McMorrow’s Water Bill Mess Raises Questions
Democratic Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow is making affordability a big part of her pitch to voters. But her own household finances have now drawn attention for a very different reason.
Records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that McMorrow and her husband, former Gawker executive Ray Wert, went months without paying water and sewer bills on their Royal Oak, Michigan, home. By Friday, the unpaid balance had reached $3,000.37, including late fees. The bills were paid soon after the outlet reached out for comment.
The timing makes the story awkward. McMorrow has built part of her campaign around the idea that government should step in to make basic costs easier to handle. At the same time, her household was racking up repeated utility penalties on a home they bought in 2021 for $1.28 million. The property includes a pool and an outdoor courtyard, which only adds to the contrast between the message and the reality.
This was not a one-time slip. Records show the couple has been fined 10 times since late 2021, with late fees totaling more than $400. They also let water bills sit unpaid for five months in the back half of 2024. When they finally paid $917 in January 2025, there was still a $45 late fee hanging over the account.
Royal Oak Township sends water bills quarterly and adds a 5% late fee when balances are not paid on time. If a bill stays unpaid long enough, more penalties can stack up, the amount can be added to property taxes, and service can even be shut off. That is the same kind of problem McMorrow has been pushing lawmakers to limit for other people.
She has backed legislation that would cap water bills for some low-income residents and forgive certain overdue balances. Under that plan, the costs would be spread across other Michigan water customers through a surcharge. She has also supported the Human Right to Water Act, which would treat affordable drinking water as a right and push the state to set affordability standards.
McMorrow made that position clear years ago too, arguing in a 2021 Facebook post that water shutoffs should end. That message may play well with progressive voters, but it looks different when the unpaid bills are sitting on her own home.
The issue lands at a key moment in the Michigan Senate race. McMorrow is in a rough three-way Democratic primary to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters. Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate, has already consolidated GOP support with backing from President Donald Trump. Democrats see the seat as a must-hold race, but the primary fight on their side is still wide open.
McMorrow is running as a progressive and has talked about getting wealthy Americans to pay their fair share. She faces competition from Abdul El-Sayed on the left and Rep. Haley Stevens in the more moderate lane. She has also faced scrutiny for deleting old social media posts before launching her Senate run.
For a candidate selling herself as a champion of affordability, unpaid utility bills on a pricey home are not a great look. Voters tend to notice when the message and the paperwork do not match.