Bill Dwyer sheds a little more light on his surprise withdrawal from the 37th District State Rep. race in an interview with Farmington Observer editor Stacy Jenkins, published January 25. In April, he’ll step in as the new police commissioner in Warren.
While the $111,000 salary represents a significant improvement over what he’d have gotten in Lansing (assuming he was able to overcome a tough opponent, former Hills mayor and Democratic activist Vicki Barnett), I honestly believe Chief Dwyer’s heart wasn’t in politics from the start. Based on what I’ve heard from a couple of party insiders, he was heavily recruited. Still, I don’t fault him for giving it a shot.
In my one, brief encounter, I learned running for office something that’s either in you or it isn’t. And there’s really no way to find out until you actually step into the arena.
What’s evident, beyond any doubt, is Dwyer’s devotion to law enforcement. After retiring as a Detroit homicide cop, he spent the last 23 years building up the Farmington Hills Police Department, which has grown to a complement of 124 sworn officers and 63 civilian staff. He told the Observer, and I believe it’s true, that he could do far more good in Warren than he’d ever do in Lansing. The east-side city has struggled with some tough breaks; the former police commissioner was fired last fall for drinking on the job.
–Joni Hubred-Golden
Michigan Woman Blogger
