Muchmore with local leaders at LaPita restaurant – Photos by The Arab American News

DEARBORN — On Tuesday, January 5, community leaders and local and federal officials held an event at LaPita Restaurant to pay tribute to Dennis Muchmore, who served for five years as Gov. Snyder’s chief of staff.

In August, Muchmore announced his exit, but noted he would stay on as a counselor and oversee special projects for Snyder. Communications Director Jarrod Agen will take over as chief of staff at the end of January. Muchmore will be joining the Detroit based law firm Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, on February 1, where he will lead the agency’s government relations and regulatory practice group.

Muchmore played an instrumental role in helping develop policy and overseeing about 47,000 state government employees since 2011. When Detroit was facing the largest municipal bankruptcy in the country’s history, Muchmore set the environment for state businesses to create more than 420,000 private sector jobs. According to local leaders, his outreach to the local communities had also been superb.

Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, organized the farewell celebration for Muchmore in coordination with U.S. District Court Chief Judge Gerald E. Rosen. Siblani reflected on Muchmore’s accomplishments, noting that the state was going through hardship before Governor Snyder took office. Siblani described Muchmore as the person behind the scenes who runs the affairs of the State and helped turn it around.

“He didn’t work only as the chief of staff,” Siblani said. “He assumed several positions and every position he took he succeeded at. He is a great leader; and wherever he is going next, he is going to be doing good service for the state and for the people of the state.”

Rosen highlighted some of Muchmore’s other accomplishments, noting that he stepped up to the plate during Detroit’s most difficult period. 

“He is very responsible for the success of the Detroit bankruptcy, but he has received almost no credit for it,” Rosen said. “When the governor first took office, he and Dennis immediately focused on the structural and institutional problems. These were problems that their predecessors, both Republicans and Democrats, had avoided…but they didn’t try to minimize them or look the other way. In my view, Dennis has received way too little credit for the incredibly significant role he played in leading the governor’s team.” 

WXYZ Public Affairs Director Chuck Stokes discussed the transparent relationship Muchmore had developed with the media. Stokes reflected on the early days of Snyder’s administration, stating that many weren’t familiar with him but were at ease when they learned he had appointed Muchmore as his chief of staff. 

“Many of us were sitting back and wondering who [the governor] would appoint to his team,” Stokes said. “Then we heard he was appointing Dennis Muchmore. He pulled in the best. He pulled in somebody who knows Lansing, the government and state like the back of his hand. That, I think, exemplifies the immediate respect he got from all of us.” 

Muchmore presented with a gift by Osama Siblani.

Stokes noted that with every governor comes a string of controversial issues, but said Snyder’s cabinet didn’t buckle under pressure and was able to make some noteworthy changes in redeveloping urban areas in Detroit and Grand Rapids. 

Detroit Regional Chamber President Sandy Barauh personally thanked Muchmore for the economic development focus the government’s office placed on Detroit. 

“A leader is only as strong as the team he puts around him,” Barauh said. “And the fact that he surrounded himself with peers and, in your case, someone who knows a lot about politics. Thank you for the incredible service.”

Muchmore told the crowd he was overjoyed at the amount of recognition he had been given by the community. He said he had already developed a bond with the local community even before his tenure with Snyder, noting that he had represented ACCESS for more than 20 years and had close ties with community leaders for decades.

“I’ve seen this community mature and change over the years,” Muchmore said. “It’s been an amazing transformation. I’ve had a great experience with all of the community and all of the people in Southeastern Michigan. I love the place, I love Detroit and I love Dearborn. I think highly of all of you and the stuff we’ve all done to make it successful. It will never be recognized enough. You’ve all built businesses and raised families here and have really made it work.” 

Those in attendance at the event included State Sen. David Knezek (D.- Dearborn); State Rep. Julie Plawecki (D.-Dearborn Heights); Third Circuit Court Judge Adel Harb; Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Glenn Maleyko; Dearborn School Board Trustee Mariam Bazzi; Dearborn City Councilman Mike Sareini; Henry Ford College President Stan Jensen; Wayne County Deputy Sheriff Mike Jaafar; 20th District Court Judge David Turfe; 19th District Court Judge Sam Salamey; 19th District Court Magistrate Helal Farhat; Lebanese American Heritage Club Founder Ali Jawad; Arab-American Civil Rights League President Nasser Beydoun; attorney Nabih Ayad; Michigan State University Journalism Professor Joe Grimm; Mallak Beydoun, director of Constituent Affairs to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Fayrouz Saad, director of Immigrant Affairs for the city of Detroit; Wayne County Corporation Counsel Zenna Elhasan and attorney Abed Hammoud.

Also in attendance at the event among others were; U.S. District Judge Steven Rhodes; 20th District Court Judge Mark J. Plawecki; Dearborn Heights City Councilman Dave Abdallah; Wayne County Commissioner Gary Woronchak; Westland Mayor Bill Wilde; Detroit News Columnist Bankole Thompson; Detroit News Editor Noland Finley; Chairman of Institute for Social Police and Understanding Iltefat Hamzavi; Middle East TV President Wally Jadan; New Michigan Media Chairman Hayg Oshagan; FBI Special Agent of  Detroit David P. Gelios; attorney Tom Cramer; former Oakland County Republican Party Chairman Paul Welday; businessman Mike Baccal; businessman Thomas Guastello and attorney Abbie Bazzi.