Mayor Jim Fouts Breaks Down The Alleged Freedom Hill Environmental Scandal And Cover-Up

MACOMB COUNTY, MI — Warren Mayor Jim Fouts set off political fireworks in Macomb County when he announced on his Facebook page and in media interviews that up to 150,000 yards of excavating dirt were allegedly and illegally dumped at the Freedom Hill landfill in Sterling Heights. Fouts further alleges the illegal dumping has triggered a political cover-up and a potential environmental disaster. Fouts spoke with Patch to address what he believes happened at Freedom Hill - and his next steps in exposing the alleged cover-up and environmental scandal.

The conversation began by delving into Fouts' detractors. While a string of Macomb County public officials have denied any county wrongdoing or cover-up relating to Freedom Hill, none have done so as vehemently as Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel. Fouts and Hackel have been embroiled in a war of words since news of the alleged illegal dumping broke in November, and both men have made charged statements about each other to the media. Fouts said, "He [Hackel] said I created a panic. If there was a panic, he created the panic. He wanted to change the subject. He wanted to shoot the messenger. He wanted to distract and detract from the issue at hand. The real issue is the cover up of illegal dumping. He claims he got calls from residents concerned about water. I didn't get any calls about the water. Wouldn't I have? I've tried to get ahold of him numerous times but he's never available. He loves the cameras."

In fact, Fouts believes Hackel has a cozy relationship with the press and allegedly uses that rapport to deflect potential negative attention. Fouts explained, "The media loves Mark Hackel. Mark has not been held to the same degree as I have. The press has been very hostile to me at times and demanded I give answers and they let him get away with murder. He goes to parties with media people and drinks with them. The press needs to be objective and fair. I was a teacher in Sterling Heights for 20 years. I've had former students and Sterling Heights residents call. I have the people on my side but Mark has the wealthy contractors and developers. He's friendly and flies around and has a lot of fun. It's hard to tell the media this but even though you like someone, you have to look at facts."

So, what are the facts? Fouts was clear that he is "still collecting hard evidence," but he believes that Hackel reportedly played a key role in the alleged illegal Freedom Hill dumping. Fouts explained "Mark did the excavat0r a favor. The excavator was looking for a cheap place to dump dirt and it's my understanding the excavator saved perhaps hundreds of thousands dollars. Hackel should have charged him a minimum of some money and the guy got it for free. My question is - what favor did he do Hackel?"

It's a serious allegation, and one that Fouts believes he can prove. He revealed, "I can't go by hearsay. I have to have stuff documented. Right now, I'm looking through actual documentation. The excavator was dumping on a landfill all summer which he never should have done. Any engineer would say you don't want to put pressure on a landfill. Had he gotten permits, this never would have happened because they never would have been approved. The most important thing to point out is that they [Hackel and the excavator] never got the approval of an engineer, the planning, or the DEQ [Department of Environmental Quality] and all of this was done under a cover-up without proper approval. They did something they shouldn't have done and it caused an environmental problem."

The reported environmental problem at stake isn't just that 150,000 yards of excavated dirt was allegedly illegally dumped at Freedom Hill. It's what could possibly be in the dirt that could be a major problem. Fouts elaborated, "We don't know where the excavated dirt came from. Is it certified clean? Did it include stumps? Asphalt? Things that would put additional pressure on Freedom Hill? Dumping huge amounts of dirt created problems on the landfill causing the leaking of methane gas in 44 spots. If methane gas escapes it can be pretty serious."

Which is the driving force behind why Fouts is adamantly calling for a state investigation. Fouts has made the media rounds calling for an investigation, however Andrea Bitely, the press secretary/communications director for Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, has said that the state has not received a request to investigate Freedom Hill, as of Nov. 29. Fouts explained, "I am looking at the possibility of seeking someone at a higher level to look at this but there are some issues I still need a little more proof. I have a lot of allegations. The more I get into it, the more questions are raised. The attorney general could decide he doesn't want to do it because it's a political issue. He might decide it's too hot to handle."

As far as what happens next regarding the alleged scandal at Freedom Hill, Fouts muses "It looks to me like this is going to be an ongoing process and a costly process. Hackel did a special favor to his favorite contractor for free. There's no such thing as something free. What's free to the contractor is costing the taxpayers money. I am a firm believe in the saying "a little ray of sunshine is a good disinfectant" and they certainly need sunshine to disinfect what's taken place at Freedom Hill."

Photo via Mayor Jim Fouts' Facebook page