Mark “Make Macomb Your Home” Hackel has decided his
wedding location – Key West, Fla.

Last year, the Macomb County executive said he might get
married at the Freedom Hill amphitheater and invite the public to attend. The
date was tentatively set for June 21. Instead, he’s chosen some rather odd
arrangements for his nuptials.

He and his fiancée, Tracie Damschroder , 31, will be getting married on a Key West beach
on Tuesday, June 17. And the executive who loves the limelight has invited no
one. No family. No friends. And apparently no honeymoon.  

Hackel, 52, made an announcement – during the media dead
time of late Friday – to say that the couple will head south this weekend and return to Macomb County June
19. At that time, they will schedule a photo shoot with friends and family who
would have attended the wedding.

This is certainly not what Hackel fans expected. Earlier
this year, Macomb Now magazine put Hackel, the prince of the 586, on its cover dressed
in a tuxedo at a fancy banquet hall for a special wedding-themed issue.

Here’s the news report from The Macomb  Daily:

One of Macomb County’s most anticipated social
events will be taking place later this month.

On
a beach in Florida.

County Executive Mark Hackel announced Friday he
and fiancee Tracie Damschroder have set a June 17 wedding date in Key West,
Florida. He said the couple came to the decision after realizing the
overwhelming logistics of planning a wedding at home.

“Because
it was going to be such a difficult challenge of who to invite, who to put on
lists, we decided this was the best way to go,” Hackel, 50, told The Macomb
Daily Friday.

The
couple will be heading south on June 13 and returning two days after the ceremony.

They
expect to make their first local public appearance June 21 as husband and wife.
Those who would have likely comprised the wedding party, along with immediate
family, will gather with them at the Ford Estate in Grosse Pointe for formal
photos. The party will enjoy a dinner then get casual and head over to Freedom
Hill to take in The Four Tops concert.

“We’re
just going to get that formality out of the way together then share this with
our friends and family,” he said.

Damschroder,
31, is a quality control specialist for auto parts manufacturer Faurecia in
Troy.

The two got engaged on
Christmas Day, 2012. Hackel announced the engagement at a 2013 North American
International Auto Show press event. Before they agreed to tie the knot, the couple had been friends for about 10
years since they met at Macomb Community College.