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Westland Mayor Touts His Candidacy For Wayne County Executive

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) The race for Wayne County Executive is starting to heat up, though there's still no word about whether beleaguered incumbent Robert Ficano will seek to retain his seat.

Westland Mayor William Wild held a press conference Wednesday to officially throw his hat in the ring, saying he's confident he can duplicate the success he's had in the inner-ring suburb, which now has a balanced budget and a multi-million dollar surplus.

"We're going to have to restore the trust of the residents of Wayne County and the business owners and investors in Wayne County government ... Everybody's tired of the scandals, they want good ethical leaders," Wild told WWJ's Pat Sweeting.

Wild says he's already raised more than $250,000 for his campaign.

Already running against him is Wayne County Commissioner Kevin McNamara — son of the late Ed McNamara who had the job before Ficano.

CBS 62's Carol Cain reported Bryan Peckinpaugh, spokesman for McNamara, said the commissioner will formally announce his bid to run Michigan's largest county at a news conference scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 23 at the WCCCD's campus in Taylor.

McNamara has been considering the move for over a year, Peckinpaugh added.

McNamara,"is frustrated by the direction of county government, like many citizens. He has been out front on many issues, including the direction of leadership, the jail project, funding in the prosecutor's office and securing funding for youth and senior programs," Peckinpaugh said. "Kevin has a vision to transform county government into a more efficient unit that helps enable communities to thrive with growing base of residents and businesses."

 

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