Oakland County Commissioners Cavell and Nelson Resign from Democratic Caucus
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 23, 2025)
Oakland County, MI – Two Oakland County Commissioners have announced their departure from the Democratic Caucus of the County. Charlie Cavell represents the 19th District which includes Berkley, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge and parts of Birmingham and Royal Oak. Kristen Nelson represents District 10 which includes Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake and portions of Waterford, West Bloomfield, and Pontiac. Because of resigning from the caucus they were also removed from their caucus-based positions on standing committees. They can, however, still participate and vote in full board meetings.
Cavell and Nelson released a statement Thursday stating they “are not leaving the Democratic Party and will continue to serve their constituents and the public interest with full commitment.”
The County Commission currently has 19 seats, 12 of which are held by Democrats. Republican and Democratic Commissioners meet with fellow members of their party before, and sometimes during breaks in, full commission meetings. In caucus they are able to ask questions, have discussion and build consensus, though all votes take place at the full board meeting. Members of the public may attend majority caucus meetings, but are not part of the discussions. Standing committees include members of both caucuses. There items are researched and discussed, and votes are taken on recommendations such as moving polities forward, as well appointments.
Moving forward, Cavell and Nelson may attend caucus and committee meetings, but as members of the public and not to the same extent as caucus members.
Nelson told Oakland County Times “at the end of the day, the most important meeting is our full board meeting.”
The pair’s statement of resignation explains that “Their departure from the majority caucus follows months of internal efforts to strengthen ethics oversight, increase transparency in decision-making, and expand inclusion within the Board’s leadership processes.”
The statement mentions the Commission’s recent decision to adjust rates for providing assessment services to local governmental bodies which left some with large increases in fees, as well concerns over building costs “while cuts to basic needs loom,” and a recent contract cancellation with a company called Zaydlogix for IT services that was started by a county employee. County policy prohibits employees from entering into contracts with the County.
In May the pair introduced ethics and financial disclosure resolutions which currently remain in committee.
The statement also emphasized Cavell and Nelson would remain in the Democratic Party.
Cavell and Nelson spoke to Oakland County Times about the concerns leading up to their break with the caucus.
Much of Cavell’s concern centers around financial priorities.
He stated that Oakland County has been increasing it’s general fund balance without also increasing spending in areas that help residents. “Over 100,000 people in Oakland County are struggling and we could be doing something to help those people. We’ve literally never had this much money,” he said. With Federal cuts on the horizon, Cavell would prefer to spend more of the general fund on programs like housing, healthcare, mental health, services for older adults, and food access.
He’s also upset that programs to provide free legal aid, child care scholarships, and student loan navigation have not been provided ongoing funding.
“I think residents in my district want to see their tax dollars being spent to help people,” Cavell said. “We are, in my mind, hoarding money.”
Nelson’s frustrations began in earnest in 2023 when she resigned from the Legislative Affairs and Government Operations Committee after the person she and fellow committee members recommended to serve on the Road Commission for Oakland County was not selected.
“The whole concept of our caucus is where things get changed by Dave Woodward,” she said.
“I raised these concerns publicly in January 2023 when I steeped down as the chair of the LAGO committee. I made it clear then I couldn’t continue in a leadership role that required me to compromise on transparency and integrity.”
She added “When Democratic Commissioners who ask the tough questions and advocate for a more ethical, transparent and accountable government are dismissed as troublemakers, that tells you everything about the culture of the Democratic caucus leadership.”
Cavell said that Dave Woodward, Chair of the Oakland County Board, bullies people for votes and does not allow room for discussion. He claimed that Woodward and others in leadership positions with the county are unprofessional and difficult to get information from.
In response, Woodward told Oakland County Times that Cavell and Nelson are ‘more interested in grandstanding than having discussions and working with colleagues to get things done.”
“You can ask questions. You can criticize. But they have gone out of their way to be unhelpful in governing,” Woodward said. “These two have a long pattern of not working well with others. The have strained relationships with the Democratic county administration, continue to frustrate and lose the confidence of the Democratic majority, and already had duties and roles stripped from them. They do these performative blitzes rather than doing real work. They chose not to have a conversation, but to grab headlines.”
Cavell said that until recently he’s had no problem working with others, and that he’s proud of collaborating on initiatives like the gun buyback program, affordable housing trust fund, student debt relieve, co-responder program to add mental health response to policing, child care scholarships, erasing medical debt of residents, and the Rx Kids program.
Nelson said she’s proud of collaborative efforts, including establishing a restaurant investigation online database, boat cleaning stations to prevent spread of invasive aquatic species, a healthy aging blueprint, chore grants through OLHSA, and being chair of the Senior Isolation Committee which helped older adults stay connected during COVID.
Woodward’s response was “I will give them credit for things they worked on, but those all came about because of Democrats working together. Those weren’t just Charlie projects or Kristen projects.”
The Chairperson also took issue with the idea that Oakland County is not doing enough to help people.
“I am a proud progressive,” he said. “But I practice strong fiscal responsibility.
“It’s not just me, there are twelve Democrats. These are not just my decisions. We share ideas, we discuss them. I am so proud of what my caucus has been able to accomplish since taking the majority in 2019.
“We are the first county to help reduce college debt. We invest in roads beyond our responsibility. We’ve had the largest investment in County parks with an emphasis on equity. We’ve had the Oakland 80 program. We’ve been able to do all these things because we practice responsible financial management.”
The budget, Woodward said, leaves money in the general fund, not out of greed, but in anticipation of future expenses and potential cuts in other funding sources.
“There is economic uncertainty in the state budget. We’re unsure what will happen with federal funding. We’ve got infrastructure needs and rising costs to keep in mind. There are capital needs on the horizon like the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office mainframe and record keeping. Our number one expense is employees and we need to make sure we can keep paying the bills for years to come, and not lose our AAA bond rating.
“Our fund balance is strong because that is responsible government. If they think going against Democrats and making deals with Republicans will make Republicans want to spend more money, I’m not sure that’s going to work out the way they want.”
Woodward also explained that decisions like appointments, policies, and allocations happen through a committee process and a caucus process. With the Road Commission appointment, for example, the committee interviewed interested participants and made a recommendation, but instead the Democratic caucus moved forward one “who we knew would be responsive to our needs,” Woodward said. Though the member had not applied or spoken with the committee, it was within the rights of the caucus to present them for a vote.
“For years the Road Commission hasn’t communicated well with the administration and we wanted someone who would be responsive. This is a political appointment. For the 20 years I’ve been on the commission appointments were done this way, by the majority party. It’s how Republicans do it. It’s how Democrats do it. And at the end of the day decisions are made by the board.”
Both Cavell and Nelson have stressed that their decision to leave the caucus “was not done lightly.”
“We’re not doing a good job as a government. I hope this gets the attention of leadership and hopefully snaps them into shape,” Cavell said. “I really do believe in good government, and we should use taxes to help people have a better life.”
Nelson said “Stepping back from the caucus isn’t about personalities, it’s about principles.”
Woodward said that he isn’t surprised by their departure, nor is he concerned. “The Democratic majority is united and will continue to deliver wins for Oakland County families that expand economic opportunities, lower costs, and create a more prosperous future for everyone.”
Cavell and Nelson have been elected to serve through Dec. 31, 2028.
Learn more about the Oakland County Commission at https://www.oakgov.com/government/board-of-commissioners/commissioners
Note: This story previously stated that Cavell and Nelson forfeited their positions on committee. This has been updated to clarify that they were removed.
