Petty games and the loss of representation

T­here's an old saying in politics that when you throw darts at a board, you better be sure you're going to hit the bullseye.

Unfortunately, Oakland County Commissioners Charlie Cavell (D-Birmingham) and Kristen Nelson (D-Waterford) never learned the rules of the game. That has left them with publicity, but little else to show for their efforts of throwing darts – or better yet, stones. And for voters in their districts, it has left them without proper, much less adequate, representation on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.

You may have read some salacious stories in the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News about Oakland County Board of Commission Chair Dave Woodward working as a paid consultant for the gas station chain Sheetz, which has been invading metro Detroit with its popular 24/7 convenience stores known for their made-to-order food options, gas, large selection of products, including groceries and other items. In many communities, there has been local backlash to Sheetz entering the market over concerns about its impact on local businesses. But that is not what prompted Cavell and Nelson to announce they were withdrawing from the commission's Democratic caucus and call local media to air their grievances. Rather, their anger and vitriol was turned not against Sheetz, but against Woodward, alleging improper conflict of interest and a lack of professionalism.

We acknowledge we have not always been in agreement with Dave Woodward, whether on a policy issue or on the firm hand he holds on the Democratic caucus, in the Senator Chuck Schumer mold, but we have never questioned his ethics or professionalism. He is a politician, in a true sense, and he does know how to play the game – meaning he shows up prepared, knows the rules and plays to win. As he should. He's been doing it a long time and has risen through the ranks.

A county commission gig is a part-time $54,000 a year job, and just about all of the commissioners have another full or part-time job. For Woodward, it's as a paid private consultant. For Cavell, it has been as a fundraiser. Another works for Ford. One commissioner worked for years for the mayor of Pontiac. Another runs an apple orchard and farm.

In a proper form of government, if and when an item comes before the commission that could potentially be a conflict of interest, the commissioner is required to recuse themselves from voting. Woodward has pointed out that Sheetz has no business in front of the board of commissioners, and county government officials reviewed and approved his outside work. Further, he countered that neither Cavell nor Nelson ever brought up their concerns to him nor any other member of the Democratic caucus – they merely resigned from the caucus, telling us that there is “unethical behavior” by county leadership as well as a budget that they do not feel goes far enough to take care of poor people in the county in light of looming federal cuts.

“If there was a problem, they should have come and spoken with any member of the caucus. In any government body, you have to be able to work with different viewpoints. Instead, they went to the media,” Woodward said.

As a result of their refusal to work with their fellow Dems, Cavell and Nelson were stripped of all their committee assignments and other work – standard fare in government, although they cried foul. That leaves their constituents essentially without political representation on the county board. We recommend voters remember that in 2028, when their terms are up, and find new candidates, both Democrat and Republican, to run for those districts. Because Cavell and Nelson are not worthy of representing the office.