Melvin “Butch” Hollowell may have many things on his mind since announcing his candidacy for secretary of state, but the Democratic attorney can rest easy when it comes to choosing a necktie.

“My daughter picks out my ties every morning - she takes out a tie, lays it neatly on the bed and she says, ‘this is what you’re going to do today,’” Hollowell said laughing. “The sun rises and sets on both my kids.”

Hollowell was born in Honolulu and his father who served as a surgeon stationed by the Army in Korea.

After moving around from base to base, the Hollowell family came to Detroit in 1965.

And Hollowell still calls the city’s northwest side his home, living two doors down from his parents.

“It’s like built in baby-sitting, it works,” he said.

Hollowell is married to famed Detroit columnist, Desiree Cooper, who he met on the first day of law school in 1981.

“It was love at first sight,” Cooper said. “I didn’t know those things happen but they do. He was such a great mixture of having a great sense of humor and being smart without making other people think they weren’t as bright.”

Cooper attributes Hollowell’s attitude to his upbringing, from the family’s constant migration to the decision to stay in Detroit.

“Part of it is from growing up in Detroit and seeing the stark differences between the haves and the have-nots his whole life,” she said. “He has a real commitment to change where it’s needed.”

Although he’s been keeping busy lately, Hollowell says he still has time for the more important things in life - reminding his son that Elvis Presley is dead.

“He’s a huge Elvis fan,” he said of his son. “I tell him, ‘Elvis is dead, do you know that?’ and he’s like ‘no, no the king lives.’ My son is 15 and is really bugging me for his driver’s license now, and that’s really why he wants me to be secretary of state.”

Hollowell says he also looks forward to after the election when he can get back to his beloved tennis.

“I’m a competitive tennis player, I play in a league,” he said. “I’m also totally a movie buff. I’ve seen the ‘Godfather’ parts one and two at least 200 times.”

But more than tennis or movies, Hollowell can’t wait to go camping with his family again.

“We like the outdoors a lot, we camp and hike all over Michigan,” he said. “We love hiking out West, it’s unbelievable. We spent a week in Jackson Hole (Wyoming) and we went up to Yellowstone which is the land that time forgot.”

Hollowell said he and his wife want their children to love and respect nature.

“We love the wonders of nature and we want our kids to appreciate them too,” he said.