{{Short description|American politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Leon Drolet | image = Leon_new.jpg | birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1967|01|09}} | office1 = Macomb County Commissioner | term1 = 2017-2020 | term2 = 2006–2008 | term3 = 1999–2000 | occupation = Michigan Taxpayers Alliance Chair | party = Republican | website = [http://www.mitaxpayers.org Michigan Taxpayers Alliance] | education = Attended Oakland University, Institute for Humane Studies | state_house4 = Michigan | state4 = Michigan | district4 = 33rd | term_start4 = January 1, 2001 | term_end4 = December 31, 2006 | predecessor4 = Janet Kukuk | successor4 = Kim Meltzer }}
'''Leon Drolet''' (born January 9, 1967)<ref name="mirsbio">{{cite news|last=MIRS |title=MIRS Biographical Profiles, Drolet, Leon (R) |url=http://www.mirsnews.com/leg_bio.php?lid=27 |publisher=Michigan Information and Research Service (MIRS Inc.) }}</ref> is a Michigan Republican politician<ref name="Martin">{{cite news |url= http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/more_fraud_forgery_claims_file.html |title= More fraud, forgery claims filed in Michigan House Speaker Andy Dillon recall |last= Martin |first= Tim |date= June 3, 2008 |work= MLive |publisher= Booth Newspapers |agency= Associated Press |access-date= February 21, 2011 |archive-date= October 13, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121013003133/http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/more_fraud_forgery_claims_file.html |url-status= dead }}</ref> and Anti-tax activist elected Macomb County Commissioner. He is a political activist known for his conservative fiscal views, which have caused criticism from politicians from both sides, including Candace Miller, L. Brooks Patterson and Mark Hackel.<ref name="lr05072010">{{cite news |last= Dondero |first= Eric |title= Libertarian Republican Leon Drolet makes Time Magazine – Marijuana Legalization issue |url= http://www.libertarianrepublican.net/2010/05/libertarian-republican-leon-drolet.html |work= Libertarian Republican |date=May 7, 2010 }}</ref> From 2001 to 2006, Drolet served in the Michigan House of Representatives. Drolet also served as a Macomb County, Michigan county commissioner from 1999 to 2000<ref name="mirsbio" /> and from 2006 to 2008.<ref name="macomb">{{cite news |last= Sabaugh |first= Sabaugh |title= The 2006 vote, County Commissioner – District 26 |url= http://www.macombcountymi.gov/clerksoffice/ElectionResults/2006/November06/race480.html |publisher= Macomb County, Michigan |date= November 7, 2006 |access-date= January 21, 2013 |archive-date= May 30, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100530113741/http://www.macombcountymi.gov/clerksoffice/ElectionResults/2006/November06/race480.html |url-status= dead }}</ref> Drolet was active in the Southeast Michigan Tea Party Movement.
== Michigan Civil Rights Initiative chairmanship == {{main|Michigan Civil Rights Initiative}}
In the 2006 election, he acted as statewide Chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.<ref name="mcc01042013">{{cite news |last= Spencer |first= Jack |title= New Civil Rights Group Joins Affirmative Action Case |url= http://www.miballot2012.org/18121 |publisher= Michigan Capital Confidential |date= January 4, 2013 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative used the petition process to place a state constitutional amendment (Proposal 2 of November 2006) before voters that prohibits governments in Michigan from discriminating against, or giving preferential treatment to, any citizen on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of government hiring, contracting, or state university admissions. The amendment was approved by 58% of voters despite the fact that proponents were heavily outspent in the campaign by opponents who supported race-based government preference programs.<ref name="A11072006">{{cite news |title=The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative |url=http://www.adversity.net/michigan/mcri_mainframe.htm |publisher=Adversity.Net |date=November 7, 2006}}</ref>
==Eminent domain reform==
During his final term in the state legislature, Drolet co-authored a state constitutional amendment that prohibited governments in Michigan from using their power of eminent domain to seize citizens' private property and turn it over to new owners for their private use.<ref name="mirsbio" /> This proposed amendment was Proposal 4 in the November 2006 election<ref name="migop07292006">{{cite news |author= Michigan Republican Party |work=For the Good of the State |title= Articles of Interest 7-29-06 |url= http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2006/07/articles_of_int_27.html |publisher= Michigan Republican Party |date=July 29, 2006}}</ref> and was overwhelmingly adopted by voters.
==Michigan Taxpayers Alliance recall effort==
After serving his final term in the Michigan state House, Drolet founded the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, which he currently serves as chairman. In 2008, Drolet served as Treasurer of Michigan Recalls, which sought the recalls of several state legislators for their votes in favor of income and business tax increases during Michigan's budget crisis in 2007.
After a highly acrimonious petition drive and numerous local and federal court battles, Drolet was obtained the needed signatures to force a recall election against the Speaker of the Michigan House, Andy Dillon (D-Redford Twp.).The prolonged court battles, however, had the effect of postponing the recall election from the targeted August 2008 primary ballot to the November 2008 general election ballot. Speaker Dillon won the recall vote by a significant margin and was reelected to office.<ref name="mlive05252008">{{cite news |last=Demas |first=Susan |title=Andy Dillon recall postmortem |url= http://blog.mlive.com/capitolchronicles/2008/05/andy_dillon_recall_postmortem.html |work= MLive |publisher= Booth Newspapers |date= May 25, 2008}}</ref>
===Case law===
Legal disputes over petition irregularities cited in challenges by Representative Dillon lead to the case of Bogaert v. Land. In the ruling, United States District Judge Robert Holmes Bell agreed with recall supporters that part of Michigan's law governing recall signature gathering was unconstitutional because it infringed on political speech rights protected in the First Amendment. Bell ruled that signatures from voters inside Dillon's district should be counted even if they were collected by petition circulators who lived outside the district or weren't registered to vote. Under Michigan law, those signatures were not previously considered valid.<ref name="mlive08292008">{{cite news |agency= Associated Press |title= More legal fights pending in Mich. speaker recall |url= http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/more_legal_fights_pending_in_m.html |work=MLive |publisher= Booth Newspapers |date=August 29, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="ban08272008">{{cite news |last1= Winger |first1= Richard |first2= Bill |last2= Hall |title= More Michigan Petitioning Victory |url= http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/more_legal_fights_pending_in_m.html |work= MLive |publisher= Booth Newspapers |date=August 27, 2008 }}</ref>
===Award===
Drolet received the 2008 Defender of Liberty Award from the Libertarian Party of Michigan. Drolet's work on the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, eminent domain reform, the Andy Dillon Recall effort, and legislation he authored relating to third-party ballot access were cited as reasons for the award.<ref name="lpm012409">{{cite video |title=Leon Drolet at Defender of Liberty Awards |first= Scotty |last= Boman |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-_vdBzXBMo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/F-_vdBzXBMo |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|publisher=Libertarian Party of Michigan |date=January 24, 2009}}{{cbignore}} [http://www.michiganlp.org/Shared%20Documents/2008_Defender_of_Liberty_Awards.html Related write-up] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041147/http://www.michiganlp.org/Shared%20Documents/2008_Defender_of_Liberty_Awards.html |date=2016-03-04 }}</ref>
==2010 State Senate campaign==
In 2010, Drolet ran for an open state senate seat in Michigan's heavily-Republican 11th district. The GOP primary pitted Drolet against incumbent state representative Kim Meltzer and former state representative Jack Brandenburg, and was widely portrayed by media as the most contentious primary in the state (political newsletter ''Gongwer News'' described the race as, ''"The Macomb County Chainsaw Massacre"''). Drolet was attacked by opponents for his vote against placing a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the 2006 ballot<ref name="lef03092004">{{cite news |agency= Gongwer News Service |title= Primary Challenges to Drolet, Wenke Called a 'Certainty' |url= http://libertyeducationforum.org/news/blog/56-profiles-in-courage.html |publisher= Liberty Education Forum |date= March 9, 2004 |access-date= July 5, 2012 |archive-date= January 15, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120115235407/http://libertyeducationforum.org/news/blog/56-profiles-in-courage.html |url-status= dead }}</ref> and for his opposition to the drug war.<ref name="sdw">{{cite news |last= Smith |first= Phillip |title=Feature: Medical Marijuana Gets a Hearing in Michigan |url= http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2006/nov/30/feature_medical_marijuana_gets_h |publisher=StoptheDrugWar.org |date=November 30, 2006}}</ref> Meltzer mailed literature to voters accusing Drolet of introducing legislation to legalize "gay sex in public" and Drolet sued Meltzer for libel.<ref name="wdiv07302010">{{cite news |last1= Garagiola |first1= Steve |first2= Sandra |last2= Ali |title= Ugly Campaign Tactic Spurs Lawsuit, Senate Race Turns Ugly |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg9DAzGjZGQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/Jg9DAzGjZGQ |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|publisher= WDIV-TV |location= Detroit |date=July 30, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Brandenburg won the primary and was elected to the senate seat, Drolet finished second and Meltzer placed third. Meltzer and Drolet settled the libel suit<ref name="mlive01252011">{{cite news |last= Wattrick |first= Jeff |title= Kim Melzer's campaign lied about Leon Drolet, according to Kim Melzer |url= http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/01/kim_melzers_campaign_lied_abou.html |work= MLive |publisher= Booth Newspapers |date=January 25, 2011}}</ref> when Meltzer issued a public apology for her campaign's untrue allegations against Drolet and paid Drolet an undisclosed sum of money.<ref name="op01242011">{{cite news |last= Selweski |first= Chad |title= Macomb candidate admits campaign lied during state Senate bid |url= http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/01/kim_melzers_campaign_lied_abou.html |work= The Oakland Press |date=January 24, 2011}}</ref>
==Arizona's Proposal 107 management==
After his senate primary defeat, Drolet became campaign manager for Arizona's Proposal 107—a proposed constitutional amendment on the November, 2010 state ballot. Proposal 107 would prohibit governments in Arizona from employing affirmative action policies that discriminate against, or grant preferences to, any individual or group based on race, ethnicity or gender in government hiring, contracting, or public university admissions.<ref name="act09222010">{{cite news|url=http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2010/09/22/opportunity-vs-preferential-treatment-center-of-proposition-107-debate|title=Opportunity vs. preferential treatment center of Proposition 107 debate|last=Newcomb|first=Alyssa|date=September 22, 2010|publisher=Arizona Capitol Times}}</ref> Arizona voters passed Proposal 107 by a 59.5% to 40.5% margin.
== Defeat of 2016 RTA millage == In 2016, after defeating incumbent Macomb County Commissioner Joseph Sabatini in the August Republican primary election,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.candgnews.com/news/drolet-takes-county-commissioner-primary-94930|title=Drolet takes county commissioner primary|newspaper=C&G Newspapers|access-date=2017-02-24|language=en}}</ref> Drolet led the campaign to defeat a millage initiative to fund the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan on the November ballot. The proposal would increase property taxes in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties for the purpose of increasing regional mass transit spending by $4.7 billion over 20 years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/10/23/rta-millage-michigan-transit/92518180/|title=What you need to know about the RTA millage|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|access-date=2017-02-24|language=en}}</ref> Drolet organized the committee to oppose the tax increase as Treasurer of ''NoMassiveTransitTax.org''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2016/10/group_forms_in_opposition_to_s.html|title=Group forms in opposition to southeast Michigan regional transit tax|newspaper=MLive.com|access-date=2017-02-24|language=en-US}}</ref> Proponents of the initiative spent over $3.1 million on the 'yes' vote campaign and Drolet's opposition campaign spent less than $65,000. The RTA proposal was defeated by an 895,306 yes to 913,392 no vote.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2016/11/rta_proposal_results.html|title=Regional transit tax proposal defeated in southeast Michigan|newspaper=MLive.com|access-date=2017-02-24|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Personal life== Drolet is openly gay.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kurtz |first=Joel |title=Poll: Majority in Michigan Now Support Gay Marriage |url=http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130514/POLITICS02/305140459 |access-date=20 June 2013 |newspaper=Detroit News |date=2013-05-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515165228/http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130514/POLITICS02/305140459 |archive-date=May 15, 2013 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}} {{Commons category|Leon Drolet}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drolet, Leon}} Category:Living people Category:1967 births Category:American libertarians Category:Michigan Constitutionalists Category:County commissioners in Michigan Category:Oakland University alumni Category:Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Category:LGBTQ state legislators in Michigan Category:American gay politicians Category:American LGBTQ conservatives Category:Tea Party movement activists Category:21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature