Brandon McCullough has built his political reputation on saying exactly what he thinks.

Sometimes, he told me, that's gotten him in trouble.

When the millage proposal was shot down in August, Brandon was in the middle of it, putting his strong opinions out online. When the dust settled, he had to sit with the reality that the city he grew up in still needed a new police station and a community that no longer fully trusted the people trying to build it.

Through that process, Brandon learned the hard way that humility in a leadership role goes further than being right.

In our episode we cover:
→ What it cost to build the Northville Township essential services complex
→ Why the process of the Livonia police station debate mattered as much as its outcome
→ What's at stake if the operating millage doesn't pass
→ The state housing affordability bills and why local leaders are pushing back hard
→ How to actually move development east and what's stalling Livonia's corridors

Brandon, thank you for your honesty and for your genuine care for this city.

*Chapters*
0:00 - Introduction: Brandon McCullough and the Unlocking the Law Podcast
1:46 - Brandon's Career Background: Public, Private, and Nonprofit
2:08 - Northville Township's New Essential Services Complex
6:19 - How the Project Was Funded: Brownfield Money and Debt Service
7:04 - Livonia Police Station: What's Actually on the Table
9:24 - The Failed Millage and the New Council's Approach
12:31 - The Operating Millage: Why It Has to Pass
21:02 - Brandon's History Advocating for the Police Department
27:07 - Politics, Compromise, and the 24-Hour Rule
28:01 - Rotary Park Pavilion: A Win Nobody Wants to Admit
31:18 - State Housing Affordability Bills: Keep It Local
36:08 - The Real Housing Problem in Livonia: Senior Residents and Uncapped Taxes
41:13 - Infrastructure Capacity and Why Zoning Bills Miss the Point
47:58 - The Meijer Development: A Case Study in Getting It Right
53:42 - Pushing Development East on Plymouth Road
56:28 - Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Brandon

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This episode is brought to you by Fausone & Grysko, PLC
https://www.thefgfirm.law/