Mark Hackel
Mark Allen Hackel is a politician and the County Executive of Macomb County, Michigan. He is the first person to hold that position, which was established by a new charter for county government that voters approved in 2008. He was elected to a four-year term in 2010 and strongly re-elected in 2014 and 2018.
During this period, he and the Board of County Commissioners have sometimes disagreed about the relative limits of their authorities under the new charter. In 2012 he sued the Board after it overrode his veto on a contract, and was upheld by the Circuit County Court. But the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Board, saying it clearly had "the discretionary authority to approve contracts" under the County Charter.
While Hackel has run successfully as a Democratic Party candidate for each of his elected positions, he has had ambivalent relations with the party and its other candidates. In 2013 he asked not to be listed as a Democrat in the Macomb County register of elected officeholders. In 2014 he initially declined to endorse Democratic former US Congressman Mark Schauer as the party's candidate for governor. In addition, since being elected as County Executive, Hackel has sometimes crossed party lines in supporting Republican candidates for county offices when there were Democratic candidates also running. He has suggested he might run for governor as an independent.
Prior to serving as County Executive, Hackel served 10 years as Macomb County Sheriff, from 2001–2010, being elected to four-year terms in 2000, 2004 and 2008. He had served in the sheriff's department since 1981, part of his father's long tenure as elected sheriff of the county. During this time, Hackel also completed a master's in public administration at Central Michigan University, and advanced law enforcement training at both FBI and US Secret Service facilities. He resigned as Sheriff on December 31, 2010 to begin his term as County Executive.
Background
Born in Detroit, Michigan, to Ada and William H. Hackel, Mark Hackel is the second of two sons. He attended public schools. By high school his family had moved to Sterling Heights, Michigan, where he graduated from the high school. He followed his father into a career in law enforcement. Hackel's brother, William Hackel III, became an attorney. In July 2009 he was appointed as judge of the second division Michigan's 42nd District Court by Governor Jennifer Granholm.After years as an officer, his father William H. Hackel was elected as Sheriff of Macomb County in 1976. He was repeatedly re-elected and served six consecutive terms, from 1977 to 2000.
Mark Hackel earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wayne State University in Criminal Justice, and joined the sheriff's department in Macomb County in 1981. He later earned a master's degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University. While working at the sheriff's department, he also received training at the FBI National Academy and the U.S. Secret Service's dignitary protection school.
Hackel has taught classes in criminal justice and leadership at Macomb Community College, where he met his future wife, Tracie Damschroder. He also taught at Wayne State University. Since being elected as county executive, he has hosted a local cable show called Executive Focus.
Macomb County Sheriff
Hackel's father, William H. Hackel, resigned from the sheriff's position on April 27, 2000, after a jury in the Isabella County Court convicted him of rape: two counts of third-degree criminal-sexual conduct from an incident the previous year. He was succeeded by Undersheriff Ronald P. Tuscany, who served as interim Sheriff for the final seven months of Hackel's term. William H. Hackel was sentenced to 3 to 15 years in prison by Isabella County Circuit Court Judge Paul Chamberlain. He was paroled and released from prison on April 24, 2003.Mark Hackel, his son, was one of 15 candidates to run in the primary on August 8, 2000 for the Democratic Party nomination for Macomb County Sheriff. Likely benefiting from name recognition, Hackel captured 46% of the vote. He defeated Republican Steve Thomas in the general election for Sheriff in November 2000, winning 52% of the vote to become County Sheriff. Hackel won re-election in 2004 and 2008, defeating Republican candidate Kristi Dean both times. In his 2008 victory, Hackel received 78.4 percent of the vote and set a new record of 314,778 total votes for a county-wide elected office.
In early 2007 Hackel and his office received national attention during their investigation of the homicide death of Tara Grant, whose body was found dismembered. Her husband, Stephen Grant, confessed to police and was charged with murder. Grant was convicted of second-degree murder in his wife's death in December 2007 and was sentenced to 50 to 80 years in prison by Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Diane Druzinski in February 2008.
County Executive
On December 3, 2008, Hackel announced that he had formed an exploratory committee looking at the possibility of a run for Governor of Michigan in 2010. He later decided to run instead for the new position of Macomb County Executive, which had been approved by voters in 2008. Unopposed in the Democratic primary, Hackel won the nomination.On November 2, 2010 he was elected as the first Macomb County Executive, receiving 66 percent of the vote and defeating Republican Randell Shaffer, who had 31 percent, and Libertarian Erin Stahl, who had 3 percent. Hackel resigned his position as sheriff on December 31, 2010 and took office as County Executive for a four-year term starting on January 1, 2011.
On December 7, 2010 Hackel named Mark Deldin, Chippewa Valley Schools Superintendent, as his Deputy County Executive.
In November 2014, Hackel defeated Republican David Novak to win a second-term as County Executive, taking 69 percent of almost 260,000 votes.
He easily won a third term in November 2018.
Clashes with Macomb Board of Commissioners
Hackel and the members of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners each had new roles to define under the 2008 county charter, and have sometimes disagreed over the extent of their relative authorities. In October 2011 they disagreed on whether the Board or Hackel had the final authority to approve contracts for the county.On February 29, 2012, Hackel sued the Board in Macomb County Circuit over its override of one of his vetoes of a series of contracts. Hackel said of the lawsuit
"...the administration argues that the board's definition of contracts and purchases, including multiple expenditures related to the same item or project, violates the "clear separation of powers" that voters embraced in the charter. For example, the commissioners want to approve or reject a series of related contracts that add up to $35,000 over a 1-year period.".
On May 14, 2012, Circuit Court Judge John Foster ruled in Hackel's favor, saying, "the power to make expenditures following an appropriation is an executive function which is properly exercised by the County Executive." Hackel said of the ruling, "I think it's going to finally get them to understand the relationship. They do not run county government. They should just allow me to do my job according to the charter."
The Board, led by Chairwoman Kathy Vosburg, R-Chesterfield, appealed the decision to the Michigan Court of Appeals. In a unanimous decision announced on October 30, 2012, the court reversed the lower court decision, ruling against Hackel, saying, "The Macomb County Charter unambiguously grants to the Commission the discretionary authority to approve contracts." Hackel said, "We don't see this as an unfavorable ruling even though the terminology is it's overturning the ruling of the circuit court." The Hackel administration did not appeal the ruling to the Michigan Supreme Court.
In 2013, Hackel told reporters that his New Year's resolution was to communicate with the Board on a one-on-one basis. He said, "I am here looking to work with you. There are tremendous opportunities in Macomb County to take advantage of, and I hope to engage all of you in working toward that progress."
Relations with the Democratic Party
While Hackel has been successful in winning Democratic Party nominations and general elections, his relations with the Party and other candidates has been at best ambivalent at times. He has crossed party lines to endorse Republican candidates for some county and state offices, offending some party regulars. In addition, some fellow Democrats in Macomb County have said that he is too willing to work with Republicans, including Gov. Rick Snyder. In 2013, Hackel instructed the County Clerk's office not to identify him as a Democrat in the county directory of elected officials.During Michigan's gubernatorial election in 2014, Hackel originally said that he would stay neutral, rather than endorsing the presumptive Democratic nominee, former US Congressman Mark Schauer. Hackel eventually "reluctantly" endorsed Schauer, who was defeated by the incumbent Snyder.
In 2016, Hackel crossed party lines by endorsing Republican U.S. Representative Candice Miller, a former Macomb County Treasurer with whom he had worked, in her bid to unseat 6-term Democratic incumbent Anthony Marrocco in the race for Macomb County Public Works Commissioner. He said, "The point is to endorse people that you believe are the ones that are going to be the most effective in making things happen. The working relationship I would get with a person like Candice Miller would far exceed any expectations the public would have or that I would have."
In 2018, despite having endorsed the statewide Democratic ticket, Hackel refused to back Fred Miller, the Democratic nominee for the 2018 special election for Macomb County Clerk. Hackel initially backed state senator Steve Bieda in the Democratic primary. After Miller won the nomination, Hackel supported Miller's Republican opponent, Lisa Sinclair, although they had never met. Hackel said that he felt Miller and County Clerk Carmella Sabaugh had conspired to "rig" the 2016 clerk election. Miller filed to run minutes before Michigan's deadline, in order to appear on the August primary ballot; while at the same time, Sabaugh withdrew from the race minutes before Michigan's deadline to be removed from the ballot, essentially leaving the Democratic nomination open to Miller.
Political future
Hackel has three times flirted with running for Governor of Michigan, considering running in the 2010, 2014, and 2018 elections. He put out early feelers In 2008 and in 2012. Hackel eventually decided to run for and was elected as Macomb County Executive in 2010. The Republican candidate, Rick Snyder, won the governorship.In October 2012, Hackel was reportedly considering a run at the governorship in 2014. But in January 2013, Hackel announced that he would not run for governor in 2014, but would instead focus on running for re-election as County Executive.
Again in May 2017, Hackel suggested he might run for governor, either as a Democrat or independent. He eventually ran for a third term as County Executive, and again won the primary and general elections by a wide margin.