Lucido presses Grot for debate in hot House race

With less than a month to go before the August primary election, a candidate in one of the state’s hottest legislative races continues to push his Republican opponent for a public debate.

In fact, Pete Lucido, a Shelby Township Republican, has unilaterally scheduled a July 21 public forum after expressing frustration that Stan Grot has not stepped up to cooperatively arrange a debate. The Shelby Township clerk, Stan Grot has said he cannot appear at the July 21 event due to an unspecified scheduling conflict.

Lucido and Grot are locked in an increasingly nasty, expensive race for the 36th House District, which comprises Bruce and Washington townships, the village of Romeo and most of Shelby Township. With an open seat created by the term-limitation of Rep. Pete Lund, political observers have rated the contest as one of the most intense of all Michigan primary campaigns for the state House and Senate.

Lucido proposes a 90-minute event at the Washington Township Hall with Charlie Langton of WJBK-TV’s “Let It Rip,” as the moderator, a role he has played at numerous candidate events in Macomb County over the past decade. One hour would encompass candidates answering questions submitted by the audience.

Grot, also a Shelby Township resident, countered on Tuesday with an alternate plan – a July 31 event but without Langton and at a location in Shelby, where approximately 70 percent of the 36th District voters reside. The longtime political activist said he is ready to negotiate the place, time and moderator, as well as the makeup of a panel of questioners.

“He set the rules. He set the time. He set the place without any discussions with me,” said Grot, referring to Lucido’s July 21 proposal.

In turn, Lucido said that he believes that the Washington Township Hall location is neutral territory in the middle of the district and Langton is a seasoned moderator with no personal interest in the race.

As for Grot’s plan, Lucido, a first-time candidate, was emphatic: “No way. That’s not going to happen. We should have had a debate on the issues way before the election.”

Not surprisingly, each candidate blames the other for the lack of a 36th District debate up to this point. With the clock ticking, Grot said he reluctantly offered his counter-proposal for a July 31 debate knowing that a face-to-face meeting less than a week before the election may have little impact.

In a June 24 letter to Grot, a former Sterling Heights city councilman and county commissioner, Lucido initially proposed a July 14 debate at the Shelby Township gazebo. Alternative dates fell by the wayside and while Lucido was awaiting a Grot response – which never arrived – he received an invitation to a local July 14 event with Gov. Rick Snyder. The candidate gave deference to the Republican governor and rescheduled his debate offer.

Grot and Lucido are both running as conservative Republicans but it is unclear at this point where they differ on the issues. The winner of the Aug. 5 primary in the heavily Republican district will emerge as a huge favorite to win in November against perennial candidate Robert Murphy of Romeo, who is running unopposed as a Democrat.