It's not hard to miss the pattern here. The consummate political
outsider, who now finds himself to be governor-elect, has come to the
harsh realization that he needs somebody to help him run state
government.
Make that some bodies.
To his credit Rick Snyder knows he lacks the day to day skills, at
this point, to not only reinvent the government but make it work at the
same time. It's a steep climb.
And so far the bulk of his appointments have been climbing that
mountain for years and they will give him a leg up the hill.
Dennis Muchmore fits that bill.
Not a household word in the hinterland, but around these parts,
Muchmore brings to his new Chief of Staff role, a ton of experience and
most of it good.
He's been a staffer for two conservative senators out of Macomb
County years ago; he's lobbied for and then left one of the top lobby
shops in this town; he formed his own multi-client firm and when he
left there, he ran the Michigan United Conservative Clubs.
Now he will be Mr. Snyder's major gate keeper which is what COS's
do.
But why?
Like his boss, Mr. Muchmore has been frustrated with the way things
are run in Lansing..or not run as the case may be.
"I've not been happy with the way things are. I've got a chance to
do something positive and I'm going to take it." he tells the
correspondents who have covered him on and off for over thirty years.
His connection to Doug Rothwell, who heads the Snyder transition
taxi-squad, helped to open the door since Mr. Snyder says "I've known
him for a couple of years" but it does not appear they are long lost
pals.
Muchmore knows what he's getting into and his appointment was met
with good reviews.
That's the easy part and as he gets into the heavy lifting, he can
hear the words of former Sen. John "The Fox" Bowman of Roseville:
"What goes around, comes around."
Which is code for be careful what you do to others, because it has
a way of coming around to impact you, too. Words to live by for the
new Chief of Staff.