Marlinga Returns to Political Scene
By Chad Selweski, Macomb Daily Staff Writer
Former Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga made it official on Monday, declaring his state Senate candidacy and portraying himself as a centrist Democrat who can help forge bipartisan agreements to end the state's ongoing budget crisis.
An election win would mark an extraordinary political comeback for Marlinga, who was indicted — and cleared by a federal jury — on charges of trading prosecutorial favors in exchange for campaign contributions in 2006.
"Probably my talent is my ability to bridge the gap between Republicans and Democrats. I … do not try to be too strident on anything," said Marlinga, a 62-year-old Sterling Heights Democrat who served as prosecutor from 1985-2005. "My decision to run was based on frustration, and almost disgust, with the way the budget process was handled the last couple of years. It was all politics and posturing."
Marlinga is expected to face a Democratic primary fight in the 10th District (Sterling Heights, Clinton Township, Roseville and Utica) from county board Chairman Paul Gieleghem of Clinton Township, who has filed a Senate campaign committee but has not made an announcement. On the Republican side, state Rep. Tory Rocca of Sterling Heights is the likely frontrunner for the GOP nomination.
Marlinga filed for office Monday morning and then announced his candidacy at a coffee klatch held at the home of a Roseville supporter. The former prosecutor said the event was the first of many small neighborhood gatherings he will hold as his campaign follows an "old-fashioned, 1960s-style" template.
After years working as a defense attorney, sometimes landing high-profile criminal cases, Marlinga burst back onto the political scene in November when a poll he commissioned found that he led Gieleghem by a 42 percent to 16 percent margin in a hypothetical 10th District race. The contest is for an open seat being vacated by term-limited Sen. Michael "Mickey" Switalski.
Marlinga said that the poll, plus early pledges for financial help, indicate that his criminal trial has had had no lingering effects on his popularity. Once a top vote-getter in the county, Marlinga has set a $400,000 fundraising goal for 2010 to pay for direct-mail, TV and radio advertising.
Joe DiSano, a Democratic political consultant, said that Marlinga's brush with the law is a "settled issue" and the former prosecutor's name recognition alone will be hard for Gieleghem or Rocca to overcome.
"He has the name identification and that is a hill that Paul Gieleghem has to climb in the primary," said DiSano, of Lansing-based Main Street Strategies. "He has to outspend and outwork Carl Marlinga, who is a natural-born campaigner."
DiSano, a New Baltimore resident, said Gieleghem has collected" baggage" during his two years as board chairman by pushing for budget cuts and a tax hike and, most recently, advocating a new tri-county tax to fund mass transit.
In contrast, Rocca could benefit from a strong Republican surge in the 2010 elections, the analyst said, but he has made no affiliations with the conservative "tea party" portion of the GOP.
In an interview with The Macomb Daily, Marlinga laid out an agenda that focuses on the economy, education and the environment. Here are some key points:
Create an "engineering division" within state government that would work with Michigan universities to develop inventions and prototypes, particularly in the area of alternative energy, which would entice entrepreneurs to the state. Start-up companies could buy the licensing rights to a new product if they set up their manufacturing operations in Michigan.
Eliminate the 22 percent surcharge on the Michigan Business Tax, even if it means a shift toward a higher income or sales tax. In addition, work toward long-term reform that would provide a tax exemption on the first $20,000 of income earned by an individual, in exchange for a higher income tax rate.
Hold the line on K-12 education spending but free up more money for the classrooms by consolidating all school administration operations at the intermediate school district level. Most of the state's 59 ISDs provide specialized services for one county, such as the Macomb Intermediate School District which services the county's 21 school districts. "If you're a deputy school superintendent, you probably don't want to vote for me," Marlinga said, "because I want to get rid of your job."
Maintain the Promise Scholarships for those students who were promised the tuition assistance but gradually convert the effort into a student loan program.
Return the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Natural Resources to a single, combined agency and transfer some environmental protection duties to local health departments and prosecutors.
For a candidate who has run for, or been considered for, numerous public offices — U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state Supreme Court, state attorney general, lieutenant governor and governor — Marlinga comes full circle with his bid for state Senate. In 1970, as a 23-year-old political neophyte, Marlinga ran and lost a Senate bid in a district based in Warren.
This time around, the political veteran promises a campaign that steers away from high-volume "glitz" and manufactured controversy.
"I think there has to be room in politics," he said, "for people who are serious — and sometimes boring."
To see the Macomb Daily original piece, click here.