Retired beer and wine distributor Greg O'Niel is well known to maintain the pulse of the Michigan political scene. His personal contact list is a veritable Who's Who. So, when he called his friend, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette recently, and asked him to consider a small meet & greet with some of the power hitters of Michigan's Great Southwest, the AG concurred.
That meet & greet this afternoon at The Boulevard Inn was sandwiched in a brief appearance before the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Kiwanis and a stint of reading to elementary students in the St. Joseph Public School system. Schuette spoke to the roughly 40 men and women on hand and signed copies of his book "Big Lessons from a Small Town." Early this morning he met with top rank Whirlpool executives, and was slated to visit with the Herald-Palladium editorial board late this afternoon.
While Schuette hasn't actually announced a candidacy for the Governor's office, it's pretty well known that he is eyeing the Governor's mansion in 2018 when he and Governor Rick Snyder are both term limited in their current roles. In fact, Michigan Radio said nearly a year ago that "If Bill Schuette's interest in running for governor in 2018 is a secret, it's basically the worst-kept secret in Michigan politics." He didn't mention the prospect of running today, but you could call his visit exploratory or introductory in nature, although he knows many local leaders and residents of the area.
Schuette's resume would certainly lend credence to his drive for the top, inasmuch as he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 10th Congressional District in 1984 and won re-election there two more times before unsuccessfully challenging Carl Levin for the U.S. Senate. In 1991 he was named director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture. Three years later he was elected to the Michigan Senate where he served until 2003. He was elected a Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals next, serving 6-years in that role before running for the state's Attorney General position in 2010.
Schuette's routine school reading visits are tied to his contention that reading is absolutely fundamental and significant. He often refers to America as an incredible place, "like a shining light high on a hill," however he adds, "if you can't read, you have no idea how to read the instructions on getting to the top of that hill."
In his role as the top lawyer in Michigan, he manages a staff of 275 attorneys, support staff, para-legals and more who are responsible for handling the more than 40,000 cases a year in his office to enforce the law and defend the constitution.
He's currently at the center of the storm regarding conditions in Flint where contaminated drinking water issues have gone nationwide. He told local leaders today, "So many things went wrong in Flint." He has put together an independent investigation, filing some charges already and promising, "there will be more charges to come." Saying things "are not normal in Flint now, but we hope to restore the confidence of the people of Flint and the people of Michigan going forward," Schuette continues his investigation.
The Attorney General is also a part of the pipeline task force looking at the issue of 63-year old oil pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac. That task force is currently studying options and making two assessments regarding the financial risks and the insurance needs if the pipeline continues to be employed. Also at risk would be determining new ways to get propane to residents of the Upper Peninsula.
Asked about the next ten years for Michigan, Schuette calls himself an optimist and says "we need to be bold and big." He thanked Greg & Marian O'Niel for hosting the gathering and promised to return to the region regularly to keep the pulse of the community as he moves to the next chapter in his life in 2018 and beyond.
