Oakland County

County Commissioner Potts announces House candidacy

By Chris Jackett
C & G Staff Writer

PONTIAC — The air was crisp outside, and the time was ripe for the next step in Dave Potts’ political career.

Potts, a District 20 Oakland County commissioner since 2007, brought together several local elected officials at the Board of Commissioners’ office Jan. 24 to formally announce his plans to run for the newly arranged District 40 seat in the Michigan House of Representatives.

“We’ve learned good government here. I hope I can take some of what I’ve learned to Lansing,” Potts said. “I’ve learned a lot in this county. I’ve learned a lot about people, politics and integrity.”

Current District 40 Rep. Chuck Moss, R-Birmingham, is term limited at the end of the year and supports Potts, R-Birmingham, in his bid for the seat. Moss, while running for the state Senate himself, is even serving as Potts’ campaign co-chair.

Oakland County Clerk Bill Bullard introduced Potts last Tuesday as a man who quickly wraps his head around a situation and gets to work on it.

“When he got to the County Commission, there was no training necessary,” Bullard said. “He hit the ground running.”

The district seat Potts is vying for includes Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Bloomfield Township, as it has for years, but the 2011 redistricting moves Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake, Orchard Lake and Southfield Township — which includes Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms and Franklin — out into districts 29 and 35. Joining District 40 is a portion of West Bloomfield Township.

Potts spoke on many issues last week during his introductory press conference. He said improving education has a tie-in with reducing crime, and achieving both of those goals would bring good jobs into Michigan.

“We’re going to have to have education, education beyond what we have now,” Potts said. “If you can’t read, you can’t function in society. Kids need to come through a safe environment. We need something better than (what’s happening in) Detroit.”

He cited news stories of guns going off near children as they walked to school in Detroit or sat in their living rooms, noting that they can’t worry about studying if they’re worried about being shot. Potts also said one of his two daughters, as well as his two grandchildren, moved to Illinois because the best jobs were not in Michigan.

“They live where the jobs are,” Potts said. “It’s about getting the value back to people for the money they make.”

By reducing the state’s budget, Potts said funding can be better utilized to improve various programs throughout the state.

“You’ve got to put Michigan on a diet,” Potts said. “Michigan is kind of heavy. I’m kind of heavy, but Michigan government has got to go on a diet.”

He also voiced the need for a high-speed bus system for regional transportation similar to ones in Grand Rapids and Tokyo, even if it’s “less than sexy,” so that residents can get from one city to another for work or to shop.

“Corporations are people. They have investors; they’re people,” Potts said. “It’s about business development, it’s about freedom. We should resist the temptation to fall into the trap where people are entitled to something because it’s fair.”

A Birmingham resident, Potts is a Bloomfield Hills native who graduated from Bloomfield Hills High School — before its name was changed to Andover — and Hillsdale College.

As a Wayne State University law student who got into politics in 1966 while assisting with Gov. George Romney’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Potts went on to become an attorney while marrying schoolmate Wendy Potts, who is now an Oakland County Circuit Court judge.

Since then, he has served on the Birmingham Planning Board, the Oakland County Bar Association, the Oakland County Business Roundtable, the Oakland County Economic Development Corporation and the Oakland County Legal Aid Society, in addition to his current third-term county commissioner role.

“I’ve given up my county seat,” Potts said. “I expect to win in August and I expect to win in November.”

For more information on Potts, visit www.davidwpotts.com.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Chris Jackett at cjackett@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1110.