Insider: Moose head restored to guv's summer residence to honor Frank Kelley

A taxidermy moose head has been restored to its original location hanging in the Michigan governor's summer residence on Mackinac Island, with the blessing of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, according to the Mackinac Island State Park Commission. 

The moose head had been a family heirloom of former Attorney General Frank J. Kelley that he donated in 1982 and which had been displayed in the residence until 2012.

Kelley, who was Michigan's longest-serving attorney general, died in March at age 96. He had served on the Mackinac Island State Park Commission starting in 1999 and later became chair from 2007-11.

The moose head was removed during the administration of Gov. Rick Snyder, as it didn't go with the décor that was envisioned for that room, said commission spokesman Dominick Miller. 

After Kelley's passing in the spring, the commission requested that the moose head be put back into the residence, knowing how much it meant to him, Miller said. Whitmer agreed.

“We know that Mr. Kelley was disappointed to learn it had been removed, so we’re happy we can provide this little tribute in his honor," Mackinac State Historic Parks Director Steve Brisson said in a statement. 

The commission also named the parlor at the Commanding Officer’s Quarters, an original Fort Mackinac building, for Kelley. The quarters serves as a guest house for park commissioners and was a favorite spot of Kelley’s.

Biden bill signing 

Two Michigan lawmakers were at the White House on Friday for President Joe Biden to sign their bipartisan legislation, which aims to bolster cybersecurity for the networks of K-12 schools throughout the country. 

The bill directs the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to assess the risks and challenges schools encounter in securing their networks, administering remote learning and protecting sensitive documents. The agency is to issue recommendations and other voluntary resources for schools to implement to improve their cybersecurity systems and post a training toolkit for K-12 institutions online, according to a bill summary.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, was at the White House for Friday's signing, as well as Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, both of whom worked on the bill. Peters is chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee whose jurisdiction includes cybersecurity. 

Duggan tapped for DOE board

Kerry C. Duggan, a sustainability consultant in Detroit, has been appointed to an 18-member advisory board of experts to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm,  the former Michigan governor. 

Duggan is co-founder and principal of SustainabiliD, which is a sustainability consulting firm. She was part of the incoming Biden administration's transition team for the  Department of Energy.

During the Obama administration, Duggan was a policy director for Biden and worked as deputy director of the Detroit Federal Working Group, where she worked on a citywide LED streetlight conversion. 

mburke@detroitnews.com