Warren Mayor's Facebook Post Sets Off Political Firestorm in Macomb County

MACOMB COUNTY, MI — A foreboding Facebook post by Warren Mayor Jim Fouts alluding to an environmental scandal brewing in Macomb County has instead caused a political firestorm to brew in Macomb County between Fouts and Macomb County officials. And the situation is escalating both online and offline.

Fouts' original ominous Facebook post on Nov. 16 hinted that the environmental issue "could be a mini version of what happened in Flint," the water crisis which has devastated residents of Flint. Panicked Macomb residents bombarded Facebook wondering if the drinking water was safe. Infuriated Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel immediately held a board meeting on Nov. 17 addressing all concerns and released an announcement that the water in Macomb county is safe, a claim backed up by the Greak Lakes Water Authority. Hackel said, "It's very disappointing to create that kind of hysteria in Macomb County...No public official should ever exploit the crisis in Flint."

For his part, Fouts points out he never said anything was wrong with the water and later disclosed that the scandal in question was the alleged illegal dumping at the closed Freedom Hill landfill in Sterling Heights. Fouts told the Detroit Free Press that Macomb County dumped up to 200,000 yards of excavating dirt at the Freedom Hill site without permits and buried 110 trees and over 40 methane gas monitoring wells, which he claims let methane gas escape.

This claim was then disputed by Deputy County Executive Mark Deldin, who said the "Allegation about illegal dumping is 100% untrue and it's as erroneous as his Facebook post." Deldin went on, "We got permission to add more dirt on the landfill to fill in low-lying spots from parking to create a more level surface for people to walk on." And he claims the work was done with a permit by Sterling Heights' soil erosion department.

Fouts is not backing down, and has only stepped up his Facebook activity. A post on Nov. 18 maintains there is indeed a "major cover up" and in a Nov. 19 post he promises "the truth ultimately will prevail."

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