FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
October 9, 2014
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Progress Michigan Announces New Television Ad
Video highlights long list of problems related to state’s Aramark contract
MICHIGAN — Today at press conferences in Lansing and Grand Rapids, Progress Michigan announced the launch of a new television ad titled, “Maggots.” The ad seeks to educate the public and hold Gov. Rick Snyder accountable for his mishandling of the state’s Aramark contract for prison food services.
The ad will run for approximately one week in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Mount Pleasant and Upper Peninsula media markets. The Progress Michigan Political Action Fund paid for the ad.
Since taking over food services in Michigan prisons, Aramark has consistently had problems, including food shortages and illegal menu changes, drug smuggling, improper employee relationships with inmates and a murder-for-hire plot.
“For the past several months Progress Michigan has been at the forefront of an effort to bring to light the many failures of Aramark and the lack of accountability in the Snyder Administration to address their shortcomings,” said Sam Inglot, a communications specialist with Progress Michigan. “When Governor Snyder privatized prison food service, he did so saying that ‘hopefully’ Aramark would provide better service. Sadly, and yet expectedly, that has not been the case.”
At the ad launch press conferences, Progress Michigan had small tanks filled with live maggots.
“Maggots are a symbol of something that has spoiled or is rotting. We believe that is a pretty fitting descriptor for Governor Snyder’s failed privatization experiment,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “This administration has been plagued by scandal and it is time they cleaned up their act.”
Progress Michigan and other concerned citizens and elected officials are urging Gov. Snyder to cancel the contract.
“Governor Snyder needs to do what he should have done a long time ago and cancel the state’s contract with Aramark,” said Ingham County Commissioner Kara Hope. “He also needs to tell Michigan voters about the cancelled fine and tell us what he knew and when he knew it.”
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