Open Letter from Mayor Jim Fouts to Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel

To say that I was disappointed that you decided to be a “no-show” at our scheduled debate on WXYZ-TV on November 28, 2016, is an understatement. was prepared with facts that you authorized illegal dumping at the Freedom Hill landfill and made misstatements about the situation. The facts remain that no permit for clean-up purposes was issued by the South Macomb Disposal Authority (SMDA), no site plan and no notification of the M-DEQ per the 2005 consent decree agreement. It is clear that the first time anyone took action on illegal dumping was during a November 12, 2016 meeting many months after the dumping began.

Over and above that “no-show,” I want to address statements you made about me and Warren on The Frank Beckmann Radio Program.
On August 11, 2014, over 5 inches of rain fell on Warren and other Macomb County communities in a 5-hour period. The normal rain is 1 .5 inches.
As a result of this 200-year rainfall, a large number of city streets and basements and the Warren Police Headquarters were flooded.

The biggest problem was 2.1 billion gallons of sewage overwhelmed the Red Run Drain. Your radio interview comments seemed to excuse Oakland County’s actions.

Your interview said I had “to get my house in order first” as mayor before criticizing Oakland County.

For your information, here is how I responded to this emergency to help Warren residents:

Declared a state of emergency in Warren immediately.
Authorized overtime for city employees to help residents in any way.
Contacted U.S. Congressman Sander Levin and Governor Snyder requesting emergency help through FEMA.

6554 individuals received $9.4 million in FEMA individual homeowner assistance grants — highest in Michigan. (This is an initiative that should have been taken by a concerned county executive).

17 .5 million pounds of curbside trash removed in 3 weeks.

Normal curbside trash pick-up resumed 2 days after the flood.

In addition, we took the following actions to minimize future flooded basements and streets.

-Repair of sewer-water mains $855,698
-Sewer cleaning — (7 miles) $104,606
-Relief sewer construction $9,999,056
 12 Mile — Schooner
 10 Mile — Hoover
-13 Mile and Martin Road relief sewer construction $9,577,238
Over $20 million in relief sewer projects

And I initiated the following flood insurance reform proposals to the Governor and State Legislature:

-Bold print on home insurance policies that states: “Flooded basements not covered”
-Mandatory basement flood coverage
-Cost of policy-reasonable and competitive
-Policy coverage: furnaces, water heaters, appliances
-Non-cancellation of policy for flooding claims

Also, with the help of Councilwoman Kelly Colegio, we mobilized hundreds of volunteers from the Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Team and local churches to assist residents with clean-ups for 18 months after the flood.
All of these actions were taken without any help from the County Executive’s Office. Not been so much as a phone call to me offering county resources to help flooding victims. (Your only input was to show up for media coverage of the Governor’s tour of flooded areas of Warren).

Your inaction during a time of crisis is disappointing.

Your comments about the Oakland Macomb Interceptor situation showed you have no degree of understanding on this issue. You claimed Warren wanted to join the interceptor for “free.” The last proposal was a $14 million buy-in for Warren which we considered excessive plus other costs in millions.
Never once during negotiations did Warren ask for a “free” tie in to OMID. Because of the OMID Board’s excessive demands, we are pursuing an alternative to build our own detention basin to minimize flooding of streets and basements. We have taken the first steps toward finalizing this alternative, saving Warren taxpayers millions in OMID “buy-in” costs.

Instead of taking positive action to stop the billions of gallons coming into Warren and other county communities and offering help from the county, you have decided on a course of action that includes cover-ups, possible pollution of our waterways, contractor favoritism, and excuses for Oakland County dumping billions of gallons of sewage into Macomb County.

I hope you will realize how your inaction and falsehoods accomplish nothing. Your leadership as county executive goes beyond media interviews and photo opportunities. Most importantly, leadership mandates telling the truth and not ignoring the facts or twisting them. It also includes helping communities such as Warren during emergencies.

Sincerely,

Jim R. Fouts
Mayor of Warren

P.S. In the radio interview, you stated I was angry because “my buddy Tony Marrocco was defeated for public works commissioner on November 8.” For your information, I did not endorse or help Mr. Marrocco in any way during his campaign for re-election.
And, I hope in the future, you will speak for yourself on important issues like the Freedom Hill cover-up, instead of “hiding” behind the words of your deputy.

Students from Mound Park Elementary School in the City of Warren will be accepting school supplies from Warren Mayor Jim Fouts.

Students from Mound Park Elementary School in the City of Warren will be accepting school supplies from Warren Mayor Jim Fouts 4th Annual Drive for Needy.  The Fourth (4^th) Annual School Supplies Drive brings together Warren residents and local businesses to help resupply students at Mound Park Elementary School.
Supplies, such as binders, markers, notebooks, paper, pencils, glue and other classroom items were donated by Warren Businesses, city employees and the Residents of Warren.
“Individuals and businesses from all areas of our city donated a variety of school supplies that the students or the school could not afford,” said Mayor Jim Fouts in a statement.  “These supplies will help to make a better learning environment.”

This is the fourth year the City of Warren has hosted a drive to collect school supplies to help needy students with much needed assistance.

Jim Fouts - Warren Mayor

James “Jim” R. Fouts is an American Elected Official and the incumbent Mayor of the City of Warren, the third largest city in Michigan.

Before being elected Mayor of Warren, Jim Fouts served multiple terms on the city council, where he worked tirelessly to resolve many issues concerning Warren residents.  His dedication and commitment to spearhead multiple efforts to improve the basic services and quality of life for Warren Residents quickly developed his reputation as the “Warren Neighborhood Councilman”.
James R. Fouts was elected Mayor of Warren in November 2007 defeating the challenger, City Clerk Richard Sulaka, receiving 62% of the votes.^[1].. The Mayor’s continued service to the City was again rewarded by the residents of Warren who cast 81% in favor of Jim Fouts’ during the 2011 re-election campaign, in which he defeated the challenger, Councilwoman Kathy Vogt.^{[14], by} by a historic margin, receiving 81%[1]  of the votes cast.  This was to be a short term record, as again in November 2015, Mayor Jim Fouts was honored once more for his many achievements and contributions to the City of Warren by winning re-election to his third four-year term by a margin of 84.7 percent to 15.3 percent.   Mayor Jim Fouts is the first Mayor in the History of the city of Warren to receive more than 80% of the votes and has “widespread support across the city[1]” of Warren.
While in office, The Mayor’s accomplishments are many and include a myriad of reforms and initiatives that have greatly improved the quality of life in Warren.    His cost saving initiatives saved the city significant expenditures by consolidating and streamlining multiple city departments.  Those initiatives not only streamlined the city’s Budget and fiscal Policy but also improved the efficiency of city operations and were honored with an Award given to the Mayor.

Under Mayor Fouts’ many initiatives, the city implemented a number of programs that connect the community with government and make government more accessible. Among them, a weekly program called Fouts Forum, where the Mayor interviews community and business leaders.
Through a coordinated approach spearheaded by the Mayor, such blight sweeps and police sweeps, some of which were personally supervised by the Mayor[1], have produced a steady decrease in both property crimes and violent crimes.

Mayor Jim R. Fout’s effort to attract high-tech industry, along with automotive manufacturers and suppliers has created a sprawling downtown area which has houses a mix of start-up businesses, incubators, and accelerators alongside established industry giants and a multitude of public amenities. [1] The Mayor’s efforts have brought companies such as General Motors, who have invested $1 billion in a new GM Technical Center, the development of the Chrysler Manufacturing Complex, also known as Dodge City, which has become a major producer of the popular Ram and Dakota models and many other research and manufacturing operations.  These initiatives have also produced new developments, new shopping centers, and supermarkets such as Meijer and Menards.

The Mayor’s revitalization and clean up initiatives have greatly increased the quality of life for the residents of Warren. His continued efforts in revitalizing the Warren community with his aggressive city “clean-up”  have addressing nuisance and abatement for businesses and residential dwellings and garnered the attention of the national media impressed with such efforts.  His unique approaches to solving issues, have resulted in a first of its kind, public-private partnership that has set a comprehensive road important plan in motion.

The Mayor also garnered national attention with his first of its kind ethics ordinance and a “Buy American” campaign.

Prior to his election to Public Office, Jim Fouts dedicated himself to public service by teaching, among other subjects, political science and government, and psychology to students attending the Warren Consolidated Schools District.

Some of the personal sacrifices made by Mayor Jim include giving up his city issued car, gas mileage and pension and does not take vacations.  Mayor Fouts has an open door policy in the office but will often take calls from Warren residents during off hours as well as on the weekends.
One of Mayor Jim Fouts’ personal heroes is the Former President Harry. S. Truman, a man greatly admired by the Mayor for his honesty and work ethic.  You will often find on the mayors desk Harry Truman’s motto, “The Buck Stops Here”.