In Email to Supporters, Ficano Sounds Like He's Seeking Fourth Term as Wayne County Executive

Wayne County’s embattled executive is signaling that he will seek re-election - a decision he must make by Tuesday – with an email under the heading “Re-elect Robert A. Ficano.”

The email from Ficano, whose administration has been blemished by a grand jury probe that resulted in indictments against several of his top aides, urges supporters to attend an invitation-only rally Monday at the International Brotherhood of Workers hall in Detroit, where he will “define who will lead Wayne County in the next four years,” the Detroit Free Press reports.

In the email, Ficano acknowledged “challenges like any administration,” but said his administration is “energized, focused and determined to continue our mission of making Wayne County the best place to work, live and raise a family.”

Ficano campaign spokesman Mort Meisner told the newspaper Thursday that Ficano, a Democrat, hasn’t decided if he’ll seek a fourth term. “We’re in the process of decision-making, and we’ll be issuing something tomorrow,” Meisner said.

The August primary race is already crowded.

Rep. Phil Cavanagh (Redford Township), Westland Mayor William Wild and Wayne County Commissioner Kevin McNamara (Van Buren Township) have declared their candidacies. Former Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans hadn’t declared, but said he might enter the race.

Political consultant and former Ficano appointee Steve Hood told the Free Press a Ficano victory would be “the biggest long shot in the world.”

“He’s planning that everybody will split up the vote so much that only his core vote will be there,” Hood said. “He’s also playing the odds that no one else can raise the kind of cash that he can.”

Aides Indicted in Grand Jury Probe

In addition to the scandals surrounding the grand jury indictments, Ficano’s administration has been dogged by allegations of financial mismanagement. A $300 million jail project that was halted last year because of cost overruns and corruption allegations is currently under review  by a Wayne County grand jury.

Ficano’s admission in September 2011 that he paid $200,000 in severance benefits to then chief-development officer Turkia Awada Mullin, who left Wayne County to become CEO of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, outraged constituents and spurred a grand jury investigation that returned indictments against several of his aides, including:

• Michael Grundy, a former assistant county attorney who is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to wire fraud;
• Tahir Kazmi, former chief information officer who is serving 57 months in prison after pleading guilty to bribery.
• David Edwards, a former deputy to Kazmi who is serving a year in prison after pleading guilty to bribery.
• Zayd Allebban, an IT staff member who is serving 41 months in prison after he was convicted of obstructing justice.
• Keith Griffin, who will be sentenced June 5 after he pleaded to guilty to conspiring with Grundy to commit wire fraud.

Federal investigators made clear in court documents that they were investigating Mullin and former deputy county executive Azzam Elder for corruption, but neither has been charged with wrongdoing.