Patterson is officially Oakland County Executive, aka Head Honcho for Life, of Oakland, Michigan — those cities (Pontiac) and suburbs that did very well off “white flight” from Detroit. L. Brooks’ latest, per the Washington Post:
Even as authorities are still advising residents in Flint, Mich., not to drink or bathe in city’s tap water, leaving thousands to rely on bottled water to survive, some of the state’s prominent political voices think Flint’s water crisis may be exaggerated.
Foremost among them is Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson (R), who voiced skepticism about the severity of the crisis during an appearance before the Detroit Economic Club luncheon Tuesday, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“I don’t think we should say or use words anymore like Flint’s been poisoned,” Patterson told reporters, according to Fox affiliate WJBK. “Because I don’t think that’s accurate.”…
Despite what many see as definitive evidence of a crisis, Patterson told the station he changed his mind after hearing a radio interview with Bill Ballenger, a well-known Republican political analyst, former state lawmaker and Flint resident, who said he was offering “the other side” of the story…
In the interview cited by Patterson, Ballenger said his own blood tests hadn’t revealed elevated levels of lead and he wondered whether the crisis was a hoax, according to the Free Press. He argued that the crisis was instead perpetuated by politicians and members of the media “with an ax to grind.”…
Insert your own grim jokes about how hard it would be to identify signs of lead poisoning — “reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioral changes such as shortening of attention span and increased antisocial behavior,” per WHO — in a lifelong Republican political analyst.
Patterson has a long history of “inflammatory” (racist) public comments.
Worst Person of the Week: L. Brooks PattersonPost + Comments (56)