Americans for Public Trust (APT) has sent a letter to the Michigan Inspector General requesting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the hiring of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s former legislative affairs director, Mr. Curtis Hertel, by a nonprofit that received taxpayer funds totaling $1.5 million.
“As a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, Americans for Public Trust is dedicated to restoring trust in government by holding politicians and political groups accountable for corrupt and unethical behavior,” APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland wrote in the letter to the Michigan OIG. “Instances of apparent political self-enrichment, such as Mr. Hertel’s fortuitous employment arrangement, invite inquiry, demand scrutiny, and fall squarely within that mission.
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“Mr. Hertel’s rapid transition from negotiating the budget to working for an organization that directly benefits from the same budget, in addition to his spouse’s direct involvement, at best, abuts an ethical gray-area, and at worst, has implications that the legal guardrails instituted by the Michigan Legislature to deter such behavior have failed.
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“Given the public’s limited access to information surrounding these events, a thorough internal investigation is needed to dispel this cloud of suspicion and ensure Michiganders’ continued faith in the integrity of their government.”
The letter outlines the facts and timeline of Mr. Hertel’s new nonprofit employer, the Greater Flint Health Coalition, receiving the $1.5 million of taxpayer funding as part of the FY 2024 budget for which Mr. Hertel served as Whitmer’s chief negotiator. APT also called for the recusal of Mr. Hertel’s spouse in an investigation due to her role as the director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which authorized and earmarked the funds to Mr. Hertel’s new nonprofit employer.
Click here to read the full letter to the Michigan Inspector General.
Background
- As Governor Whitmer’s legislative affairs director, Curtis Hertel negotiated the $82 billion state budget for FY 2024, which the State Legislature passed in June 2023.
- The budget for FY 2024 allocated $1.5 million in taxpayer funds to a program that contracted with the Greater Flint Health Coalition, led by Mr. Hertel’s former colleague Jim Ananich.
- On July 3, 2023, just days after the FY 2024 state budget had been authorized, Mr. Hertel began working for the Greater Flint Health Coalition through a contract that reportedly pays him $108,000 annually.
- Mr. Ananich, President & CEO of the Greater Flint Health Coalition, acknowledged that he and Mr. Hertel had discussed Mr. Hertel working for the nonprofit prior to his departure from Governor Whitmer’s office.
- The funding for the Greater Flint Health Coalition was appropriated by Mr. Hertel’s spouse, Elizabeth Hertel, who serves as the director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
