FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
August 7, 2014
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Progress Michigan Calls on Gov. Snyder to Fire Head of MSHDA
Free Press report details tens of thousands of dollars in waste and abuse by department head
LANSING — A report from the Detroit Free Press today shows that Scott Woosley, the head of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, who makes a taxpayer-funded $135,000 a year paycheck, has spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to live the high life while on the job.
The report lays out that Woosley spent $1,253 on a stretch limo to travel across Nebraska, $400 to $500 a night on ritzy hotels, hundreds of dollars on expensive lunches, over $40,000 on international trips and abused the use of the state’s private plane to the tune of over $20,000.
“If this isn’t a blatant abuse of a political position, I don’t know what is,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “I would hope that stretch limos, excessive use of the state’s private plane and hundred dollar lunches aren’t Governor Snyder’s definition of ‘efficient, effective and accountable government.’ The governor needs to do the right thing and remove Woosley from his position. Even more, it is time for the governor to answer why these types of things keep happening in his administration.”
Governor Snyder praised the decision to appoint Woosley to his position back in October 2012.
“Governor Snyder has a poor history of standing up to cronyism and corruption,” Scott continued. “He gave treasury officials massive pay raises, didn’t blink an eye when the head of the EAA was abusing taxpayer dollars in a similar fashion, or when Kevyn Orr was feasting on crab cakes and now we have this. It’s time Governor Snyder and his administration were held accountable.”
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