An Ingham County Circuit Court jurist has ruled that a new state law handing over redistricting authority to the Republican-controlled Oakland County Board of Commissioners is unconstitutional, and GOP brass are vowing to appeal Judge William Collette’s ruling handed down Wednesday, Feb. 15. Oakland County Democratic Party Chairman Frank Houston, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging the legality of Public Act (PA) 280 of 2011, said he’s pleased with the ruling. “We’re glad [...]

With year No. 1 officially under his belt, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has proposed a $48.2 billion state budget as a starting point in the opening salvo of what area lawmakers expect will be a spirited discussion on the state’s spending priorities. Snyder, elected to office in November 2010, called his Fiscal Year (FY) 2012-13 spending plan “the platform for creating an environment conducive to job growth, protecting our most vulnerable residents and ensuring that [...]

L. Brooks Patterson may be known regionally for his one-liners, but now he’s turning his attention to showcasing those who are focused on more than one line — that is, artists living, working, or attending school in Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Livingston, Lapeer, and Genesee counties. The five-term Republican Oakland County Executive announced during his annual State of the County address on Wednesday, Feb. 8, that MI Great Artist, expected to launch later this year [...]

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners is one step closer to live streaming on the Internet its full board and committee meetings now that the General Government Committee has recommended that the county board approve a one-year contract with SoundQue Multimedia. The Trenton, Mich.-based company received the recommendation from an ad hoc committee studying the proposal, and the General Government Committee referred the matter to the full board, which is expected to send the proposal [...]

In an effort almost sure to spark a backlash from pro-choice groups and Democrats, several members of the Republican Caucus of the state House of Representatives — including the entire GOP delegation from west Oakland — are proposing that the state ban abortions after the 20th week of gestation. The two-bill proposal, sponsored by state Rep. Eileen Kowall (R-White Lake, Highland), would create the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and subject someone who performs an [...]

Robert Lawrence is looking to make the jump from the Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education to the state House of Representatives. The Birmingham school board’s current treasurer, who was first elected to the board in 2003, is running as a Republican in the new 40th state House of Representatives District that includes the eastern portion of West Bloomfield Township, in addition to Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills. A former commercial banker and current [...]

Although the new district lines for the Oakland County Board of Commissioners are still up in the air, as a ruling is expected today, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in a legal challenge against a new state law allowing the county board to redraw them, Gwen Markham has filed as a Democrat to run in what is currently the 9th District, representing Wixom. Commissioner Kathy Crawford (R-Novi) currently lives within that district’s boundaries. She said she “absolutely” [...]

Neil Billington may have found another way to get Gail Haines out of office. The Waterford Township resident has filed candidate paperwork to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for the new 43rd state House of Representatives District, which includes the bulk of Waterford Township, along with Independence Township, Clarkston, and Lake Angelus. This comes after Billington challenged Haines — whose current district includes portions of Waterford and West Bloomfield townships — as a Republican in [...]

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in Lansing are working to reign in so-called “robocalls” — unsolicited and automated phone communications, typically from political campaigns — in the lead up to the 2012 election cycle. A pair of proposals released on the same day — House Bill (HB) 5254, sponsored by state Rep. Steven Lindberg (D-Marquette); and Senate Bill (SB) 896, sponsored by state Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R-Antwerp Township) — would institute a “do [...]

Milford Democrat Tom Crawford is making a run for the state House of Representatives. Crawford filed candidate paperwork with the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Elections Division last week to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination to represent it in the general election for the new state House of Representatives 44th District seat, which covers the southwest portion of Waterford Township, along with all of White Lake, Highland, and Milford townships. As of the 2010 U.S. [...]