Oakland Confidential

A collection of gossip, scuttlebutt, and odds and ends from our reporters’ notebooks:

WHAT HE MISSED: Speaking of lacking clarity, that is what Michigan Democrats say they are trying to inform U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Waterford, White Lake, Highland, Milford, Commerce, Wolverine Lake, Walled Lake, Wixom) of in a release dated Friday, Sept. 30, in which the Dems blast the guitar-wielding Livonia Republican as being “so willing to leave his district behind in pursuit of his questionable political ambition” during the presidential campaign he quashed in recent weeks. That type of gamesmanship is to be expected, but this isn’t — MDP Chairman Mark Brewer & Co. don’t say what McCotter missed during his long-shot White House run in the release. Oversight? Maybe. Is Oakland Confidential being too nit-picky when it comes to headlines? Almost certainly. But here’s where we’re not being too nit-picky: There appears to be a typo in the release. “How could McCotter do this (Michigan Republican Party Chairman) Bobby Schostack just days before the Mackinac Conference,” Brewer is quoted as saying. Take a second to read it closely… Tsk, tsk, proof-readers! So, unless “Bobby Schostack” becomes akin to pulling a Ferris Bueller — skipping school — or pulling a Harry Potter (being generally awesome) or a pulling a Herman Cain — crooning John Lennon’s “Imagine” with the lyrics re-worked to be about pizza (blasphemy, in Oakland Confidential’s opinion)— we’re confident it was probably an oversight from the communications peeps for the MDP. A McCotter spokesperson couldn’t be reached to offer Thad Man’s rebuttal to the release.

MOTIVATOR-IN-CHIEF: Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson may have a penchant for witty one-liners and jokes, but did you know that he’s also the county’s Motivator-in-Chief? Well, not officially (that might necessitate a pay-bump), but Patterson — who has been top dog at the county for just about forever — has been blowing up his Twitter feed (@brookspatterson) recently with some inspiring quotes. Case in point: “The two most important words are ‘Thank you,’” reads one (along with the hashtags “#Brooks,” “#quote,” and “#leadership”). Those Dhali Lama-esque musings are from a 2003 speech Patterson wrote and gave in 2003. And Oakland Confidential is willing to bet you can’t guess the name of the speech. “It’s called his ‘Leadership Speech,’” according to Oakland County Media and Communications OfficerBill Mullan. “The speech is great, in and of itself. It has all these great one-liners.” Patterson, according to Mullan, sometimes posts 140-character musings himself on Twitter, but that chore also occasionally falls to Oakland County-based Miyan Media, which also did Inter-web work for LBP (as his spiffy new campaign website refers to him in the menu bar). Want to keep up-to-date with all the latest from L-to-the-Brooks? Patterson also has his brand-spankin’ new feature where people can get text messages about his campaign.

LIGHTS, CAMERA… Action! With the recent decision by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners to televise a few of their meetings this calendar year, some serving on the 25-member panel are making sure that they are putting on their best face for the masses — er, dozens, maybe — of people tuning into the board’s meetings. Or, perhaps, putting on a little bit of grand-standing, according to Commissioner Marcia Gershenson (D-West Bloomfield). “There is, obviously, people who do talk to the cameras, but after awhile, that kind of settles down,” she said. “It’s just so important for us to be transparent.” Agreed, Marcia! But what’s more is that her sense is that “within a few months” she expects the county to begin the process of soliciting bids to more permanently begin televising and streaming the board’s pow-wows. We’ll keep you posted. o

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