Yesterday, Duke Energy’s volunteer and chief local booster, former Manistee County Commissioner and Marilla Township Bernard “Allen” O’Shea, won the democratic primary in the 101st Michigan House district, narrowly defeating former Grand Traverse Band of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians’ Chairman Derek Bailey. Mr. O’Shea will be running against incumbent republican Ray Franz in November. Mr. O’Shea received a majority of voters in Mason and Manistee county. He did not do so in Benzie and Leelanau counties.
Mr. O’Shea is the founding president of the American Wind Energy Association. (It recently honored him at its annual meeting in June in Atlanta.) His lifelong dream is to turn areas of Manistee and Benzie counties into an industrial wind generation facility. Mr. O’Shea was the principal local cheer leader for Duke Energy’s Gail Wind project. Mr. O’Shea also gave inconsistent, conflicting explanations of his financial relationship with Duke Energy.
