(WXYZ) — There’s a new effort in Lansing to prevent county officials from lobbying other local leaders as their outside jobs.
Watch Heather Catallo's video report:
For the last year, the 7 Investigators have been exposing stories about the Oakland County Commission Chair’s outside consulting business that works with private companies, including the Sheetz gas station chain that has been expanding throughout southeast Michigan.
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Lawmakers say the new legislation would prevent county officials like Commission Chair Dave Woodward (D-Royal Oak) from lobbying in any way for compensation on behalf of anyone outside of county business.
House Bill 5506 had bipartisan support and passed the House 98-9.
The bill’s sponsor says it does not require the lobbyist to be registered, which means if it passes, it would apply to someone doing business consulting with local governments like Woodward.
“My work with Sheetz or any of my clients is completely separate from my role as a County Commissioner,” Woodward told 7 Investigator Heather Catallo during an interview in August 2025.
The long-time commission leader and powerful Oakland County politician denied that his outside work was a conflict of interest and would not reveal any of his other clients except for Sheetz. But Woodward did describe how he helps businesses connect with other local government leaders.
“As they are coming to the Michigan market, giving them a lay of the land, recommendations of the best opportunities to grow and get approvals at a local level,” said Woodward.
The 7 Investigators have revealed how Woodward was appearing at local city council meetings on behalf of the Sheetz gas station chain and even made introductions to Oakland County officials.
“Has Dave Woodward talked to you at all about this project?” asked 7 Investigator Heather Catallo during an interview with Oakland County International Airport Manager Cheryl Bush in 2025 about allegations of Woodward’s involvement with a proposed Sheetz location next to the county-owned airport.
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“Dave Woodward has not talked to me under any pressure on this project,” said Bush. “He made introductions to the Sheetz folks.”
“To you?” asked Catallo.
“Yes,” said Bush.
The project did not go forward after inquiries by the 7 Investigators.
Now, a new bill has passed the Michigan House of Representatives that would prevent county officials from “…lobbying for compensation outside of the course or scope of the county official’s office.”
“The bottom line is, it's not a good practice to have elected officials serve as lobbyists,” said Representative Tom Kuhn (R-Troy), who introduced the legislation. “When you have somebody who's elected to the public office, they're representing the citizens. They're not representing a special interest group. And when you had such a clear conflict, it undermines public trust.”
Other lawmakers told the 7 Investigators that the recent stories about Chair Woodward’s outside business interests prompted them to support the legislation.
“We're always concerned about anything that undermines public trust. That's what we're really concerned about,” said Kuhn.
Representative Mike Harris (R-Waterford) said he supported the legislation because of what’s been happening in Oakland County government.
“Elected officials have to be held to a higher standard to maintain public trust. That trust understandably erodes when officials moonlight as lobbyists for special interest groups. House Bill 5506 ensures local officials are focused on representing their constituents, not their own bank accounts,” said Harris in a statement.
Rep. Kuhn says he’s encouraging his Senate colleagues to pass the legislation.
“We want good government, and this is very simple. It's very practical, it's very focused on something that I think has wide, broad bipartisan support and benefits the public,” said Kuhn.
The bill is now with the state senate government operations committee. It’s not clear when the Senate will take a vote on the legislation.
