Fouts wants state probe over landfill, Hackel calls mayor 'my stalker'

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts' ongoing battle with Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel got uglier Wednesday with Fouts raising questions about trips he says Hackel took on a contractor's private jet and Hackel calling the mayor "his stalker."

The questions over the trips were raised in a letter from Fouts asking Michigan Attorney General BIll Schuette to investigate what Fouts has said is illegal dumping by a contractor and illegal actions by Hackel at the closed Freedom Hill County Park landfill in Sterling Heights, which neighbors Warren to the north..

In the letter dated Wednesday, Fouts asked Schuette's office investigate nine questions, most related to what is he is calling illegal dumping at the closed county owned landfill that damaged methane gas vents and trees.

►Related: Fouts accuses Hackel, Sterling Heights mayor of cover up at landfill
► Related: Hackel scolds Warren mayor for Facebook post about 'scandal'

But he also asked Schuette to investigate whether the contractor involved, Dan's Excavating, used his personal or corporate jet to take Hackel and others to the Detroit Tigers-Baltimore Orioles baseball games in Baltimore the weekend of May 12-15 (no year was given) and to the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 2016, and if there were other "contractor-financed jet trips for Hackel" by this contractor.

Hackel responded Wednesday by saying that about four years ago he went with the contractor and other friends on the contractor's corporate plane to Baltimore for a Tigers game, but told the Free Press he hasn't been on any of his planes since. Hackel said the Kentucky Derby trip is "unequivocally untrue."

He said he is not going to talk about the Freedom Hill issue, saying the experts can respond to Fouts' accusations. The county executive said he cannot explain Fouts' "bizarre behavior," saying that Fouts "obviously has a problem with Mark Hackel."

"I'll deal with my stalker," Hackel said.

Last month, Fouts accused Hackel and Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor of being a "pollution cover-up tag team" and sent a letter to Taylor asking whether dirt dumped at the closed landfill was a special favor and what financial arrangement was made with the contractor. Fouts sent a copy of the letter to the Free Press and other media outlets, just like he did with Wednesday's letter to Schuette.

Andrea Bitely, spokeswoman for Schuette's office, said in an email Wednesday that "we haven't yet received the letter. When the letter arrives, it will be reviewed to determine next steps."

The letter to Schuette came a day before Fouts, Hackel and Taylor were listed to be together in Warren at a meeting with about 150 business representatives, community leaders and government officials in an effort to help secure about $150 million in funding to rebuild and improve Mound Road from 9 Mile to Hall Road. Their names were listed in an advisory Monday from the county, but Fouts said that he will not be attending because of matters at city hall. He said several other Warren city officials are to be in attendance and that he recorded a welcome greeting that is to be shown at the meeting.
That meeting was scheduled be held Thursday morning.

Fouts and Hackel first traded barbs after Fouts posted a cryptic post on Facebook that vaguely talked about a "major environmental scandal" brewing in the county that "could be a mini version of what happened in Flint." The post prompted calls to the county from worried residents concerned about their drinking water and a news conference by Hackel who called Fouts' posts "appalling" and "inappropriate."

Hackel reassured residents their drinking water was safe. Fouts later revealed his concern involved what he called illegal dumping at the landfill at Freedom Hill County Park. He claimed 150,000 to 200,000 yards of excavating dirt was dumped at the site without permits, burying trees and 40 methane gas monitoring wells that he said allow methane gas to escape.

He said he is concerned about leachate getting into the Red Run Drain, the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair; methane gas problems or explosions, and taxpayers footing the bill.

Taylor previously told the Free Press that there "was no cover-up."

The City of Sterling Heights said in a prior news release that the landfills within and behind the park are under a remediation action plan and that on Feb. 16, the city issued a soil erosion permit for use by the county to level off parking areas. During the summer, county contractors began installing a berm behind Freedom Hill to screen headlights from amphitheater visitors using the adjoining parking lot.

It stated the landfills are under the jurisdiction of the South Macomb Disposal Authority, which is made up of five communities, including Warren.

"The remediation plan requires monthly reporting to numerous parties including the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). The construction was noted in the monthly reporting this summer. In the reports, it clearly stated that trees and methane vents damaged by the construction would need to be repaired. Because of these reports, the SMDA and the MDEQ have been fully aware of the condition on the property since at least July of 2016," according to the Sterling Heights statement. "Aside from noting the required repair work, the monthly progress reports satisfied the requirements of the MDEQ's consent decree."

County officials have said the contractor is taking correction action at no cost to the county or the communities in the disposal authority.

Fouts, in his letter to Schuette, asked the attorney general to investigate whether the county ethics board could investigate. Fouts said in his letter that it is not enough to excuse Hackel's actions by referring to the corrective action plan now underway.

"Illegal actions by public officials must have consequences to avoid actions like this in the future," Fouts said in his letter.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.