The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
County Democrat endorses Republican commissioner
By Sean Dalton, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: July 17, 2008
County Commissioner Mark Ouimet, District 1, received a surprise honor earlier this month - the support of prominent county Democrat Jean King.
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King is a member of the Western Washtenaw Democrats and Washtenaw County Democratic Party.
She is also a Scio Township Board Trustee and was formerly chairperson of the county democrats in 1992 for a two-year term.
She made the endorsement of Ouimet, a Republican, at a recent gathering of the WWD at the historic Chelsea Depot.
"I have been in politics for many decades and Ouimet is the most responsible public servant I have had a chance to observe," she said.
Ouimet's two-year term expires this year. He is running against Democratic challenger Eric Borregard, of Dexter.
He was elected in 2004 after Chelsea Republican Joseph Yekulis vacated the seat to unsuccessfully run against Pam Byrnes for the 52nd District state House seat.
His grandfather was also a Washtenaw County commissioner in the 1930s and Ouimet himself is a fourth generation county resident.
King says that of the five commissioners that represent Scio Township, which is divided between districts 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10, Ouimet is by far the most visible.
"Three of (the commissioners) I have never seen at our meetings and Ken Schwartz (District 2) has only been there once," she said. "We have in the three-and-a-half years I have been on the board had several hearings and protest meetings in which our board room was packed with people, and so far as I can recall Ouimet was always there observing and listening."
Generally he is usually at meetings listening to township issues and filling township officials and meeting attendees in on county happenings, in kind.
One instance in which Ouimet was available to the township and its citizens was for a comment period to discuss how the commissioners had saved the county money through the county's pension system, according to King, who also said that was the time she saw Schwartz visit the township.
"The county before (they) went to work on it had two pension systems - one which ended for employees who retired after 1985 ... at least employees who retired after 1985, and the second one instituted from 1985 on."
They worked to combine the two pension boards, which nobody else had thought to do in 22 years, according to King.
Ultimately the county board adopted their recommendation. King said that she was impressed by the effort, which was a bipartisan one. Schwartz is a democrat.
Pension savings for the first year are projected at $5 million and could go as high as $12 million over the short term, according to Ouimet. He said the savings over the entire 20 process will be "substantial."
Upon reflection on how the endorsement was delivered at the WWD's meeting, Ouimet said he was floored and flattered.
"She got up at the meeting with all of the Democrats in the room and strongly endorsed me," he said. "I was sitting in the back of the room and someone commented on me at the meeting, about me being 'absolutely everywhere.' Everybody kind of laughed and then Jean got up.
"To have a former chair of the Democratic Party come out and endorse me is pretty strong."
Ouimet says there's no real secret to what he does, stating that you just have to be available and listen to constituents.
"I've always focused on what the constituents I represent need, for example the East Delhi Bridge ... I worked very hard to get the preservation of that bridge."
Ouimet also said that another key position he has taken is maintaining the sovereignty of governmental units.
"When there's a discussion of annexation, I've always felt that it's up to the individual governmental units to come up with the agreement," Ouimet said. "If one unit doesn't want to relinquish jurisdiction over an area they shouldn't be made to."
He has been on the record as maintaining this position, particularly during the Sloan-Kingsley proposed 575- unit development on Baker Road, in which Dexter Village and Scio Township could not find enough common ground on a 425 agreement, after the annexation request was sent to the county board.
Ultimately the village council decided to rescind the annexation petition from the state and the development hasn't been publicly heard of since.
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