Chesterfield Township Supervisor Michael Lovelock may be one of the least known elected executives in Macomb County. But, as the leader of a community of nearly 50,000 people, he’s probably also one of the most down-to-earth politicians in the county.
His State of the Township address emphasized the township’s ongoing effort to squeeze every penny out of their beleaguered budget. To match that theme, the speech was held in the township hall — a breakfast meeting where food was served on Styrofoam plates and those in attendance sat at cafeteria-style tables throughout the event.
Lovelock made no attempt to project himself as a great orator during the address, often looking down at his text and tossing in a few colloquialisms along the way. No teleprompters here.
When a reporter approached him afterward asking for a copy of a portion of his speech, Lovelock didn’t summon a secretary to go make copies or prepare a FAX. Instead, he found the section that was of interest to the reporter, ripped away that portion of the page and handed it over with a smile.
