Tagged: robert ficano

To badly paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, history will little note nor long remember Bob Dole’s presidential campaign sixteen years ago. Dole was the Republican nominee against President Bill Clinton that year.

This was before the sex scandals came to light, and Clinton breezed to reelection. Bob Dole, an authentic war hero with a hilariously caustic sense of humor, ran a bumbling race that didn’t reflect that he was actually a quite capable man. 

But he had a slogan that didn’t help him much, but seems curiously appropriate for Michigan today. “Where’s the outrage?“ he used to say, after he enumerated a series of real or exaggerated Clinton  failings. “Where’s the outrage?’

DETROIT (AP) — A former high-ranking Wayne County official has been indicted on corruption charges in an investigation of kickbacks tied to a health program.

Michael Grundy is accused of enriching himself by having a contractor inflate invoices and pass him the cash. Grundy was an assistant county executive and director of HealthChoice until he was fired last fall.

He's charged with conspiracy, fraud and extortion. His lawyer had no immediate comment Wednesday.

Grundy was placed on leave in October and then fired in November by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano.

Federal authorities began investigating county government after news broke that a senior official was getting a $200,000 severance to become airport chief. That deal eventually was dropped.

(Robert Ficano/Wayne County)

Robert Ficano says he won’t let doubts about corruption in county government distract him from his job.

The Wayne County Executive delivered his tenth annual State of the County address Wednesday night.

Ficano has been dogged by corruption scandals for months. He didn’t specifically mention the FBI probe into huge severance payouts made to some of his top appointees, and two former top aides charged with extortion and obstructing justice.

Some years ago, there was a scandal involving fiscal improprieties at Michigan Public Media, which operates this radio station. When the then-director discovered the suspicious financial practices, he immediately told the University of Michigan about them.

Then, though he was in no way implicated in the wrongdoing, he resigned, saying the irregularities happened under his watch, and therefore he was ultimately responsible for them.

That was a classy and appropriate thing to do. Now contrast that with the embarrassing mess in Michigan’s largest county. Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano is sitting atop what may be the biggest and most far-reaching scandal anyone can remember, and he refuses to even consider taking responsibility.

Wayne County Commissioner Laura Cox has publicly said that embattled County Executive Robert Ficano should resign.

Cox, the only Republican on the Wayne County Commission, has been one of Ficano’s most outspoken critics.

Ficano has been under fire for months after numerous revelations about huge severance payments to top aides, and other corruption accusations.

The FBI is investigating, and a criminal complaint charging former staffers with extortion and obstructing justice was released this week.

The County’s Human Resources director, Georgetta Kelly, also stepped down this week after a brief tenure.

A top aide to Wayne County executive Robert Ficano is facing federal extortion and bribery charges

Tahir Kazmi is Wayne County’s Chief Information Officer.   He’s been in that job since 2008, though he is currently on leave.

Federal prosecutors charged Kazmi this week with pressuring a county vendor to lie to FBI agents investigating possible corruption in Wayne County government.   Kazmi also allegedly demanded cash and expensive trips in return for county contracts.  

Kazmi and another Wayne County employee are charged with obstruction of justice as well.