Torrice may be Nation’s ‘hottest

Torrice may be nation’s ‘hottest’ official

This picture from www. careytorrice. com shows the commissioner dressed up in a costume for a party at the Emerald Theatre.

Thursday, September 25, 2008 8:42 AM EDT

By Chad Selweski, Macomb Daily Staff Writer

On the campaign trail, Sarah Palin is the hot candidate. But, according to one major Web site, the hottest politician in America may be Macomb County Commissioner Carey Torrice.Provocative photos of the attractive blonde from Clinton Township are featured on TMZ.com, which reported that it’s searching for the hottest politician in the nation. The site urges readers to send in photos of nominees, but it declares that Torrice will be “hard to beat” for the title.TMZ, one of the top online destinations for celebrity news, offers more than two dozen photos of Torrice lifted from the commissioner’s Web site. TMZ is also conducting an online poll that indicates, by a 69 percent to 31 percent margin, readers think Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama should dump running mate Joe Biden in favor of Torrice.

“Sarah Palin is kind of nice looking and people think I’m pretty nice to look at,” said Torrice, 31, a former model who acts in local TV commercials. “This whole thing is pretty extraordinary. It’s very flattering, even if it is tongue-in-cheek.”I’m just waiting for Obama to call,” she added with a chuckle. Since the item went up on TMZ Wednesday morning, Torrice said her phone has been “ringing off the hook.” Nearly 16,000 people had voted in the poll as of late afternoon Wednesday, and a link offered to her Web site had experienced 15,000 hits in one hour.Torrice has had some small parts in a few films but she believes TMZ latched onto her looks when she appeared on the Maury Povich show last February.Torrice and her husband, Mike, own the Eye Spy private detective agency in Fraser and that national TV appearance may lead to a reality TV show featuring the couple.The photos on the Web site show Torrice in tight dresses with plenty of cleavage and in a scantily clad outfit at an event called the Hottiefest. She is also pictured at county board meetings, visiting the county Animal Shelter, helping with a roadside cleanup, working out at a local gym and firing a pistol at a shooting range.In addition, the site features photos of Torrice with numerous elected officials, including U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel.The freshman commissioner said she is too often viewed as a stereotype and she compares herself to socialite Paris Hilton a woman who is dismissed as a dumb blonde until people realize the intelligence she has to offer.”I’ve learned a lot in my year and a half in office. I can battle with anyone,” said the Democrat. “I can take on any Republican, maybe even Sarah Palin. And I wouldn’t have to be scripted or anything.”