HD045 Incumbent John Garfield (R-Rochester Hills)

by: matt

Fri Aug 26, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT

Biography:

POLITICAL
State Representative John Garfield was re-elected to the Michigan House in 2004. for his second term.
EDUCATION
A graduate of Highland Park High School, Garfield enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving from 1967-1974 in guided missiles and telecommunications. During this time he received a certificate from the University of Maryland for telecommunications.
PROFESSIONAL
Garfield has worked as a carpenter and electrical estimator engineer for Harlan Electric Co. of Southfield.
PAST POLITICAL OFFICES AND AFFILIATIONS
Garfield served as an Oakland County commissioner for 10 years prior to his election to the House. He has also been a precinct delegate and member of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Rochester Hills Library, Meals on Wheels, City of Rochester Canvassing Board, a Rochester Hills Holiday Helpers Volunteer and is the former junior vice-commander of the American Legion Rochester Post.
PERSONAL
Garfield was born Oct. 6, 1949. He lives in Rochester Hills with his wife, Carrie Ann, and their Pekinese dog, Gizmo. They have three children: Tonya Corrado, 32; Christina Penineo, 27; and Arman Garfield, 23. (Republican Caucus)

HD045 District Profile

by: matt

Fri Aug 26, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT

Updated: Garfield ducks second drunk driving conviction

by: kjbas58

Tue Aug 14, 2007 at 13:11:13 PM EDT

Video evidence that questioned whether Rep. John GARFIELD (R-Rochester) really had his seat belt off when he was pulled over by a Michigan State University (MSU) police officer caused Ingham County prosecutors to drop drunk driving charges against the third-term House member on Monday.

Garfield was pulled over March 29 by MSU police for allegedly not wearing his seatbelt, not for swerving or any other visible factors that would lead a law enforcement officer to believe he was driving drunk. It was only after the stop that the officer suspected Garfield had been drinking.

Update: The Detroit News on Tuesday confirmed the charges have been dropped. No word on why.

Just 24 hours before jury selection was set to begin, it appears the second drunk driving charge against Rep. John Garfield, R- Rochester Hills, may be dismissed. The moral of the story seems to be with a good lawyer anything is possible, or justice is only for those who can't afford a good lawyer.

Ingham County prosecutor Stuart Dunnings told subscription only Gongwer that he has submitted a motion to the 54-B District Court Judge to dismiss the second drunk driving charge. Dunnings said the video evidence of Garfield being pulled over by Michigan State University police on March 29 for not wearing his seat belt "doesn't jive with what was being said." I'm not really sure what that means, unless they pulled him over first because they suspected he was driving drunk at that hour of the morning and used his not wearing a seat belt as justification for pulling him over after the fact. However, that is pure speculation on my part.

But there appears to little doubt of Garfield's guilt. His blood alcohol level was .14, and the legally drunk level is .08. The day after Garfield was arrested his chief-of-staff, Dave Jessup, said, "This is an ongoing battle he is fighting with alcohol,'' he said. ''He is home in the district and is taking steps to deal with this.''

Hometown newspaper calls for Garfield's resignation

by: kjbas58

Sat Apr 07, 2007 at 12:51:40 PM EDT

"For his own good and for the good of those people he represents, we believe he needs to focus on his personal problems and consider resigning from the Legislature.
First, he is a lawmaker and it doesn't set a good example for such an individual, if found guilty, to be breaking the law.
Also, today's state government problems need intense focus from our leaders. They need to be able to concentrate on resolving the budget and other economic concerns.
Whatever the extent of his current drinking problem, the court case and its surrounding publicity are distractions that most likely hamper his ability to fulfill his duties as a legislator."

The Michigan Democratic Party is simply asking the Republican "leadership" to reprimand Garfield.

"He has violated the public's trust," said Mark Brewer, Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party in a press release. "Given the emphasis the Republican caucus has put on personal responsibility and public servants acting as role models to youth, I fully expect GOP leaders will want to reprimand him publicly, at the very least. The people or Michigan deserve nothing less."

I agree with Brewer, and my only reason for even pointing out the Garfield story was to illustrate the hypocrisy of the Republicans crowing about a major story in the Detroit Free Press that Democratic Rep. Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park, was observed by a reporter driving on suspended license in a vehicle with an invalid plate. I still have not seen any press in any newspaper about Garfield's arrest that comes close to the amount of ink Johnson got. So much for the "liberal media" myth.

At this point I don't think Garfield should resign or be fired, but he should be reprimanded.

However, it would not be unprecedented if Garfield was asked to resign or even expelled for his actions, and we have the example of former Sen. David Jaye, R-Washington Township, the only Michigan lawmaker ever to be expelled. Jaye was convicted of drunk driving twice and he served stints of 10 and 45 days in jail, and he actually served his constituents from behind bars in jail. However, it was the domestic violence charge that eventually did him in, although he was never convicted of that or even charged.

At this point I don't think Garfield should be expelled or resign.

Sunday Coffee Talk/Open Thread

by: nirmal

Sun Apr 01, 2007 at 06:00:00 AM EDT

• Walberg Watch:  Despite what Saul would have you believe, Democrats in the U.S. House did not raise taxes by passing the 2008 budget plan.  Instead, they chose not to extend the tax cuts that President Bush passed in his first term.  Given our enormous national budget deficit, we cannot afford to keep spending on programs that we can't pay for.  Unfortunately, Tim Walberg doesn't believe in fiscal responsibilty and voted against the budget plan.

• Dave Dempsey:  In the context of the Great Lakes Water Compact, Dave Dempsey argues for public ownership of the Great Lakes.  I believe in competition and the marketplace, but there are some things that are simply better off entrusted to the public.  The Great Lakes are part of a system that affects humankind as a whole, and we all have a stake in how our water is treated.

• Jack Lessenberry:  Mike Bishop may agree that we are in an economic crisis, but he needs to be willing to compromise so that we can start to get out of it.

• Christine Barry:  Our favorite Shiawassee blogger explores some of the devastating impacts of the Senate Republican cuts on her county.

• The Conservative Media:  I read criticism of Rep. Johnson on all of the right wing blogs, but not a peep about John Garfield.  Talk about double standards.

What pranks are you pulling today?

Pingree's Potato Patch

by: Hazen Pingree

Sat Mar 31, 2007 at 10:47:12 AM EDT

• The AP tells us about on the Senate Republican plan to cut pay for people who take care of low income senior citizens and people who have a disability. I guess this must be what the Republicans mean by "family values." Wonder whose family they mean? Certainly isn't mine.
  
  
• The Good Ol' Boys on Off the Record say a government shutdown isn't going to happen. Mind you, these are the same crusty old white guys who repeatedly predicted a close race between Jennifer Granholm and Dick DeVos. Meanwhile,  Gongwer's Stephanie Korneffel puts the odds of a shutdown at 50 percent. Pfft! Silly girl. That's what you get when you send a woman to do a man's job! This place hasn't been the same since they started letting the chicks in (extreme condition red snark alert).
  
  
• For the second time in two years, state Rep. John Garfield (R-Rochester Hills) has been busted for drunk driving. This comes three months after Rep. Garfield voted for SB 1241 and HB 6009, two bills which tighten penalties for repeat drunk drivers.
  
  
• Speaking of Iraq, see this from the Battle Creek Enquirer:

  U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg was mocked Thursday on “The Colbert Report,” a stinging satire of news talkfests on Comedy Central.
  
  Host Stephen Colbert did a sarcastic segment saying the U.S. troop surge in Iraq was working.
  
  “The fact is, Baghdad is in great shape,” he said. “Like Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg said last week, ‘In many places, it’s as safe and cared for as Detroit’.”
  
  After flashing a picture of Walberg, R-Tipton, Colbert paused for audience laughter.
  
  “That’s the way you represent the people of Michigan,” Colbert said. “Those tourism dollars must be pouring in.”

  And Stephen should know. Just this week, was appointed as an (honorary) member of the Saginaw County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Maybe he'd be willing to take up residence in the 7th and run for Congress?
   
  
• And finally, our So-Called Liberal Media Prize for this morning goes to the Niles Daily Star:

  WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, rejected attempts by the Democrat majority to push through the highest tax increase in American history.
  
  The $400 billion of tax increases in the Democrat budget will particularly burden middle-income families, low-income earners, families with children and small businesses.
  
  The Democrat budget, H.Con.Res. 99, passed the House by a vote of 216 to 210. Upton did vote for a substitute budget that would not raise taxes, but that measure failed.
  
  "The Democrat budget is nothing short of the largest tax hike in American history," said Upton. "While House Democrats claim that the budget does not raise taxes 'one penny,' the numbers don't lie and taxes will skyrocket $400 billion over the next five years." (emphasis aded)

  Whoever "wrote" this story (transcribed from a Republican press release is more like it)  neglected to put a byline on it. Too bad. Fox News may well be interested in recruiting them to "moderate" the next Congressional Black Caucus Democratic presidential debate.

Saturday Coffee Talk/Open Thread

by: LiberalLucy

Sat Mar 31, 2007 at 09:49:06 AM EDT

• LSJ: Not that anyone is really that surprised, but GOP State Rep. John Garfield (Rochester Hills) was arrested again for drunk driving on Thursday morning on MSU's campus. Garfield was arrested in 2005 in Troy after hitting another car. Just like last time, Garfield's entered rehab. I wonder if Bishop's willing to tele-conference him in from rehab on these budget talks? Check back for more on this story later.
  
• The AP: John Flesher has a story that definitely merits some discussion on our use of Great Lakes water. Turns out, those of us in the 5- state Great Lakes region are using much more water than we probably should. How do we protect our natural resources from our own greed?
  
• DNews: One more reason to just say NO to U.S. involvement in Iraq - the Michigan National Guard only has about 40% of its equipment available. The rest is in Iraq. The MNG's top guy calls it "unacceptable". We're shorting our own safety to fight in a war where we have no business? Oh yeah, makes perfect sense, if your name is Dubya.
  
• Kzoo Gazette: Michigan's favorite son, actor and Chelsea resident Jeff Daniels shines in his latest film. Be sure to check out 'The Lookout' at a theater near you. Help Daniels in continuing to give Michigan the Upper Hand. :-)
  
• Stone Soup Musings: Just because Microsoft is making money hand over fist (Vista anyone?) doesn't mean they're required to treat American workers with decency. In fact, it seems as if Microsoft's hiring practices are less than All-American and fair. Bill Gates maybe a world-class philanthropist, but he could stand to take some of that back to his own company.
  
• Walberg Watch: Spring Break is a time when our Congresscritters are supposed to make it back home to visit their constituents. It seems as Walberg's only interested in playing favorites with his constituents, and in an entire week, he's only making 3 stops, to his Republican strongholds. Just one question, does Walberg actually want to get re-elected?
• WizardKitten: The House GOP is just as bad as their Senate counterparts. WK has the full scoop including some thought-provoking commentary.
  

HD045 Former Candidate Thomas L. Werth (D-Rochester)

by: matt

Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 23:55:21 PM EDT

2nd Oakland County Rep busted for driving drunk

by: matt

Wed Sep 21, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT