CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR

Andy Levin, Bloomfield Township Democratic Congressman (9th District), turned out to be an also-ran for the position of Labor Secretary in the administration of President Joe Biden. The labor post, still to be confirmed by Congress, went to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a former union official and close friend of the President. If confirmed, Walsh will be the first union official to head up the labor department in 50 years. Word is that Biden administration officials were hesitant to appoint Democrats from the House because taking anyone from that chamber would only diminish the already narrow majority margin following the November election. Levin had the backing of a number of union officials, thanks to his background as union organizer and time in the Jennifer Granholm administration, but some of the bigger union affiliates supported Walsh, who has close ties to Biden. Levin had picked up public support from a number of environmental groups, like Oil Change International, Friends of the Earth, 350.org and Greenpeace. Environmental groups, in a nod to Levin’s background in the energy field with his own business, saw the Congressman as the person to bridge the gap between union workers of the alternative energy future and those still tied strongly to fossil fuel industries.