Mike Bouchard
Michael J. "Mike" Bouchard is the sheriff of Oakland County and a former Republican candidate for the United States Senate. Before becoming sheriff, he served in the Michigan State Senate (1991–1999) and worked as a police officer and small business owner. Bouchard is of French and Syrian Lebanese descent. Michael J. Bouchard was awarded the Ferris E. Lucas Award for Sheriff of the Year 2016 by the National Sheriff's Association.[1]
Mike Bouchard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Oakland County Sheriff | |
| Assumed office January 11, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | John F. Nichols |
| Member of the Michigan Senate from the 13th district | |
| In office January 11, 1995 – January 2, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Burton Leland |
| Succeeded by | Shirley Johnson |
| Member of the Michigan Senate from the 16th district | |
| In office 1991–1994 | |
| Preceded by | Doug Cruce |
| Succeeded by | Mat J. Dunaskiss |
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 65th district | |
| In office January 9, 1991 – June 27, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Judith Miller |
| Succeeded by | John Jamian |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael J. Bouchard Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Pamela |
| Children | One daughter, two sons |
| Alma mater | Michigan State University |
| Profession | Law Enforcement, Politician |
| Website | Oakland County Sheriff's Office |
Career
Bouchard was born in Flint, Michigan.[2] After graduating from Brother Rice High School in 1974, Bouchard attended Michigan State University majoring in criminal justice and police administration. Upon graduation Bouchard entered local law enforcement where he remained for thirteen years. Bouchard was elected to the Michigan State Senate in 1991. He resigned as senator and majority floor leader in the Michigan State Senate when he was appointed Oakland County Sheriff in January 1999 following the untimely death of long time Sheriff John F. Nichols in December 1998. With over 30 years of experience in both law enforcement and as an elected official, Bouchard currently manages one of the largest sheriff's offices in the United States with over 1,300 employees and an annual budget of over $138 million. In November 2012 Michael Bouchard was elected to his fourth consecutive term as Oakland County Sheriff by an overwhelming majority, the largest number of votes cast for any candidate in Oakland County.[3]
Since 1999, Sheriff Bouchard has been elected President of the Major County Sheriffs' Association on two separate occasions. The association is composed of sheriffs who serve in counties or parishes with a population of 500,000 or more. Bouchard is currently its Vice President of Government Affairs.[4]
Bouchard is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. Most recently, he was inducted into the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice Wall of Fame (2010) and also, he received the Michigan Earth Day Fest Earth Day Hero Award for his implementation of the Operation Medicine Cabinet program at the sheriff's office. He also received the National Association of Counties Award for Innovative Programs for the Operation Medicine Cabinet.
In 2007, Bouchard endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries. Romney went on to win the primary vote in Oakland County.
Bouchard ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2006. He won the Republican nomination with 60 percent of the vote, but then lost to Debbie Stabenow, the incumbent Democratic senator.
In 2019 he was named a Michigan Master Sheriff, in recognition of his 33 years of service.[5]
2010 gubernatorial race
Bouchard joined business person Rick Snyder, state Senator Tom George, Congressman Peter Hoekstra and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox as Republican candidates.
In September 2009, Bouchard announced the selection of his lieutenant governor running mate, Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land.
Bouchard finished fourth out of five candidates in the primary, receiving 127,350 votes of the 1,044,925 votes cast.
Electoral history
2006 United States Senate election in Michigan
- Mike Bouchard (R), 41%
- Debbie Stabenow (D) (inc.), 57%
2006 election for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary
- Mike Bouchard (R), 60%
- Keith Butler (R), 40%
Oakland County Sheriff's Office
- Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2016
- Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2012
- Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2008
- Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2004
- Elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2000
- Appointed Sheriff of Oakland County, January 11, 1999
Michigan State Senate
- Elected Majority Floor Leader of the Michigan State Senate, 1998
- Re-elected to the State Senate, 1998
- Elected Assistant Majority Leader of the Michigan State Senate, 1995
- Re-elected to the State Senate, 1994
- Elected Assistant President Pro-Tempore of the Michigan State Senate, 1994
- Elected to the State Senate, 1991
Michigan House of Representatives
- Elected to the State House of Representatives, 1990
City Council
- Elected President Pro-Tempore of the Beverly Hills Council, 1987
- Elected to the Beverly Hills Village Council, 1986
Education
- Bachelor of Arts, Criminal Justice and Police Administration, Michigan State University, Honor Student
- Graduate of the United States Secret Service in Dignitary Protection Program
- Graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute Program
- Mid-Michigan Law Enforcement Center, Valedictorian
- Graduate of the National Sheriff’s Institute
- Graduate of Darden’s Program for emerging Political Leaders, University of Virginia
- Toll Fellow, Council of State Governments in conjunction with the University of Kentucky
- Leadership Team Member to the pioneering Partners for Educational Technology
- Member of the National Conference of State Legislature Committee on Education and Job Training
- Member of the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development Steering Committee
- Member, Business and Education Working Together
- Certificate Current Trends Impacting Executive Leadership, 2012[6]
Sponsored legislation
- Legislation that requires convicted sex offenders register with local law enforcement and allow this information to be accessible to the public
- Legislation which saves taxpayers $358 million annually through the reduction of the Real Estate Transfer Tax
- Legislation requiring that incinerators be set back a minimum of 1,000 feet from schools, hospitals, and nursing homes
- Legislation to repeal the tax base sharing
- Legislation to require accountability among the members of the parole board to the people of the State of Michigan
- Legislation to stimulate declining downtown commercial zones
- Legislation to allow for criminal background checks of individuals other than relatives supervising minor children
- Legislation to give permanent standing to appealed rate reductions for property owners
- Legislation to require convicted drunk drivers to pay costs related to their arrest and conviction
- Legislation to allow credit cards as a method of payment at the Secretary of State
- Legislation to regulate and license Casinos and assist those who are harmed by related activities[6]
References
- "Sheriff of the Year | National Sheriffs' Association". www.sheriffs.org. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
- Longley, Kristin (2014). "Profile: Republican Mike Bouchard is a cop first, but believes politics can fix problems | MLive.com". mlive.com. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- "Patterson Wins another term as Oakland County executive". DetroitNews.com. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- Judd, Grady. "Message From The President". www.mcsheriffs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- "Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard recognized as 'Michigan Master Sheriff'". Tri-County Times. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
- "Sheriff Michael Bouchard". www.oakgov.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
External links
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Spencer Abraham |
Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Michigan (Class 1) 2006 |
Succeeded by Pete Hoekstra |