For those wondering what relevance Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard has to a story about Kid Rock, it’s a simple connection.
The rocker showed his support for Bouchard’s senate bid last fall and that forever linked the two, despite what that contribution may have been.
After seeing the contribution numbers online at the Washington Post, I didn’t see a significant contribution from Mr. Ritchie.
I don’t care what contribution was made to the campaign, but when Kid Rock, a celebrity by any measure, showed his face in support of the campaign, that forever linked the two.
From that point on, anything the Kid happened to be involved in, alleged or otherwise, dealing with the Sheriff’s department, would be subject to curiosity.
I was glad to learn charges against Ritchie are not going to be pursued stemming from an alleged altercation with a woman at his home earlier this month. Having grown up around Clarkston, all I heard from the moment he moved in is, ‘How nice Bob is.?
Being that I am the only person who hasn’t met Mr. Ritchie, I can’t comment one way or the other. But based on all the positive feedback, I’m going to venture a guess that he’s a good guy.
Bouchard and Rock seemed like an odd couple pieced together to promote the the sheriff for the United States Senate seat.
Their pairing could have lead some to believe Ritchie may in one way or another received special treatment from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.
The Clarkston News was told he had not been given any preferential treatment and printed such. But reminding people of the campaign stop at the Royal Oak Music Theater was our job. If we had failed to include that, wouldn’t we have been giving special treatment ourselves?
As journalists we also find ourselves in a position where we, similar to the police, need to remain objective.
So, as much as we may like him, it was worth mentioning the connection and surely we aren’t the only people who remember his endorsement.
Hypothetically, what if something later was found, that the incident that had been mishandled due to a kinship between the two?
There are others who would remember the endorsement in addition to us. It does seem however, that the reference in our paper struck a nerve, but it wasn’t meant to suggest that anything had actually occurred because of favoritism shown Ritchie.
If a larger publication had made the same assessment, nothing would have been said. However, when The Clarkston News reads more like a hard-hitting newspaper, it must have come as a surprise.
We are all still committed to writing about the great things that happen in this area, for example, the Clarkston Cavaliers. The travel basketball team collected several hundred dollars for the Nothing But Nets, a campaign to help fight malaria in Africa.
We will still have those great community stories we’re known for, but sometimes we have to be serious.