Leadership

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Dennis G. Cowan - CHAIRMAN

Dennis Cowan is the Managing Shareholder of the Business Law Department of Plunkett & Cooney, P.C., a full-service law firm with 160 attorneys and nine offices in Michigan and Columbus, Ohio.  He works in the Firm’s Oakland County office located in Bloomfield Hills.

Cowan grew up on the east side of Detroit and is the son of a retired Detroit police officer.  He attended Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods.  He graduated (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Massachusetts at Boston in 1978 with a Philosophy/History double major.  He later graduated (Magna Cum Laude) from Detroit College of Law in January, 1984 and was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in May, 1984.

Cowan joined Plunkett & Cooney, P.C. as a law clerk in December, 1983 and became a member of the Firm’s Banking and Finance Practice Group upon admission to the Bar.  Over his 20-year career, he has represented a wide variety of corporate, banking and individual clients.  Along with his management duties, his current practice involves banking law, zoning and planning matters and municipal law issues.

Drawn to local issues by a commercial zoning dispute near his Royal Oak home, Cowan began his public service career by election to the Royal Oak City Commission in November, 1987.  He was re-elected to that office as the top vote getter in 1991.

In 1993, Cowan ran for Mayor and was elected with an overwhelming 70% majority of the vote.  He was subsequently, reelected Mayor in 1995, 1997 and 1999.  He completed his 14 years of public service in Royal Oak in 2001.

While Cowan was very involved in planning the growth of Royal Oak, in particular its downtown area, he also turned around the City’s finances.  In 1993, the City was in a near deficit spending crisis and saddled with a very low bond rating.  Eight years later, Royal Oak enjoyed a nearly $6 million fund balance and a AA bond rating from Wall Street.

Cowan continues his public service today, having been appointed to the State of Michigan Building Authority by Governor John Engler in 2002.

Cowan has been actively involved in Republican at the local, county, state and national levels elections for the last 20 years.  He is a strong supporter of President George W. Bush and worked on the Oakland County Bush-Cheney election teams in both 2000 and 2004.  Cowan has also worked on the campaigns of Senator Spencer Abraham, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca and Attorney General Mike Cox.  He also served in 2002 on the Attorney General Mike Cox’s Transition Team.  Along with others, he presented a plan to reorganize the Attorney General’s Office that was implemented, resulting in a handful of divisions, instead of 39 separate operating units.

In addition to public service, Cowan has been very active in community service.  He is a past board member of the Boys & Girls Club of South Oakland County and Ticker Club (Children’s Hospital).  He currently serves on the Walsh College Foundation Board and is President of the Royal Oak Children’s Choir.  He is also a special assistant to his son, Danny, who is the student manager for the Royal Oak Blades (high school) hockey team.

Cowan is an avid golfer and was most recently a marshal at the 2004 Ryder Cup.  He is also a passionate fan of the Boston Red Sox, the Grand Valley State Lakers football team and Detroit Red Wings.  He also has a great interest in the Civil War, having family members serve and die on both sides of that conflict.

Cowan and his wife, Andrea, have resided in Royal Oak for the past 25 years.  They have three children, Sara, Daniel and Kaitlyn.  They are members of the Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church in Royal Oak.

Contact Dennis at: chairman@oaklandgop.net

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Melissa O'Rear has been an active volunteer working for the Republican Party and Republican candidates on local, state and national elections since 1996. Her most recent contribution to the Republican Party was to accept the role of a Regional Chair for the re-election campaign for Bush-Cheney 04'.  This responsibility involved recruiting leadership and volunteers in several west Oakland County Communities for the President's re-election campaign.  Melissa hit the ground running in October of 03' for President Bush, holding several organization and recruitment meeting in her region

Outside of her volunteer time to the Republican Party, Melissa is a Field Representative on the legislative staff of Congressman Joe Knollenberg. Melissa applied and received a 1999 fellowship to the Michigan Political Leadership Program form Michigan State University. Previous to her current position, Melissa was a Manufacturers Representative and Free Lance Graphic Artist for several years. She and her daughter colleen reside in Novi.

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Bethany Holland - SECRETARY

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Walter Czarnecki - TREASURER

Walter Czarnecki, Treasurer of the OCRP, is Executive Vice President and a Director of Penske Corp. in Bloomfield Hills and has been associated with the firm for 35 years.  He has been involved in Republican Party politics for most of his life beginning as a worker on his father’s campaigns for Congress in Wayne County in the 1950’s.  He met his wife, Ginny, when both were officers of the Young Republicans at the University of Detroit.  He has been active in the Republican Party both in Michigan and New Jersey.  He currently serves as Finance Chairman for Congressman Joe Knollenberg and has done so for the past three campaigns.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, he is involved in numerous civic activities.  He is Chairman of the Board of Cornerstone Schools of Detroit, is on the Board of University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy and is on the Advisory Board of the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington.

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