In the go-along-to-get-along world of the state capitol, the House GOP speaker is not a charter member. In fact there are some in town who think Rep. Kevin Cotter never read the book.

It is unfair to tag Mr. Cotter with never wanting to play nice in the legislative sandbox, but his recent history of dealing with his “pals” in the GOP-controlled Senate leads his critics to contend he has a fist full of sand and he’s throwing it.

Last year there was the transportation package which the Senate passed with a hefty, get-the-job-done 15 cent a gallon gas tax increase. It moved on a bi-partisan vote into the House where Mr. Cotter and his conservative caucus went to work to chop it down to a tad over seven cents a gallon.

This was not the governor’s first choice, but after laboring for years to pass his bill, he held his nose and signed it as the highway lobby applauded. It concluded something was better than nothing even though this package was as close to nothing as you can get the naysayers say to this day.

Then last week, this.

With all the heavy hitters in town dusting off their moth-balled seersucker suits for the annual sojourn to Mackinac Island to rub elbows on the Grand Hotel porch with the captains of industry, here was Mr. Cotter announcing he would not go.

Hmm.

And 25 Republicans and 25 Democrats, who were going to get a free ride from the Detroit Chamber of Commerce, will also forgo the fudge and the island smells to stay at the capitol to “work.”

The optics of this are perfect for Mr. Cotter and company. The typical citizen at home will say, “Good move. Lawmakers get paid to stay in Lansing and do our business and with the Flint water crisis and the Detroit schools teetering on the brink of bankruptcy they should stay home!” Senate Republicans are going and may take a hit for doing so thanks to Mr. Cotter. But there was no hint the Senate R’s were upset. It’s bad form to air dirty laundry in front of the capitol scribes.

Of course there are two sides to every story and this one has multiple angles. First, of all, sometimes, legislative deals are struck on the island during this confab as you herd everyone into a room and magic sometimes happens. Mr. Cotter’s mouthpiece suggests he can still negotiate over the phone if need be.

But what about hidden agendas in the Speaker’s decision?

Some Democrats are shopping the notion that the decision was in retaliation because the chamber did not attend a major GOP golf outing fundraiser. “I heard that from about six Republicans,” a Democratic insider whispered the other day. The Cotter team, of course, denies it.

And then there is the fact the business community was not overjoyed with the House GOP plan to fix the Detroit schools. The governor, Senate Republicans, Democrats and the judge running DPS were not pleased either. So why should Mr. Cotter send his troops up to the island, where they might be berated, lobbied and pressured to change their minds?

You also have to put his no-go-let’s-stay-and-work move in the context of this being an election year for the House. Working vs. playing looks better. And maybe Mr. Cotter was thinking about the risk that one of his members might get into trouble during the two day event. Recall former lawmaker Mike Bishop who got into a fight with an island patron outside a bar over who was going to ride in a carriage. Rumors were that alcohol might have been a factor.

Hoping to hang onto control of the House, the last thing Mr. Speaker needs is a headline: Drunk House Republican Smashes Chairs at the Grand Hotel.

Sorry to say we may never know why the speaker did this, but perhaps if he ends up in court, under oath, in the Courser-Gamrat exam, one of the lawyers might ask him.

Double hmm.