Mark Hackel's way of handling defeat? Just declare victory

There’s apparently been a fair amount of chuckling and chatter in Macomb County political circles since County Executive Mark Hackel labeled his loss in the Court of Appeals as a good thing.

After never giving an inch in the Board of Commissioners’ effort to approve or disapprove government contracts and purchasing – even vowing that the board would never play any role – Hackel said his defeat in court was “pretty favorable.”

That weak attempt at spin control raised quite a few eyebrows around the county buildings. The Macomb County contracting/purchasing ordinance devised by the board, which the executive vetoed twice, will now become the law of the land. The board won.

After his initial victory in Circuit Court, Hackel had insisted that the board was foolishly following flawed and expensive legal advice when they took their case to the appellate court.

When asked if he would give the board a role of some kind in approving contracts if the commissioners lost at the appellate level, the executive was adamant – he answers only to the people, not the commissioners.

Though the Hackel team had asserted that their office has the authority to handle all contracting matters without sharing any information upfront with the Board of Commissioners, Hackel insisted that Wednesday’s court ruling had nothing to do with transparency in government.

It seems that Hackel’s newest strategy is to declare victory while ensnared in the jaws of defeat.