WARREN, Mich. – In the last 24 hours residents in Warren, Centerline, St. Clair Shores and Clinton Township have been receiving robocalls from current Assistant Macomb County Prosecutor Suzanne Faunce, who is also running for district judge in Warren.
In the call, Faunce urges residents concerned with flood damage to call an emergency number set up by Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel last week during the height of the flooding.
The robocalls were not authorized by Hackel or Emergency Operations Director Vicki Wolber. When calls started pouring in, Hackel and his team mobilized and got people in the call center.
Residents were confused and thought they were getting an official call from the county.
"This wasn't part of the plan for our emergency manager," Hackel said. "It wasn't something that we had asked for, so we wanted to make sure the robocalls don't continue; that was the main objective. Trying to figure out who did this, why they did it, is a secondary issue. It just wasn't part of our plan and as I mentioned caused us some problems."
Hackel demanded the calls cease and they did. Local 4 asked Faunce who gave her the authorization to make this robocall.
"Eric Smith directed that the call be made and asked me to make it in my capacity as the chief of his Senior Protection Unit," Faunce said.
The only two people who have the authority to activate an emergency call center are Hackel and Wolber. Smith does, however, support Faunce for her bid for judge in Warren.
Local 4's call to Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith's office was not immediately returned.