In June of last year, I was contacted by someone who works for the state government who told me a few things about Richard Baird, the man who shared office space and a phone number with Gov. Rick Snyder but, at the time, was paid off the books by the so-called NERD fund which was funded by secret financial contributors. […]

Same-day service! Governor’s office wastes no time saying “no” to request from ProgressNow and Progress Michigan. Regular readers of Eclectablog know that Chris Savage has been regularly calling out Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on his lack of transparency. You can read some of that coverage HERE, HERE and HERE. And Chris is not the only one. Gov. Snyder promised transparency […]

“We are on it…” This morning the Michigan Democratic Party released emails obtained through a FOIA request suggesting that Richard Baird, Governor Rick Snyder’s “Transformation Manager” who was once paid from the New Energy to Reinvent and Diversify (NERD) Fund, intervened on behalf of Governor Snyder’s cousin George Snyder to ensure he was protected from budget cuts in 2011. The […]

This is why NERD Fund opacity is such a BFD Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog NOTE: This story has been updated HERE and HERE. I (and so many others) have talked a LOT about Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s NERD Fund, financed by unknown corporate entities and wealthy individuals. Because they have been paying for Detroit Emergency Manager […]

We don’t blame you, Governor. We’d hide that, too. [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] With the announcement that Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is closing down the secretive NERD Fund without disclosing its donors, questions remain as to WHY he is keeping the donors secret. Considering that Charlie Secchia is the fund’s president, it’s possible […]

If it was such a good thing, why hide the donors? [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] WXYZ is reporting that Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is closing the shadowy, secretive slush fund — the “NERD Fund” — that was used, until last week, to pay the salary of his confidant and advisor Richard Baird, as […]

Not so fast, governor [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] It’s common knowledge that one of Michigan governor Rick Snyder’s top advisors, Richard Baird, is being paid from a secretive slush fund called the NERD Fund. Because Snyder continues to refuse to disclose the donors to the NERD Fund, there’s no way to know what […]

Plausible deniability or intentional obfuscation? [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] Depositions were taken in an ongoing lawsuit this week that seeks to determine if the State of Michigan negotiated in good faith with unions before declaring bankruptcy in Detroit. Yesterday, Governor Snyder took his turn and some of the deposition is on tape. One […]