House Minority Leader Tim Greimel Names New Chief of Staff

House Minority Leader Tim Greimel (D-Auburn Hills) named Todd Cook as his new Chief of Staff. Cook currently is a Partner at Main Street Strategies, a Democratic political consulting firm. Interim Chief of Staff Jason Ellenberg will now serve as Director of Central Staff for the House Democratic Caucus.

Michigan Supreme Court Announces New General Counsel

Chief Justice Robert Young announced the appointment of Joseph Baumann as the new General Counsel for the Michigan Supreme Court. Baumann previously served as counsel to the House Republican Majority Caucus.

Duggan Appeals Decision Removing Him from Ballot

Detroit Mayoral candidate Mike Duggan filed an appeal with the Michigan Court of Appeals challenging a lower court ruling that he is ineligible to run because he did not meet the city’s residency requirements. Under Detroit’s charter, a candidate must be a resident and a registered voter for one year at the time of filing for office. The main source of contention is whether “at the time of filing” means the date a candidate files for office or the filing deadline (May 14, 2013). Mr. Duggan registered to vote on April 12, 2012 and filed to run for mayor on April 3, 2013. The Court of Appeals has not yet issued a ruling on Mr. Duggan’s appeal.

Snyder Administration Ordered to Release Detroit Emergency Manager Candidates

An Ingham County Circuit Court judge ordered the Snyder Administration to release the names of approximately 20 past candidates in contention for the Detroit emergency manager position. This ruling is in response to a lawsuit that asserts the appointment of current Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr is invalid because it violated the state Open Meetings Act. The state plans on appealing this decision.