Commissioner displays arrogance in dispute over office space

Now in her second term as an elected Macomb County commissioner, Carey Torrice has spent a lot of time trying to convince people she’s not just some dumb, good looking blonde.And certainly Torrice, once dubbed “America’s hottest politician” by Web site TMZ.com is attractive. And we have no doubt that Torrice is not dumb. We must admit, however, that she sometimes comes across that way. But we suspect it’s the part-time actress in her that leads her to seek attention. Her most recent publicity stunt if we can call it as we see it was disrespectful to County Board Chairman Paul Gieleghem and her other 24 colleagues on the board. In an inappropriate display of arrogance, Torrice decided to personally take over one of the eight small offices shared by the part-time county commissioners. Gieleghem, as board chairman has a private office, and another is designated for the chairman of the Budget Committee, who deals with financial issues. That leaves seven offices for the other 24 commissioners. They are equipped with computers, phones and a few filing cabinets. Along comes Torrice, who lays claim to a single office and labels it “Commissioner/Actress Carey Torrice.” She then puts up two large movie posters, one featuring Sean Connery as James Bond and the other with Reese Witherspoon that was created for the movie “Legally Blonde 2.”Her actions apparently touched off an obscenity-laced dispute with Gieleghem who ordered her out of the office and, at one point, had the posters removed. Torrice then filed a police report and has threatened to take the county to court. And while the county struggles with a remaining budget deficit of more than $13 million, we have two elected officials feuding over offices and posters. We’re not sure why Torrice has a poster of Sean Connery. Apparently, as we reported Sunday, she considers the “Legally Blonde 2” poster an “inside joke.”The film is about a fashion-obsessed woman who is largely dismissed in her job on Capitol Hill but eventually wins respect through hard work as a congressional aide, pushing through legislation on animal rights. And, yes, Torrice was a leader in the effort to make the Macomb County Animal Shelter a “no kill” facility. But this is the same Carey Torrice who appeared on television’s “Inside Edition” wearing a skimpy yellow bathing suit and declaring “bikinis are my favorite thing to wear.” If they ever have a remake of M*A*S*H, we’d suggest Torrice for the part of Major Margaret Houlihan. Maybe she can rehearse that famous line “kiss my hot lips” with Board Chairman Gieleghem.