Robert Gosselin
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Robert Morrison Gosselin (1951-2023) was a conservative Republican politician in
Oakland County, Michigan Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a principal county of the Detroit metropolitan area, containing the bulk of Detroit's northern suburbs. Its county seat, seat of government is Pontiac, Mic ...
and is an Oakland
County Commissioner A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the County (United States)#County government, county government in some U.S. state, states of ...
.


Biography

Gosselin was born in
Berkley, Michigan Berkley is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit on the Woodward Corridor, Berkley is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United ...
and attended
Berkley High School Berkley High School is a public high school in Berkley, Michigan. Berkley High's colors are maroon and blue and the school's mascot is a bear. Berkley is well known for its college prep courses, high standardized test scores, and teachers a ...
. He attended, but did not graduate from
Lawrence Technological University Lawrence Technological University (Lawrence Tech, LTU) is a private university in Southfield, Michigan. It was founded in 1932 in Highland Park, Michigan, as the Lawrence Institute of Technology (LIT) by Russell E. Lawrence. The university moved ...
, where he studied
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
. He is also a licensed builder, licensed
realtor Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agent ...
and licensed heating contractor. He is married to Jan Gosselin and has three children.


Political career

Gosselin was elected to the
Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
in 1993. He served until 1997. In 1998, he was elected to the
Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...
to represent the then- 42nd District which included portions of Rochester Hills and Troy. He was re-elected to the same seat in 2000. In 2002, after his district was consolidated into Troy and Clawson, he ran for and lost a
Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...
seat against incumbent Shirley Johnson in the 13th District. In 2004, Gosselin again sat in the Michigan House, this time representing the new 41st District. In 2006, Gosselin became a candidate for County Commissioner in the 13th District which includes the southern portion of Rochester Hills and a northern portion of Troy with a portion of Bloomfield Township. He unseated a moderate Republican incumbent, Will Molnar, in the primary. He handily won his general election bid for that seat. According to the Oakland Press: However, with Gosselin term-limited out-of-office, the younger Knollenberg became the Republican nominee for State House in 2006, defeating Mike Bosnic in the August 2006 primary. Bosnic, who also ran in 2004 in a three-way race against Gosselin, was endorsed by Gosselin in 2006. Despite Gosselin's endorsement, Knollenberg won by 7%, or roughly 700 votes, over Bosnic.


Political philosophy

Gosselin has achieved a reputation of being a conservative who appeals to the religious right as well as a strong
libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
bloc of Oakland County politics. As such, he has gained the reputation of challenging establishment mainstream,
moderate Moderate is an ideological category which entails centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. Political position Canad ...
, and liberal Republicans. This was the case in his 2002 bid for the State Senate as well as his 2004 House election. Gosselin has traditionally supported a strong relationship between State Government and Judeo-Christian religion. He has sponsored various legislation to place the words "In God We Trust" and the
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...
at the
Michigan State Capitol The Michigan State Capitol is the building that houses the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the portion of the List of U.S. state capitals, state capital of Lansing, Michigan, Lansing which lies in In ...
in
Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...
. In support of this legislation, which failed, but ultimately won by putting them in the Lansing Capital thru House Resolutions HCR 0056 of 2002 and HR 0024 of 2005. Gosselin traveled the state with fellow Republican Representative Jack Hoogendyk with the 2.6-ton granite tablets involved in the 2003 Justice Roy Moore Ten Commandments controversy. Gosselin holds the controversial belief that the
U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally including seven articles, the Constituti ...
does not deliberately dictate a separation between church and state and instead is a mere protection of all religious beliefs. Consistent with his conservative philosophy, Gosselin also strongly opposes
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
. In the legislature he supported bills that would make it illegal to coerce a woman into having a legal abortion, requiring ultrasounds to be shown prior to abortions, to prohibit physicians and health facilities from accepting prepayment for abortions, and to establish a "Choose Life Fund," funded with revenue from the sale of a "Choose Life" specialty license plate. Despite his interest in government regulation of abortion and association of government with religion, Gosselin has maintained significant support for and from libertarians. For instance, he endorsed libertarian David Eisenbacher for City Council in Troy. This is because of his strong opposition to state and local regulations, taxation and benefits. While in the legislature, he voted against every single budget citing overspending in State Government. He was the author of a package of legislation known as "Michigan Citizens First," which cut welfare benefits from illegal immigrants. He consistently favored substantial cuts to government welfare programs. However, with Gosselin term-limited out-of-office, the younger Knollenberg became the Republican nominee for State House in 2006, defeating Mike Bosnic in the August 2006 primary. Bosnic, who also ran in 2004 in a three-way race against Gosselin, was endorsed by Gosselin in 2006. Despite Gosselin's endorsement, Knollenberg won by 7%, or roughly 700 votes, over Bosnic.


2006 State Senate election

In 2006, Gosselin initially ran for the Michigan Senate against fellow State Representative Shelley Taub. Many state political observers were anticipating a lively free-for-all between these two. This prediction was based upon the open animus between former Senator Shirley Johnson and Gosselin. Gosselin accused Johnson, who is a moderate Republican, of accepting donations from a pro-Gay group. He also attacked her position on abortion. Johnson actively worked for Marty Knollenberg's 2004 campaign against Gosselin. A joke between many observers was that if Gosselin were to win the Republican nomination, Johnson would endorse the Democrat, and one Republican insider seriously acknowledged this possibility. When Democrat Andy Levin, son of Congressman
Sander Levin Sander Martin Levin (born September 6, 1931) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2019, representing (numbered as the from 1983 to 1993 and as the from 1993 to 2013). Levin, a member ...
and nephew of
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
Carl Levin Carl Milton Levin (June 28, 1934 – July 29, 2021) was an American attorney and politician who served as a List of United States senators from Michigan, United States senator from Michigan from 1979 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (U ...
, entered the race, however, Republican leadership became concerned. Former Michigan Senator and fellow Troy State Representative John Pappageorge was coaxed by the
Michigan Republican Party The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan, United States, sometimes referred to as MIGOP. Ronna Romney McDaniel was the chairwoman of the party, having been elected in 2015 by delegates ...
to run for the 13th District seat, as they believed he was the only one with the name recognition and fundraising ability to retain the seat in the general election. When Pappageorge entered the race, Gosselin dropped out. Pappageorge defeated Taub in the primary in August 2006 by a two-to-one margin. He narrowly defeated Andy Levin in one of the closest and most controversial state senate races in November, by a margin less than that of the vote totals accumulated by the Green Party candidate.


Election history

, - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" ! align=left valign=top , 1998 Candidate ! align=right , Party ! align=right , Popular votes ! align=right , Vote percentage , - , align=left valign=top, Bob Gosselin , valign="top", Republican , valign="top", 20,285 , valign="top", 68% , - , align=left valign=top, Jacquelyn Moore , valign="top", Democrat , valign="top", 9,712 , valign="top", 32% , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" ! align=left valign=top , 2000 Candidate ! align=right , Party ! align=right , Popular votes ! align=right , Vote percentage , - , align=left valign=top, Bob Gosselin , valign="top", Republican , valign="top", 27,104 , valign="top", 67% , - , align=left valign=top, Jerry Bixby , valign="top", Democrat , valign="top", 13,279 , valign="top", 32% , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" ! align=left valign=top , 2002 Candidate ! align=right , Party ! align=right , Popular votes ! align=right , Vote percentage , - , align=left valign=top, Shirley Johnson , valign="top", Republican , valign="top", 13,412 , valign="top", 55% , - , align=left valign=top, Bob Gosselin , valign="top", Republican , valign="top", 11,141 , valign="top", 45% , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" ! align=left valign=top , 2004 Candidate ! align=right , Party ! align=right , Popular votes ! align=right , Vote percentage , - , align=left valign=top, Bob Gosselin , valign="top", Republican , valign="top", 3,754 , valign="top", 38% , - , align=left valign=top, Marty Knollenberg , valign="top", Republican , valign="top", 2,851 , valign="top", 29% , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , - , align=left valign=top, Mike Bosnic , valign="top", Republican , valign="top", 2,734 , valign="top", 28% , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , - , align=left valign=top, Kathleen O'Laughlin , valign="top", Republican , valign="top", 464 , valign="top", 5% , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9"


References


External links


Oakland County Board of Commissioners website
Gosselin represents district 13. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gosselin, Robert 1951 births County commissioners in Michigan Lawrence Technological University alumni Living people Members of the Michigan House of Representatives People from Berkley, Michigan 21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature