Name: Michigan Senate Republicans block 13 Whitmer appointees amid COVID fight
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Michigan Senate Republicans block 13 Whitmer appointees amid COVID fight

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The Detroit News Lansing — The Michigan Senate rejected 13 appointees from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday, a new pinnacle in the rift between the GOP-controlled Legislature and the Democratic governor.Republicans have attempted&nbsp;to use their power&nbsp;to push for the lifting of more COVID-19 restrictions&nbsp;and the Senate voted 19-14 along party lines&nbsp;to block the appointees, among whom were multiple people with close&nbsp;ties to Whitmer.Senate Republicans rejected Suzanna Shkreli, the governor's deputy legal counsel chosen to be director of the&nbsp;Office of Children’s Ombudsman, and Kristin Totten, the wife of the governor's chief legal counsel, Mark Totten, whom Whitmer had selected to serve on the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.The vote occurred hours before&nbsp;&nbsp;in which she's expected to call for unity.However, Sen. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, slammed restrictions the governor's administration has imposed&nbsp;to combat the coronavirus. He said the rules have cost people their livelihoods and increased unemployment. The state's unemployment rate rose in December to 7.5% from 6.7% the month before."We will continue to use the tools that we have ... to demonstrate to the governor that we are partners in this," Horn said. "We are a co-equal branch."Until that’s recognized, we will use the tools that we have without explanation."Whitmer, who has received praise from public health experts for her handling of the pandemic, has said she's following the data and science when forming policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19.The administration is focused on passing a COVID-19 recovery plan that supports vaccines for seniors and educators to get "our kids back in school safely, along with support for our small businesses and unemployed workers," said&nbsp;Tiffany Brown, the governor's spokeswoman."We’re not going to be distracted by petty partisan games," Brown said of the Senate vote.Last week, Whitmer's administration announced that again on Feb. 1. Indoor dining has been suspended since Nov. 18.Republicans have repeatedly called for bars and restaurants to be able to open more quickly. They've also criticized the governor for suspending high school winter sports through Feb. 21. On Monday, of COVID-19 variant cases in Michigan."Our job is to try to curtail the spread of this new variant in Michigan," Whitmer said Monday. "We've got to not let our guard down. We've re-engaged restaurants to a certain extent. That will increase the amount of people who are out and about. And I think it's important that we stay very focused on where the numbers are before we take additional steps."Democratic lawmakers slammed Republicans for blocking the appointments.Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, said Shkreli, a former assistant&nbsp;prosecutor with the&nbsp;Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office&nbsp;in the child protection unit, was obviously qualified and had fought to protect children her entire life.Sen. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo, said he couldn't imagine someone more qualified than Kristin Totten,&nbsp;an education attorney for the ACLU of Michigan, to serve on the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.“I can only conclude that this is a ridiculous, vicious and mean political game,” McCann said.In addition to the Shkreli and Totten, the Republicans blocked Cheryl Kobernik of Frankfort to Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development;&nbsp;Emily McDonough of Williamston to the Data Collection Agency Governing Board;&nbsp;Terry Gilligan of Livonia and Dennis Mowbray&nbsp;Jr.&nbsp;of New Boston to the Board of Mechanical Rules;&nbsp;James Pearson of Highland to the Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement System Board;&nbsp;Thomas A. Baird of Elk Rapids and David Cozad of Bay City to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission;&nbsp;Erin Kricher of Traverse City to the Rural Development Fund Board;&nbsp;Amy Cox of Warren to the Michigan Travel Commission;&nbsp;Richard Corriveau of Northville to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, and Ronald Campbell of Davison to the Barrier Free Design Board.cmauger@detroitnews.com

The Detroit News Lansing — The Michigan Senate rejected 13 appointees from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday, a new pinnacle in the rift between the GOP-controlled Legislature and the Democratic governor.Republicans have attempted&nbsp;to use their power&nbsp;to push for the lifting of more COVID-19 restrictions&nbsp;and the Senate voted 19-14 along party lines&nbsp;to block the appointees, among whom were multiple people with close&nbsp;ties to Whitmer.Senate Republicans rejected Suzanna Shkreli, the governor's deputy legal counsel chosen to be director of the&nbsp;Office of Children’s...

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Craig Mauger

Detroit's best source for news and information. You can reach The Detroit News at online(at)detroitnews(dot)com.

Michigan Senate Republicans block 13 Whitmer appointees amid COVID fight

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