballots in just 14.
Grot calls Lucido “hypocritical” for campaigning on a family-friendly agenda while never voting in a school election over the past 16 years. But the township clerk goes farther, suggesting Lucido should apologize for the campaign events he has hosted for war veterans.
“Anyone can put on a necktie with stars and stripes to pose for pictures with veterans,” he said, “but if you want to really honor the sacrifices of our brave soldiers, you need to vote. It is our right.”
Among the prominent elections in which Lucido failed to participate:
• The Feb. 2012 Michigan presidential primary in which Mitt Romney, tangled in an 11-candidate GOP contest, won his home state and staved off a growing challenge from Rick Santorum.
• The August 2010 Republican primary in which Rick Snyder emerged as the party’s nominee for governor. That same ballot included Macomb County’s first primary election for candidates seeking to become the pioneer county executive.
• The historic May 2008 vote to revamp county government and put it under the authority of a charter/executive shared-power agreement.
• The January 2008 presidential primary that saw Romney beat John McCain in another crowded field jockeying for position early in the election calendar.
• The August 2008 primary in which candidates for the county Charter Commission – in effect, the framers of Macomb’s first home-rule constitution – were nominated. In addition, that election featured a no-holds-barred battle for Shelby Township supervisor between then-incumbent Ralph “Skip” Maccarone and current incumbent Richard Stathakis.
*****
After I interviewed
Lucido about his voting record, before The Macomb Daily story was published, before
he had read what our story said, he contacted an Oakland County PR agent and arranged
for a press release blasting myself and Stan Grot. It was incorrectly sent to the
Royal Oak Daily Tribune but it eventually arrived here at The Macomb Daily.
Lucido about his voting record, before The Macomb Daily story was published, before
he had read what our story said, he contacted an Oakland County PR agent and arranged
for a press release blasting myself and Stan Grot. It was incorrectly sent to the
Royal Oak Daily Tribune but it eventually arrived here at The Macomb Daily.
Lucido does not
address the facts but I am surprised that he claims I am Stan Grot’s old buddy
because he seemed pleased several weeks ago when I wrote this piece sharply
criticizing Grot: http://macombpolitics.blogspot.com/2014/04/in-minutes-macomb-gop-reverts-back-to.html.
Or maybe he forgot about this one http://macombpolitics.blogspot.com/2011/09/sunday-column-macomb-gops-dizzying.html
address the facts but I am surprised that he claims I am Stan Grot’s old buddy
because he seemed pleased several weeks ago when I wrote this piece sharply
criticizing Grot: http://macombpolitics.blogspot.com/2014/04/in-minutes-macomb-gop-reverts-back-to.html.
Or maybe he forgot about this one http://macombpolitics.blogspot.com/2011/09/sunday-column-macomb-gops-dizzying.html
He seems to think that
I am a liberal but I’m also helping out the leader of the tea party in Macomb
County. Someone explain that to me. He seems to think that opposition research
by his election foe amounts to dirty tricks. He seems to think that I grabbed info
leaked to me by Grot and ran with it and that I did not verify all the facts.
Worst of all, Lucido is running against a township clerk who has access to
voting records through a simple click of a mouse, yet he was blindsided when
confronted by the fact that his horrible voting record had become a campaign
issue.
I am a liberal but I’m also helping out the leader of the tea party in Macomb
County. Someone explain that to me. He seems to think that opposition research
by his election foe amounts to dirty tricks. He seems to think that I grabbed info
leaked to me by Grot and ran with it and that I did not verify all the facts.
Worst of all, Lucido is running against a township clerk who has access to
voting records through a simple click of a mouse, yet he was blindsided when
confronted by the fact that his horrible voting record had become a campaign
issue.
Here is his press
release in its entirety:
release in its entirety:
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP,
MI – Peter J. Lucido, candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives
representing the 36th District, encompassing the Townships of
Shelby, Washington, Bruce and the Village of Romeo, is extremely disappointed
that his opponent, Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot, has resorted to using dirty
political tricks, as well as Grot’s liberal media friend Chad Selweski, to
attack him.
MI – Peter J. Lucido, candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives
representing the 36th District, encompassing the Townships of
Shelby, Washington, Bruce and the Village of Romeo, is extremely disappointed
that his opponent, Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot, has resorted to using dirty
political tricks, as well as Grot’s liberal media friend Chad Selweski, to
attack him.
“I got into this race
because I wanted to talk about the issues important to our family, friends and
neighbors here in the 36th District, not to get into a
political street fight,” Peter J. Lucido said. “Now, my opponent is pulling the
typical, dirty political trick of attacking through the biased liberal media.”
because I wanted to talk about the issues important to our family, friends and
neighbors here in the 36th District, not to get into a
political street fight,” Peter J. Lucido said. “Now, my opponent is pulling the
typical, dirty political trick of attacking through the biased liberal media.”
“Chad Selweski has a
long history of attacking the Macomb Republican Party for his own gain, while
not caring about the actual facts. My opponent, by Chad’s own admission, fed
him a distorted story about my voting history in low turnout elections, in
order to try and smear me through the media.” Lucido continued, “First, he has
had his hand-picked Deputy form a shady political action committee under the
name of Conservative Victory PAC to funnel dollars and send
out smear mailings about me instead of doing it himself, and now he is using
his old buddy Chad to try and smear me. My opponent clearly has no intention of
talking about himself and his own record, and he does not have the courage of
his convictions to put his name on these attacks.”
long history of attacking the Macomb Republican Party for his own gain, while
not caring about the actual facts. My opponent, by Chad’s own admission, fed
him a distorted story about my voting history in low turnout elections, in
order to try and smear me through the media.” Lucido continued, “First, he has
had his hand-picked Deputy form a shady political action committee under the
name of Conservative Victory PAC to funnel dollars and send
out smear mailings about me instead of doing it himself, and now he is using
his old buddy Chad to try and smear me. My opponent clearly has no intention of
talking about himself and his own record, and he does not have the courage of
his convictions to put his name on these attacks.”
“Yesterday, I sent my
opponent a letter challenging him to a debate, so we can talk about what really
matters to the people of the 36th District, not the same old
political silliness that my opponent specializes in.” Lucido added, “I
encourage him to accept my invitation, and for my opponent’s old buddy Chad to
come by and see candidates talk about real issues.”
opponent a letter challenging him to a debate, so we can talk about what really
matters to the people of the 36th District, not the same old
political silliness that my opponent specializes in.” Lucido added, “I
encourage him to accept my invitation, and for my opponent’s old buddy Chad to
come by and see candidates talk about real issues.”
Further information
about Peter J. Lucido and his campaign for Michigan State House of
Representative can be found online at www.peterjlucido.com.
about Peter J. Lucido and his campaign for Michigan State House of
Representative can be found online at www.peterjlucido.com.
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