Special Election Results
Mary Whiteford of
Casco Township and Gary Howell of North Branch defeated former Representatives
Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser in special election primaries for the 80th
and 82nd House Districts, respectively. Ms. Whiteford with 90
percent of precincts reported late Tuesday, had 5,065 votes or 51.7 percent.
Mr. Howell totaled 3,070 votes, far surpassing Mr. Courser’s 415 votes. David
LaGrand, a Democrat from Grand Rapids, won the nomination for the 75th
House District in the special election. Mr. LaGrand received 4,085 votes.
Snyder Press Secretary Replaced by Murray
Governor Rick
Snyder’s administration announced press secretary Sara Wurfel will be replaced
by deputy press secretary Dave Murray. Ms. Wurfel has served as press secretary
for five years, but is leaving to join the Truscott Rossman public relations
firm as vice president for public affairs. Mr. Murray joined Snyder’s staff
during the governor’s first term, and has previously been a reporter for The
Flint Journal and The Grand Rapids Press.
State Clarifies Nexus Issue on Tax
A revenue
administrative bulletin (RAB) was issued this week to clarify when a company in
Michigan has nexus and must collect the taxes. RAB 2015-22 deals with PA 553 of 2014 and PA 554 of 2014, to help clarify this.
Under this bulletin, a company has nexus if it uses employees in the state, has
a customer pick up or return items at a company facility, maintains offices in
Michigan, or delivers and repairs items.
Osmer Announces Candidacy for 106th District
Jesse Osmer, a
Republican, has announced his run for the 106th House District. Mr.
Osmer is the chair of the 1st Congressional District Republican
Party. Representative Peter Pettalia (R-Presque Isle) currently holds the seat,
but cannot run for reelection due to term limits.
Former Legislature and Top Lobbyist Passed Away
Robert VanderLaan,
85, passed away on Sunday. Mr. VanderLaan began his career as a teacher at
Christian high schools as well as Calvin College. Most notably, he served as
both majority and minority leaders in the Senate and co-founded Government
Consultant Services, Incorporated, one of the state’s top lobbying firms. The
service was held Thursday in Grand Rapids.