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In the end, @kdmcdonald2020 crushed 3-term incumbent Jessica Cooper by a nearly 2:1 margin. Let me explain why this one was so important to me personally:
Before I begin, it's important to understand:
1. For more than a decade before I delved into being a healthcare policy analyst, I was a freelance website developer.
2. I've had a long-standing policy of not discussing details of past clients publicly. This is the sole exception.
1. For more than a decade before I delved into being a healthcare policy analyst, I was a freelance website developer.
2. I've had a long-standing policy of not discussing details of past clients publicly. This is the sole exception.
Back in 2012, I was hired by Cooper (who was then in her first term as Oakland County Prosecutor) to develop her re-election campaign website. It wasn't a huge job, and the site itself was a fairly standard campaign site for a county-level position. Nothing unusual.
My working relationship with Cooper was, to put it politely, problematic. She wanted to "be on social media" but didn't want anyone to be able to write anything or respond in the comments, in case someone who didn't like her wrote something unflattering, and so on.
For the most part, it was standard "headache client" stuff. However, after the election, I sent a final invoice consisting of two charges: One was for annual renewal of the web hosting & domain names; the other was for some billable time for oddball updates to the website.
I explained that the hosting/domain renewal was optional; many political candidates understandably let their campaign sites expire after the election, especially if the domain name includes the year (i.e., "cooper2012" etc), which was the case here.
I noted that the renewal portion was optional, but the billable time portion (which only amounted to $120) wasn't. That was for work which had already been performed before the election.
I sent it in November & heard nothing back.
I re-sent it in December and heard nothing back.
I sent it in November & heard nothing back.
I re-sent it in December and heard nothing back.
I left a voicemail or two and heard nothing back.
Finally, in January 2013, I re-sent it a 3rd time and explained that if I didn't receive payment by a certain date, the web hosting would be terminated and deleted (but she still owed the $120 past-due amount).
Finally, in January 2013, I re-sent it a 3rd time and explained that if I didn't receive payment by a certain date, the web hosting would be terminated and deleted (but she still owed the $120 past-due amount).
I received the following response on January 3rd:
Setting aside that she owed $120, not $105, here you have the COUNTY PROSECUTOR issuing a veiled legal threat to a private vendor to whom she owed money (and it was a nominal amount, to boot).
She also clearly didn't understand how web hosting works, so I tried to explain:
She also clearly didn't understand how web hosting works, so I tried to explain:
She responded with the following on January 4, 2013:
I thought the hosting had been paid for thru 12/31/12; she thought it was paid thru 6/30/13. It turned out to be in the middle--the hosting was technically paid for thorough April 2013 because it had taken 4 months for her to actually *sign* the contract...
...and the wording of the hosting portion of the contract had been "1.75 years" as opposed to a specific end date.
I responded:
I responded:
I eventually did receive the $120 payment a few weeks later. Aside from some technical confusion re. domain transfers on the part of their *new* web host, I never heard from her or XXXXX again.
Since this incident, I've been praying for someone to challenge her in the primary.
Since this incident, I've been praying for someone to challenge her in the primary.
She'd already won re-election in 2012 ( #FunFact: Her GOP opponent who she beat was MIKE BISHOP, who would then go on to become a U.S. Congressman, who would eventually be defeated by Elissa Slotkin in 2018!), and no one challenged her in 2016, so that was that...until now.
One more #FunFact: In 2016, Cooper's GOP opponent was Mike Goetz. In 2020, McDonald's GOP opponent will be...Lin Goetz, Mike Goetz's wife. Huh.
Anyway, if she had simply been a run of the mill pain in the ass client, I'd have shrugged it off, but again, this was the COUNTY PROSECUTOR of a county with 1.3 million residents.
Before that, Cooper was a circuit court judge, a district court judge and an appeals court judge.
Before that, Cooper was a circuit court judge, a district court judge and an appeals court judge.
"destroying what does not belong to you has legal ramifications. I do not take kindly to being threatened.”
"Perhaps you should consult an attorney with regard to intellectual property law.”
You're a freelance vendor owed $100. She's the County Prosecutor.
"Perhaps you should consult an attorney with regard to intellectual property law.”
You're a freelance vendor owed $100. She's the County Prosecutor.
I debated going public before the primary, but I admit to still being concerned about her seeking retribution even after all this time. I'm also chair of our local Dem club, which doesn't generally endorse in Dem primaries, which added an awkward twist.
Finally, a week ago, I decided to go to the press...but it was too close to the primary for them to bother (and I don't blame them...it involves $120 from 8 years earlier which *was* eventually paid in the end, so it wasn't exactly a major scandal).
Anyway, she lost, and she lost MASSIVELY, and I'm very glad she lost.
I'm also very happy that Karen McDonald appears to be pretty awesome in her own right--I was prepared to support even a "meh" challenger to Cooper, so I was thrilled to learn that McDonald is pretty awesome!
I'm also very happy that Karen McDonald appears to be pretty awesome in her own right--I was prepared to support even a "meh" challenger to Cooper, so I was thrilled to learn that McDonald is pretty awesome!
With all that in mind, please support the Democratic NOMINEE for Oakland County Prosecutor, @kdmcdonald2020 so she prevails this November! https://mcdonaldforprosecutor.com/
P.S. One final thing to keep in mind: Cooper had just *WON* re-election.
I could sort of understand being petty and trying to get out of paying lingering debts if she had *lost*, but she had just WON her 2nd term in office. Sheesh.
I could sort of understand being petty and trying to get out of paying lingering debts if she had *lost*, but she had just WON her 2nd term in office. Sheesh.
AS AN ASIDE, in the couple of hours since I started this thread, I've raised over $4,000 more for Democratic candidates at the state & federal level. :)
Let's keep it going! After yesterday's primaries in 5 states (AZ, MI, KS, MO & WA), I've updated several of my fundraising pages accordingly.
First, help #ExpandTheBlueHouse by donating to these swing district candidates! https://secure.actblue.com/donate/expandthehouse2020
First, help #ExpandTheBlueHouse by donating to these swing district candidates! https://secure.actblue.com/donate/expandthehouse2020
Next, consider donating to some of these "Tier 2" races...they're long shots, but Dems need to #CompeteEverywhere (and we could get lucky on a few of them!): https://secure.actblue.com/donate/competeeverywhere2020
