MAP Executive Board Officers
GOP-led legislature passes controversial legislation, no-fault reform dies, speed limits stay put
After an oft-times contentious lame duck session that saw the GOP-controlled 99th Legislature pass several controversial pieces of the legislation and an all-night session, lawmakers wrapped up their work for the year and the 99th Legislature came to an end. Karoub Associates lobbyist Emily Laidlaw was named Policy Director for Governor Whitmer’s Administration. Laidlaw was instrumental in developing Karoub’s Education Practice. Gov. Rick Snyder has signed several bills including a huge $1.3 billion spending bill that includes $69 million for the Renew Michigan Fund for hazardous waste sites, a new revenue stream ($114 million in FY 2019 and $143 million in FY 2020) for roads, $19.3 million to fight PFAS and $40 million for a new Capitol Visitor Center at the Capitol. Snyder also vetoed 56 bills in his final days of office. Gov. Whitmer started her term, naming the state’s new Budget Director, Treasurer and she appointed new state department Directors, including Col. Joseph Gasper as Director of the Michigan State Police. Detroit developer Dan Gilbert's attempts to revive no-fault auto insurance reform failed to make it out of the Legislature during the last day of the lame duck session. Although the Senate passed legislation that would make all limited access expressways 75 miles per hour and all non-city highways 65 miles per hour, the House stopped the legislation from moving forward. For more details on these and other legislative issues, click here for the January 2019 Karoub Report..
Melvindale Patrol choses MAP for attentive reputation
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor
Melvindale Patrol Officers hadn’t been getting the help they desired from their former Union in recent years. When they heard about MAP’s responsiveness with area departments, they felt confident MAP would stand up for them when they needed help.
“About a year or so ago, I started calling around to other unions and realized there was an open enrollment period we had to wait for so when that came up this year we went for it,” said Melvindale Patrol local union President John Thompson. “We had other unions come in and they had a lot of bells and whistles, but MAP gave us an intelligent well-spoken thought out reason of why they would be a good fit for us. We talked to officers (represented by MAP), like Sterling Heights and St. Clair Shores, and they were really positive and really sold it to us.”
Read more: Melvindale Patrol choses MAP for attentive reputation
2018 MAP Board President, K9 honored by Sterling Heights Police
2018 MAP Executive Board President Rich Heins and his K9 Chase were recently recognized during a retirement ceremony for Chase, a 10-year veteran of the Sterling Heights Police Department.
Heins, a Sterling Heights Police K9 Officer, and Chase received several gifts and awards during the ceremony. Heins' committment to the K9 program was also recognized by police officials with the K-9 training field at Baumgartner Park being renamed Heins Field.
Click here to read the C&G Newspapers article about Officer Heins and his K9 Chase.
MAP welcomes back Renaissance Police Officers
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor
Renaissance Police Officers Association (RPOA) Employees were MAP members for 30 years when they decided to part ways with the Union in 2014 and opted to represent themselves instead. But drastic reductions in their benefits and a ‘don’t ask’ mentality led them to return to MAP this year.
“RPOA were members when MAP was formed in 1984,” said MAP Executive Director Fred Timpner.
MAP officially welcomed back RPOA when they joined the Union in July 2018, but MAP went to work for them two months prior as soon as they received a call from their new local union President Jessica Mitchell. By then the former president and vice president had already been through contract negotiations and the final last best offers had been submitted.
Mitchell became local union president in May and immediately called Timpner. “He started helping me on the side when we didn’t have anybody,’ she said. “Fred said, ‘Whether you all vote me in or not, I’m going to help you.’”
An overwhelming majority of the 90-plus member group voted in support of MAP.
2018 Michigan General Election results
The 2018 Michigan General Election results for Nov. 6 are available on the Secretary of State website with length of elected office terms, number of votes per candidate and percentage of votes each candidate received. The site also details voter turnout for all 83 Michigan counties.
Democrats take top offices, but Republicans maintain control of State House, Senate in midterm election
Karoub Special Election Report
Nov. 7, 2018
With the exception of Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Clement’s victory, it was a big night for Michigan Statewide elected Democrats Tuesday.
In impressive fashion, Democrats surged in this midterm election and placed their respective candidates in the Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General positions. Voters also returned United States Senator Debbie Stabenow to Washington and flipped two coveted United States House seats.
With about 90 percent of precincts reporting, Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer carved out a 53 to 44 percent win over Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette. The election results mirror the latest polls going into Tuesday’s election. Attorney Mark Bernstein will act as director of the transition team for the Governor-elect.
Democrat Jocelyn Benson snapped a 24-year Democratic drought in the Secretary of State post by defeating Republican Mary Treder Lang by a solid margin. Democrat Dana Nessel won a close race for Attorney General over Republican House Speaker Tom Leonard.
Unemployment drops to 4 percent, non-medical marijuana a hot topic, legislators hit campaign trail
The House has unanimously approved a five-bill package of legislation (SB 425-429) that will allow people to register to vote online; Michigan’s unemployment rate dropped to 4 percent in September. The number of jobless in the state fell below 200,000 last month for the first time since September 2000; Legislators have finished session work and headed back home to hit the campaign trail until the 14 scheduled session days in lame duck; The state's attempt to have some existing unlicensed marijuana businesses close by Sept. 15 ended up in court. So now the state has issued a new set of rules and made the deadline Oct. 31 instead; Legalization of the use of CBD oil, or cannabidiol, without the need of a medical marijuana card, has passed the House and been sent to the Senate; and the first case of chronic wasting disease in the Upper Peninsula has been confirmed by the Department of Natural Resources. It is the first deer to test positive among the 625 deer tested this year. Click here for the October 2018 Karoub Report for further information on these and other legislative issues.
No straight ticket, ballot proposals set in November election
Michigan voters will not be able to vote a straight-ticket when they go to the polls in November. Voters will not decide on paid sick leave or a $12 minimum wage. In a late move to take control of the citizen initiated petitions, the House and Senate passed the measures with the intent of Republican leadership to come back in lame duck to amend one or both of them.
The statewide ballot proposals in the November general election are:
• Proposal 1 would allow personal possession and use of marijuana by people older than 21 while regulating the distribution and commercial production of recreational marijuana.
• Proposal 2 would end partisan gerrymandering in Michigan by creating a non-partisan, transparent, and citizen-driven Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.
• Proposal 3 would amend the state constitution to authorize automatic and Election Day, voter registration, no-reason absentee voting and straight-ticket voting; and add current legal requirements for military overseas voting and post-election audits to the Michigan Constitution.
Read more: No straight ticket, ballot proposals set in November election
State plans to close Ojibway prison, debates planned in governor's race, online sales taxes may fund roads
The Michigan Department of Corrections plans to close the Ojibway Correctional Facility in Gogebic County on Dec. 1. Two other prisons have been closed in the past two years – Pugsley Correctional Facility in Grand Traverse County and the West Shoreline Correctional Facility in Muskegon County. Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Schuette and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gretchen Whitmer are planning three televised debates and chose their lieutenant governor running mates. Schuette tapped former state representative and Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons and Whitmer named Garlin Gilchrist II of Detroit as her running mate. U.S. District Judge Gershwin Drain has issued a permanent injunction stopping the state from enacting Public Act (PA) 268 which eliminated the option of straight-ticket voting in the foreseeable future for Michigan voters. Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration is recommending sales tax collected from online retailers outside of Michigan – more than $200 million – be spent to fix roads. Governor Snyder has announced new plans that would provide universal access to highspeed internet for every Michigan resident, business, region and community and the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Ann Arbor and Clio school districts’ ban on anyone bringing a weapon into a school building will stand. For more information on these and other legislative issues, click here for the August 2018 Karoub Report.
Record turnout in primary election as Governor, legislature races heat up
The Aug. 7 Primary Election set a modern day voter turnout record with the number of ballots cast expected to exceed 2 million. Michigan voters will hear “Fix the Damn Roads” and “I have been endorsed by President Trump” for the next three months as Democrat Gretchen Whitmer and Republican Bill Schuette won their respective primaries. Campaigning will continue to see who will succeed Governor Rick Snyder as state's next Governor in the November general election. In his first foray into politics, John James, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran and businessman, defeated venture capitalist Sandy Pensler to win the Republican primary. James will run against three-term incumbent U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Delta Twp.) in November’s election. Other state senator and representative primary race winners are also highlighted in the Special Election Karoub Report.
Scholars 2018
Stuart Raider of the Raider Dennis Agency (from left center), a V.I.P. Sponsor of the Carl Parsell Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing, and his son, Josh Raider, congratulate 2018 Carl Parsell Scholarship recipients Jessica Williams (left) and Makenzie Leach (right).
Pre-med students receive 2018 Carl Parsell Scholarships
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor
Two college-bound students planning medical careers were honored with $2,500 Carl Parsell Scholarships during the 28th Annual Carl Parsell Memorial Golf Outing on June 7, 2018 at Links of Novi.
Makenzie Leach of Kalkaska and Jessica Williams of Fowlerville were awarded 2018 scholarships.
The Carl Parsell Scholarship Fund was established in 1991 to continue the legacy of Parsell, a law enforcement union movement pioneer, by improving the lives and futures of others, through education. Scholarships are awarded each year to Michigan family members of Michigan Association of Police (MAP), Michigan Association of Public Employees (MAPE) and Michigan Association of Fire Fighters (MAFF) union members.
In its 28th year, $120,500 in Carl Parsell Scholarships have been awarded to help students obtain a college education. Funds for the scholarships are derived from the Annual Carl Parsell Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing.
Carl Parsell Scholar to pursue nursing training while in college
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor
Makenzie Leach is pursuing a career as a nurse and a $2,500 Carl Parsell Scholarship is helping her achieve that dream.
The daughter of MAPE member Stacy Leach, Kalkaska County Friend of the Court Case Manager, and Matt Leach of Kalkaska, was awarded the 2018-19 scholarship in June. She graduated Kalkaska High School with a 3.9 GPA this May.
In the fall, she plans to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Northwestern Community College in Traverse City, which recently added the full four-year nursing program to their curriculum. “Receiving this scholarship award would be a great honor and take away some of the financial burdens of nursing school,” she wrote in her application.
Leach, who graduated with Honors, served as Junior Class President, Student Council President in her senior year, and a high school math tutor. Captain of the Varsity Softball Team her senior year, she played four years on the Varsity Softball team and was Kalkaska Blazer Softball MVP in 2017. Leach was also awarded five other scholarships totaling $4,000.
“Makenzie has distinguished herself as an academic, leader, and hard worker in numerous fields, but also as a tremendous person in our school community,” wrote Kalkaska High science teacher Matthew Rogers. “I am always impressed with her creative mind and independent work ethic. She never stops her pursuit of knowledge, and continually looks deeper and tries to make connections with the material. Makenzie searches for answers to problems and is willing to take risks and try new ideas to accomplish the goal.”
“While taking a college level biology is difficult for most, Makenzie continuously keeps an open dialogue between herself and the instructor. This is an impressive trait that is rare for most high schoolers,” Rogers wrote. “As a leader she pushes the envelope with ideas and projects that provide the school and community with unique experiences. Makenzie has worked with individuals on school work or has been there to offer support for peers in need. She is the first person to help and will always go out of her way to make sure she can.”
As National Honors Society (NHS) Secretary, Leach volunteered at blood drives, gardening along community walking trails, and helped with parades and other local community events. She also volunteered with youth softball and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council, reviewing applications for grants and awarding funds to non-profit agencies.
Leach was a TBAISD Teacher Academy Program participant, assisting in elementary classrooms with instruction and was on TBA Career-Tech Center Principal’s Honor Roll. “Kenzie is a born leader and communicator. As my teacher academy student, she was helpful in all tasks creative, interpersonal and clerical,” wrote Matt Olds, Kalkaska High teacher and coach. “As for softball, Kenzie has been decorated as a top performer earning all-region twice, all-district, and all-conference three times. Kenzie can truly get big projects done with her attitude and rare ability to bring people together.”
Leach worked as a secretary at First Choice Trucking through a school-to-work program in high school. She babysits and has worked various summer jobs. This summer, she plans to return to work at Twin Birch Golf Course and will nanny.
“As a former teacher and coach of Makenzie Leach’s, I have been thoroughly impressed by her commitment and willingness to give 100% all the time,” wrote Jason Skeels. “I have seen a young woman who is dedicated, hardworking, and always willing to help others. Makenzie was a student of mine last year in TBA Teacher Academy Program and she was phenomenal. Her projects were second to none and she worked well with her host teachers throughout the school year. Not only was she successful in balancing her busy schedule, she has maintained exceptional grades and also volunteered numerous hours throughout her community.”
In college, Leach plans to get a jump start on her career while earning money by applying to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. “I’m hoping to work at Munson Hospital in Traverse City,” Leach said, adding that she would receive training and work experience if hired. “You get a paycheck and they also assist you with your college.”
Carl Parsell Scholar plans to become trauma surgeon
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor
Jessica Williams of Fowlerville plans to use her $2,500 Carl Parsell Scholarship to take the first steps in preparing for a medical career.
The daughter of MAFF Union member Daniel Williams, Jr. a Livingston County Paramedic, and Marcie Williams, graduated Fowlerville High School Suma Cum Laude with a 3.9 GPA. She is using her scholarship in pursuit of a bachelor’s of science degree in Biology at Grand Canyon University, a pre-med program.
“This scholarship will help me further my goals of going into the medical field by being a stepping stone to ease the burden of debt from attending college,” Williams wrote in her application. “My goal is to become a trauma surgeon and I chose this occupation so I can help people.”
Williams also received an American Red Cross $250 scholarship and an annual President’s Scholarship for $7,750 from the university based on her high GPA.
She is working at The Pizza Box in Fowlerville and plans to find a job near campus to help pay her schooling costs. Williams is looking forward to the warmer climate. “I think it will be fun to get out of my comfort zone and explore new places,” she said. “They have a really nice campus and their pre-med program is really good. I really liked the atmosphere there when I toured it.”
Williams was section leader in Marching Band and received Chevron awards and a Varsity Letter in Wind Ensemble. “Both inside the classroom and out, she can be found putting in the work, knowing that her efforts now will only increase her successes down the road,” wrote William A. Vliek, Fowlerville High School Director of Bands. “In her time in band, she has taken private saxophone lessons and has become our lead alto saxophonist in our jazz band; requiring her to arrive at school 50 minutes early twice a week. In addition, she has taken it upon herself to take private voice lessons as well as private piano lessons.”
“Though her initiative and drive are exemplary, Jessica’s character is the trait I will remember most,” Vliek wrote. “She can be counted on for a smile when needed and has served as a great leader within our marching band. She understands that not everyone learns at the same pace and molds her leadership and teaching to fit each individual student. I have no doubt that this trait will bring her great success in the professional world when she needs to collaborate and work effectively with others.”
Williams also received an Academic Letter for Honor Roll and National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists Award of Excellence for outstanding grades, leadership potential, and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine. She received a Varsity Letter, pins, and was a mentor in Archery and completed courses and requirements of National Student Leadership Conference on Medicine and Health Care.
She took time to help others as a Camp Counselor and volunteer at Center Lake Bible Camp. She plays in the Praise Band at Calvary Church in Webberville, is a Children’s Church volunteer and helps an older woman she befriended with weekly yardwork and cleaning. “She likes the company and we get along very well. She does (cardiac) research at Michigan State,” Williams said.
“Jessie is very determined, reliable and willing to do whatever task needs to be done to the best of her ability,” wrote Michael R. Carpenter, Associate Pastor at Calvary Church in Webberville. “She is respectful of authority, accepts criticism and takes responsibility for the task at hand. She is always willing to step up and fill a need when asked or when she sees an opportunity. She is a beautiful example of character and a role model to not only her peers, but to all ages, including myself.”
Calvary Senior Pastor Scott Gardziella described her as hard working, consistent and dedicated. “These qualities have made her an excellent volunteer at our church where she has devoted countless hours mentoring boys and girls in our children’s ministry and playing bass with our Praise Band,” Gardziella wrote. “She is kind and likeable, but not so worried about being liked that she changes with the crowd. This stability of character makes me trust her implicitly.”
Comparing her “outstanding” archery skills to life, Gardziella wrote, “She focuses on her goal, blocks out all the unnecessary noise and drama, takes careful aim at the target and hits the bullseye.”
