Political veteran Candice S. Miller was raised on the shores of Lake St. Clair and sold sailboats before entering politics. Since then, Miller has tacked her way, upwind and downwind, through several political offices. With 29 Port Huron-to-Mackinaw races and several Chicago-to-Mackinaw races in her wake, the now-Macomb County Public Works Commissioner spoke with ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit about her job and her dedication to the health of the Great Lakes.
ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit: Youβve had a political career of tackling issues over partisanship.
Candice Miller: I think thatβs true. I mean, I am from Macomb County, which is the home of Reagan Democrats.
You were on the path to become the GOPβs pick for Michigan Governor. What influenced your decision to run local in 2016?
Really, I think, my passion for the Great Lakes and seeing all of these sewer overflows and beach closures. β¦ I just thought, βWe donβt have to live this way. I think we can do better.β Not that I can solve every problem, but I thought we could do better. Many people said, βOh my gosh, how can you leave Congress?β I donβt live in Washington, D.C. I live in Macomb County. This is my home β¦ I never thought Iβd be there 14 years to begin with. β¦ I was glad I had all those experiences. I certainly brought them all to bear when we had the interceptor collapse [on 15 Mile Road].
At least you didnβt fall into it.
That happened on Christmas Eve, and I took office Jan. 1. [This campaign] had been a very interesting race. β¦Μύ It was a $4 million campaign, which is the most expensive countywide campaign in Michigan history. β¦ There was no transition [and] this office has been under grand jury investigation. β¦ Itβs been sort of like living in a movie about infrastructure collapsing. β¦ That infrastructure collapse was the canary in the coal mine.
Youβve urged leaders in Oakland County to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and their discharge into the Red Run Drain. How have they responded?
They said they canβt do anything because itβs too expensive, which is not the correct answer. β¦ We put out [Requests for Proposals], and we had some very creative bids.
Do you see yourself impacting state legislation?
Yes, I do. β¦ I am working with a Democrat and a Republican to introduce some legislation to increase the current standard that the MDEQ [Michigan Department of Environmental Quality] has for treatment before discharge.
Do you consider yourself a βRepublican environmentalist?β
I guess. I run as a partisan, but I donβt really think of this job as a partisan office. β¦ Iβm very fiscally conservative, but certainly on environmental issues, Iβm willing to invest some money.
βI donβt think of this job as a partisan office. β¦ Iβm very fiscally conservative, but certainly on environmental issues, Iβm willing to invest some money.β
β Candice S. Miller
Do you foresee beach closings ending on Lake St. Clair?
No. Theyβve been going on for decades and generations. β¦ The reason why a beach closes, from the E.coli standpoint, is not all human. A huge percentage of it is geese. β¦ Weβve talked about Metropolitan Beach [since itβs Michiganβs] third busiest beach. β¦ If you want to attract geese, you have a big stretch of green grass, perfectly mowed, then sand, then the water. At Metro Beach, the only thing thatβs missing β¦ is a very large lit buffet sign. β¦ What you have to do is some dune restoration, beach restoration. Then you plant some native grasses. The geese then think thereβs potential of a predator being there. So then they wonβt land there. Or you run dogs β border collies. Honestly, it doesnβt cost millions of dollars to fix this stuff.
I donβt remember the beach closing when I was a kid.
Probably not, because we didnβt test. β¦ Now theyβre testing all the time. β¦ Let me just say this about Lake St. Clair: Itβs such a fantastic jewel β¦ Just with the configuration, how the water comes down the North Channel and St. Clair River. It literally washes out the contents of that lake in about two days. Itβs always changing.
Do you feel youβve had a crash course in sewer systems?
I knew a lot of it, because I had been interested in these issues. But obviously about the mechanics of it all, Iβm learning.
Whatβs your greatest challenge in this role?
I think how we reduce the CSOs. β¦ I think our approach here is going to be so unique that youβll see other places in the Great Lakes basin looking at what weβre doing here.
What do the Great Lakes mean to you?
I hopefully share the values of not just the people who live in this immediate area, but in Michigan. I mean, we are the Great Lakes State. Itβs in our DNA. Itβs our drinking water. Itβs how we recreate. Itβs everything. β¦ We are currently managing three projects totaling about $9 million. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative money. β¦ Itβs amazing how mother nature will revive herself if we just let her breathe.
Would you run for other state- or national-level positions?
Certainly not this year. I donβt think so, really. I like this job. Iβm home, and I like that.
Resume
±·²Ή³Ύ±π:ΜύCandice S. Miller
Age: 63
Hometown: St. Clair Shores
Timeline
1979 Entered public service as a Harrison Township Trustee
1980 Elected Harrison Township Supervisor and was the youngest person and first woman to hold the office
1986 Lost to David Bonior in race for Michiganβs 12th Congressional District
1992 Elected Macomb County Treasurer β the first woman in this role and the first Republican to win a county-wide office in the county in more than 60 years
1994 Elected as Michiganβs 40th and first female Secretary of State. Served two terms.
2002 Elected to the U.S. House of Representative, Michigan 10th District. Served seven terms. Has also served as Chairman of the Committee on House Administrations, Vice Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, and member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
2017 Took office as the Macomb County Public Works Commissioner after an intense and expensive campaign against an incumbent
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