WARREN, Mich. – Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said he found Warren Mayor Jim Fouts' social media post which hinted at a possible water scandal in the county "absolutely deplorable."
Hackel assured residents that the water in his county is safe for drinking. He scolded Fouts for pointing to and "exploiting" the city of Flint after Fouts wrote Wednesday night on his Facebook page that it "could be a mini version of what happened in Flint."
Hackel said the mayor has a track record of "alarmist" comments such as this. The county executive denied any such claim of a water scandal in his county.
Watch Hackel's full news conference above.
Fouts took to Facebook Wednesday night with the following post on his page:
“A major environmental scandal is brewing in Macomb County. This could cost the taxpayers millions of dollars. I'm closely watching this development. If what I heard and understand is true this could cost the taxpayers a good deal of money and somebody must be held accountable for this unacceptable mess. This is a developing situation. Could be a mini version of what happened in Flint.”
Local 4 reached out to Fouts for comment and more information, but calls have not been returned. He posted the following statement to Facebook later Thursday morning:
"Just viewed my Facebook comments. I want to assure everyone in Warren that our water is safe and there is no environmental problem in our city. There is however an issue of some importance but I'm not able to discuss that issue only to say that it is being dealt with and hopefully will not cost as much as I was originally told. I'm not going to point the finger at any individual or city, but only wait and see if this issue is taken care of as soon as possible."
Flint was under state financial control in 2014 when it switched from Detroit’s water system to the Flint River to save money. Officials failed to treat the river water with corrosion-control chemicals which allowed lead to leach from pipes.
Stay with Local 4 and ClickonDetroit.com as more information becomes available.