A conflict between Macomb County's executive and prosecuting attorney, from different political parties, reflects statewide trends in the deterioration of relationships between elected officials and their own confidence in Michigan's democracy, according to CLOSUP executive director Tom Ivacko.
Quoted in the Detroit News, Ivacko stated, "Things have gotten slightly worse in the last year," Ivacko said. "We're tracking the state of democracy in Michigan communities getting worse over time, according to local government leaders. We're measuring it a number of different ways. Some of those indicators show things getting worse quickly. Some show things getting worse slowly."