Skip Maccarone: Just Another Taxing and Spending Politician

We have long suspected that Shelby Township Supervisor Skip Maccarone is nothing but a big government taxer and spender in conservative clothing. He has shown this in his spending policies; he has shown this in his willingness to raise assessments and fees on homeowners and businesses; and he has shown this in his support for a massive $50 million township "campus" -- paid for by more money (taxes/fees) out of our pockets, without a public vote.

Now, an article from the Sunday, March 30th Detroit Free Press once again highlights how Skip Maccarone is nothing but a classic big government politician — albeit on a local level.

Here is a link to the Detroit Free Press article. When you read this story, you will see how Skip Maccarone is now taking it upon himself to lobby to take more and more money out of the pockets of Michigan developers. Skip's idea comes at a time when homes are not selling and our state's economy is in the toilet. Skip wants to place additional tax/fee burdens on people who create JOBS (and tax revenue) for our state, our county and our township.

The issue at hand is "IMPACT FEES."

Impact fees (a.k.a. taxes) are funds that developers would pay to a local community for road improvements whenever they want to build homes, supermarkets, or industrial buildings in a community. Michigan does not have a law requiring impact fees, and as TRUE conservatives we don't believe Michigan should require them. They would be counterproductive, and the end result would be a further weakening of our economy.

Whenever a community imposes an impact fee on new development, the actual costs are passed on to the purchaser through increased lot prices. This ends up being a hidden tax. As lot prices increase, the number of people who are able to afford the lots decreases. In addition, if the impact fees are too high, prospective home buyers will look to other communities (or other states) with lower prices. By reducing the number of prospective buyers who are either able or willing to pay for the increased lot prices (as result of the required fees), impact fees can have a devastating impact on local real estate markets - and on local communities.

New residents are not the only ones impacted by impact fees. According to a recent edition of Planning Magazine, fifty to seventy-five percent of new homes are purchased by existing residents looking to trade up within the same community. Accordingly, impact fees often penalize long-time, tax-paying residents for wanting to stay in the community.

Not only that, but there is enough evidence indicating very clearly that impact fees could be a deal killer for companies seeking to move into Michigan. Given the condition of our state, and the stated willingness of our elected officials to do anything to bring new business to Michigan and diversify our economy, impact fees would be a DISASTER. We honestly can't imagine any reasonable politician - of either political party - supporting local impact fees.

Nevertheless, Skip Maccarone DOES support impact fees.

Not only that, he is calling upon someone in the state legislature to do what he considers is the prudent thing and introduce a law requiring these fees. Business leaders are calling the mandatory fees "extortion", but Maccarone sees this as a way to get free money. Sure, anything FREE sounds like a terrfic idea, until you get into the details. There is no free lunch, and impact fees, as proposed by Skip Maccarone, will further dismantle our already crumbling economy.

Ask yourself this question: If you were a business owner seeking to build a development (residential, commercial or industrial) that was costing you millions of dollars, recognizing that it would bring jobs and tens of thousands of dollars of new tax revenue into a local community, would you want to be forced by government to shell out even more money (perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars more) for roads? Especially in these economic times?

The truth is that requiring impact fees, as Skip Maccarone wants, would slow economic growth in our state even more. President Ronald Reagan once said (to strong criticism from liberals) that lower taxes and fees actually INCREASE revenue. Much to the chagrin of liberals, history has proven President Reagan correct. Higher taxes and fees, as advocated by liberals, actually slow growth. That is a fact. Not surprisingly, this is one of several economic factors that doesn't seem to bother Skip.

Why should it? Skip Maccarone has raised fees on township residents and business owners since his election in 2000. He has raised assessments on homeowners and business owners. At the same time, Skip has proposed budget after budget which has expanded township spending astronomically.

Today, Shelby Township is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars more than we were just six short years ago. SPEND...SPEND...SPEND - that is what Skip Maccarone is famous for. Now, Skip wants developers (the engine of our economy) to spend MORE out of their pockets. Look around at our economy and ask yourself if this makes sense?

The reason is that Skip needs more money. Why? Because he wants to improve township roads. What we find interesting is that the money the township used to allocate for road and intersection improvements in our township has been severely cut under Maccarone's watch. Where has the money gone? To other areas of the budget?  Not only that, but Skip Maccarone has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars out of our reserve fund to support the increased spending, and also balance the township budget as required by state law.

The timing of Skip's push for mandatory impact fees is interesting. At the same time that Skip wants to spend $23 million of our tax dollars for a new police/court building, and at the same time that he continues pushing for $50 million in new spending for his township "campus", he is calling for higher fees on developers. Could there possibly be a link here?

Since Skip claims to have loads of contacts in Lansing, let's see if he can get any State Representative or State Senator to take up his cause. Lawmakers wisely didn't pass mandatory impact fee legislation in 1999, 2001 and 2003, and chances are they won't do it now.

Nevertheless, Supervisor Maccarone keeps beating the drum for mandatory impact fees. If Skip does (somehow) manage to get some lame duck, term-limited liberal friend of his in Lansing to accept his challenge, and introduce impact fee legislation, we hope the other reasonable lawmakers will, once again, say NO. Michigan can't afford to buy what Skip is selling!

Politicians are always looking for ways to spend our money, and Shelby Township taxpayers need to be on alert. Skip Maccarone is a classic taxer and spender. And no amount of election year conservative rhetoric will erase what Skip Maccarone really is.

If you want to contact us, send an e-mail to stopskip08@aol.com.

Remember to VOTE on Tuesday, August 5th

Skip Maccarone: Shelby Township's Batman??????????

Ever since his election as Shelby Township Supervisor, Skip Maccarone has fancied himself as some sort of political superhero. Further, his close circle of supporters has fed this ego trip, leading Skip to brag that he knows all the answers to all the questions facing all township families.

He has been called the "Super Supervisor" by a member of the area Chamber of Commerce, covered in a previous Inside Out post, and Maccarone's minions have even once compared Maccarone (get this) to Batman, saving Gotham City (Shelby Township) when we needed a hero!

What did you say? I mean........WHAT did you say?

That's right -- you heard correctly. We received this e-mail the other day and couldn't resist having some fun with this:

"How dare you waste time criticizing such a great person. Mr. Skip Maccarone is a great leader. When you consider what is happening, I thank God Skip is on our side. The rest of the Board can not even come close to Mr. Maccarone. I think that instead of comparing him with Superman, he is more like Batman saving our township. I wish you would just wake up and stop with all your stuped [sic] criticism."

Then, just two days ago, we got this wonderful e-mail:

"What gives you the right to do this blog? You are just wasting precious internet space. You don't have the right to do this?"

The answer to this question is something Batman's sidekick, Robin, would likely say:

"Holy Free Speech...Batman!"

Come on! What in the world are these people talking about? Are they delusional? Or are they blinded by Skip Maccarone's phony wink and smile?

Are you done laughing yet?

Okay, even if we accept this ridiculous proposition about Skip being Shelby's caped crusader, what does that mean? Are we to assume that Batman is invincible? If so, does this mean that Skip Maccarone is politically invincible? Do Skip's handful of supporters really think he is working to save our township?

Oh sure, Skip can bully the Joker at televised Board of Trustees meetings, after all he is just one individual. But when others in our township come together and work together for a common purpose, Shelby's "Batman" better WATCH OUT!

FACT CHECK: No one, whether in the real world or in comic books, is invincible. Heck, a few years ago they even killed Superman and Captain America! So for $kip (or his supporters) to arrogantly see him as some kind of unbeatable "hero" in this year's township election is a joke!

Are you done laughing yet?

Moreover, as you will see in the short movie below, even a hero like Batman has his bad days.



Let's remember this lesson about invincibility as we approach the August, 2008 primary election.

Skip Maccarone is one "superhero" that Shelby Township taxpayers can certainly do without!

The election countdown clock keeps ticking away. On Tuesday, August 5th, let's come together, work together, and vote together to tell Skip Maccarone to take off his mask and cape, and GO AWAY!

Remember, if you want to contact us, send an e-mail to stopskip08@aol.com. Don't be afraid of Skip Maccarone. He is nothing but a township emperor who has no clothes (and we all need to tell him so). What better way than with our vote on election day?

Skip Maccarone Leaves Township Residents Stuck in the Snow

Everywhere you look around Shelby Township this winter, you can find desperate township residents struggling, in bitter cold temperatures, to push or dig their cars out of deep snow piles.

Old man winter hit us hard. Our township roads have never been worse than they are this year. As we drove around the township we wondered, why? Isn't there something that somebody can do to address this situation?

Then, suddenly, stories appeared in our local newspapers which talked about the township "considering" a plan to partner with the Road Commission of Macomb County (RCMC) on snow plowing. What's to consider? Why not just go ahead and get it done? The issue was even discussed during the Tuesday, March 4th Board of Trustees meeting and just in time. For on that very evening, our township got another five to six inches of snow.

Skip has said, time and again, that Shelby's roads are controlled by the Road Commission. He adds that the township is at the mercy of the Road Commission, and there is little that can be done about this. Despite what Maccarone has said, the facts tell a quite different story. The problem is that a lack of real leadership from Supervisor Maccarone is leaving all of us "stuck in the snow."

Oh sure, Skip is quick to take credit for needed road improvements like the 24 and Van Dyke intersection, which has been in the works for years. He is even eager to go on television talking about the the township's interior road repaving program - something begun before Skip even moved into our community. But when it comes to winter snow plowing on township roads, or receiving assistance to help out during heavy snow storms (and we've had plenty of them this year), Skip turns a deaf ear.

Here's the scoop...

In reading articles from the Macomb Daily and the Shelby/Utica News, we were surprised to learn that the Road Commission of Macomb County made an offer to Shelby Township way back in 2001 to form a "partnership" for winter snow removal. The Road Commission told Shelby Township (and other townships) that if the township put together a list of roads in need of plowing, and used township equipment (or outside snow contractors) to clear streets, the Road Commission would authorize the work, supervise to make sure the work got done, and then would pay the bill.

So under the Road Commission's plan, Shelby Township taxpayers would get needed winter road relief. The County would not do everything, and that is understandable given time and resources, but at least they were willing to help. So what's the problem?

The problem can be summarized in three words:
Supervisor Skip Maccarone.

Skip's failed leadership has resulted in a winter driving nightmare for township motorists.

Skip apparently didn't like the County's deal. He discounted the Road Commission’s offer outright. Either Skip didn't see road plowing as a priority, felt it was not a topic worthy of his time, or believed that he had better things spend his time (and our money) on. Whatever his reason or rationale, Skip did NOT take the Road Commission up on their offer to help.

Interestingly, while Skip Maccarone is quick to condemn and belittle Lansing lawmakers for cuts in Shelby Township's state revenue sharing, he did not embrace this County offer which would have addressed a serious issue (roads) and saved township taxpayers thousands of dollars. If your neighbor comes over and says that they will shovel your driveway and sidewalks for free all winter, would you say no? So why did Skip not jump at this offer?

Even worse, Skip failed to inform his fellow elected officials of the Road Commission's offer. For all of his talk about sending memos and e-mails to inform fellow Trustees, Skip's talk is just that: TALK.

This came to light during a rare daytime work session of the Board of Trustees. This is when we discovered that the County had floated the idea of helping with winter snow removal seven years ago, but got a flat NO from Maccarone. Macomb County Maintenance Superintendent Bob Mykytiak confirmed that the discussion with Maccarone did take place in 2001, but unlike Chesterfield Township and Clinton Township, Shelby Township turned down the offer.

When pressed about this serious issue, Skip finally confessed that he did know about this arrangement and that discussions did take place. He did that at the Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 Board of Trustees meeting. Instead of dealing with this like a public official, Maccarone retreated to what he knows best: being an attorney.

Skip said there were valid reasons why he did nothing. He said concerns about liability to the township and the lack of snow removal equipment put Shelby Township at a disadvantage. So, apparently he didn't see the need to pass the information on to other Board members for discussion about the viability of such a plan. Why not?

Shame on you Skip! Here again, you showed that you think you always know best and, once again, your arrogance has gotten the best of you!

Let's take a close look at Skip's argument against Road Commission assistance.

• He said the township is ill prepared to clear roads because we don't have the trucks and the staff to do it. That is true, and we don't think hiring additional staff, at an extra cost to taxpayers, is the issue here. But if the Road Commission pledges to reimburse our township to hire county-approved private contractors to plow roads, then what is issue? Are we missing something?

• As for Skip's media statements about liability, this word is being used as a cover excuse for inaction. As reported in newspapers, and discussed at the March 4, 2008 Board of Trustees meeting, both Chesterfield and Clinton Townships recognized the need and developed a workable plan with the County? If this is working for Chesterfield and Clinton, why won't it work for Shelby? If Clinton Township used private contractors on roads, and got reimbursed, then obviously liability was not a problem for them, or at least Clinton Township's Board of Trustees worked out their concerns collectively. But Shelby didn't — because Skip did not give them the opportunity. He simply said no, and moved on.

So Skip really has nothing to stand on here. If you watched the March 4th meeting, you could see he was uncomfortable talking about this. His characteristic bravado about "I am right" was absent during this discussion. Trustees questioned the snow issue, some knowing only what they have read in the newspapers, because Skip has never brought the County's offer to their attention. Trustees mentioned they had received several phone calls from angry residents about this, and demanded an explanation from Maccarone.

Skip tried to hide behind an e-mail that he received from the Road Commission that he (by admission) had not circulated to other Board members. This e-mail really didn't tackle the core issue, but instead was designed to try and deflect the discussion. Deflect as he may, the issue did surface about Skip being part of discussions regarding snow removal. It also surfaced that while Shelby residents suffer, Chesterfield and Clinton are getting some needed assistance.

Skip even tried blame all of our winter road problems on a lack of supplies at the County. He announced at the Marth 4th meeting, that Macomb County has a shortage of salt. However, on the evening news just a half-hour before the meeting, it was reported that that Macomb and Wayne Counties had ample supplies of salt, while Oakland County was running short.

So Skip got it wrong, and (to her credit) this was pointed out by Clerk Terri Kowal who set the record straight. Lack of salt is not the issue. Lack of leadership is.

The issue of snow removal and winter safety and security on our township roads is well documented. Skip's refusal to take appropriate action, or even share this with other elected officials, should raise concerns with every township taxpayer.

However, when thinking about this, we couldn't help but wonder if, perhaps, there is more here than meets the public eye? What could really be behind this?

Maybe Skip had other (more important?) things on his mind? Maybe he was too distracted with his plan to develop a massive $50 million dollar (taxpayer-financed) municipal campus (with new police/court building, new library with amphitheater, new recreation center, new cable television studio, new radio station, and upgrades to the existing township offices) to bother with this? Maybe Skip felt spending more than $2 million for two pedestrian bridges was a better way of getting his name in the newspapers? What else would explain Skip's indifference to an offer of FREE assistance from the Road Commission of Macomb County?

Shelby taxpayers expect township officials to take leadership on issues, not just spend every penny of our tax money.

While it is true that Skip Maccarone has the spending element of politics down pat, his leadership is not up to the standards Shelby residents expect.

When Shelby Township taxpayers can’t drive to work on our roads, so that we can get our paychecks, so that we can pay our increased taxes and assessments, to support Supervisor Maccarone’s bloated spending, then there is something seriously wrong.

We said it before and will say it again: 2008 is our chance for change in the Supervisor's office. If you want join our campaign to STOP SKIP in 2008, send an e-mail to stopskip08@aol.com.