LANSING — For the entirety of his 8-year stint as chief of Detroit Police Department, Republican James Craig operated without completing the process to become “a fully [Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards] certified law enforcement officer” – after pledging that he would in 2013.
To help him compensate for the certification he found too “overly time-consuming” to achieve, today MDP is recognizing Craig as a Certified Roads Opponent for never making Michigan’s infrastructure a campaign priority.
After avoiding countless opportunities to disclose how he would tackle improving Michigan’s infrastructure, Craig said in September that making key investments in our roads and bridges was not “one of my priorities” and admitted he had no plan to do so.
When given another chance to clarify his policy objectives, Craig flubbed an opportunity to offer substance on that or any other issue, simply stating, “I always start out talking about leadership.”
Meanwhile, Governor Whitmer has stayed laser-focused on fixing the damn roads. As part of the $70 billion budget she recently signed with “strong bipartisan approval,” an additional $229M was earmarked for road and environmental infrastructure that will improve or fully replace 100 local bridges, aid local municipalities with future extreme weather preparation, and replace Benton Harbor’s lead water lines.
Additionally, Governor Whitmer has thrown her support behind President Biden’s historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, estimated to bring over $7 billion to Michigan to fix crumbling roads and bridges in addition to creating thousands of good-paying union jobs.
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“Uncertified cop James Craig has thrown a lot of hyperpartisan criticisms Governor Whitmer’s way. Yet every time he’s been asked what he would do differently or issues he would want to see prioritized instead, he can never seem to come up with an answer not laced with vague platitudes. But what else can we expect from someone that couldn’t even keep his own word to get certified as a licensed police officer? While Craig keeps playing political games, Governor Whitmer keeps working across the aisle to secure key, multi-million dollar infrastructure investments that will keep our economy going strong and working families first.”
