Rick Snyder names Andy Dillon as treasurer, Dick Posthumus as senior advisor
Governor-elect Rick Snyder, center, announces the appointment of House Speaker Andy Dillon, left, as treasurer and former Lt. Governor Dick Posthumus as senior adviser to the governor at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in Ann Arbor today.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com
Governor-elect Rick Snyder announced at a press conference today that former Republican Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus will serve as senior advisor and Democrat House Speaker Andy Dillon will serve as treasurer in his administration.
The announcement was made at about 11 a.m. at the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, 735 S. State St.
"We are putting together a diverse team with unparalleled legislative and private sector experience," Snyder said in a news release put out by his office. "Dick Posthumus has as much or more knowledge of how state government works than anyone in Michigan, and he also knows what it takes to run a business. Andy Dillon knows the budget inside and out and has repeatedly shown his willingness to work across the aisle to make tough decisions."
Posthumus, former CEO of Grand Rapids-based furniture manufacturer Compatico and a member of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce board of directors, served as Senate majority leader for eight years before serving as lieutenant governor to former Gov. John Engler.
And Dillon is serving his second term as Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives and his sixth year as a state representative from Redford, according to the release.
Comments
Jane Michener
Tue, Nov 9, 2010 : 11:13 p.m.
This is Rick Snyder's first major mistake. Andy Dillon is neither trustworthy, loyal nor politically astute nor a team player. He is, however, great at pulling the wool over the eyes of people he wishes to impress. And he is arrogant. He was notorious for undercutting Jennifer Granholm in public, after running in the Democratic primary as a Democrat he offered no support to the eventual nominee, when John Cherry who is personally anti-choice but not supported by RTL was running Andy Dillon is alleged to have been playing footsie with Obama to explore the option of running himself. He was so politically dim that he thought he could have an ad made in Illinois stressing the importance of keeping jobs in Michigan and that this would not leak. It does not seem to have occurred to him that if it did leak that he would be exposed and ridiculed as a hypocrite. When he was asked about his desire to impose an untried consolidation of public employee medical insurance plans as to who was with him on these plans, he didn't even understand the question but started his remarks by saying 'in my mind' this is what the plans will do. Naturally, without consulting his constituents this plan had no chance of success. This was said at a meeting of the 15th District of the Democratic Party where Dillon stayed only a few moments. After he left a vote of no confidence in his proposal was close to unanimous. This will be seen by many Democrats as a slap in the face.
leaguebus
Tue, Nov 9, 2010 : 12:08 p.m.
This is the roadmap. A Governor who tries to bring in the best and diverse set of talent as possible to solve Michigan's big problems. Now all the Democrats in the legislature become the Party of NO just like the Republicans have been for the last two years. People get dissatisfied, vote the Party of NO back in in two years. Cool scenario, it worked once, why not again. Good luck Governor Snyder, you are a member of their party and the naysayers are already unhappy with you. Will anything make them happy? As Ghost says, Good Night and Good Luck, Rick....
Ruth
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 10:05 p.m.
I would like to see some diversity in selections for the Snyder cabinet. I think if the selections made so far are predictive of what the selections will be in the future, I believe that Michigan is going to be in trouble. Rick Snyder should remember to be a governor of all the people not just those who voted for him.
DonBee
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 8:50 p.m.
Rick Snyder has never had to write or pass a bill in any political house. Mr. Dillon and Mr. Posthumus both have experience in doing this. It may be in Michigan's best interest to have some folks who understand the process and are willing to carry water for the boss. There is a lot to fix. Kind of like an old car, the older the car gets, the more tools you tend to carry to fix it when things go wrong. G.E. Snyder is filling his tool box with the skills he needs to be successful. Whether the ideology of any person is pure or not is not the issue. The issue is can they get things done and do they get the right things done to fix the problems in the state? Check back in about 6 months for some early answers. Since we have more than 2 months from the election to taking over, G.E. Snyder has time to find the right set of folks with the right skills and fill the box with answers. We need to pull together folks, and fix this old chariot, or we will need to load the wagons and wonder onward. The choice is yours. What say you?
Ann English
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 8:45 p.m.
Let's see how well Snyder takes Posthumus' advice. Either Engler had deep convictions regarding cutting governmental waste of our tax dollars, or was great at taking Posthumus' advice regarding cutting our taxes. If Snyder turns out to be a Republican In Name Only (RINO), I won't be surprised. I thought before the primaries that Bouchard and Hoekstra were the best candidates for winning the primary and then the general election.
Pika
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 7:18 p.m.
Well the people are going to be surprised when they discover that they elected the republican establishment, but they certainly should have expected it. Here we go folks... over the cliff of republican fantasy and failure.
George Houchens
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 7:15 p.m.
Great move. Listen to the advice of the experienced politicians. Hear their thoughts about what moves to make... and then come up with a NEW PLAN that works.
Ann English
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 7:13 p.m.
I remember voting for John Engler, but I don't remember hearing about Dick Posthumus before he ran for governor. So he was Engler's lieutenant governor? The Engler years as governor were among my best working years. The earlier best working years for me were the Reagan years.
ruminator
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 6:28 p.m.
At least one more Engler retread has surfaced. Surprise!
michigan face
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 5:16 p.m.
There is no aisle here - Andy Dillon lost the race because he is not a Democrat at all...He didn't endorse Virg because of this backroom deal- I am quite sure of that! Uggh - a Lt Gov under Engler for God's sake and now this supposed diverse team as Snyder pulled in Dillon - what a much of crap. Anyone with sight or insight can see..
Atticus F.
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 5:09 p.m.
I'm not a big Snyder fan, nor was I a big Granholm fan...However, it's nice to see a politician reaching across the aisle.
Monica R-W
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 5:07 p.m.
Unsurprising that Dillon would accept a position in the nerd Governor administration. He was a Democrat in sheep clothing, anyway.
Sam
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 4:12 p.m.
DetroitWorker, it is call the STATE of Michigan for a reason. If it was all about Detroit, it would have been called that. If not for all of Detroit's problems, the state would be in better shape. Balance for yourself, West side vs East side...which side of the state has lower unemployment, less Union interference, and a more positive attitude/outlook? Too bad sometimes that we can't annex Detroit to Canada, and just be done with it.
a2huron
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 3:54 p.m.
Sounds like a good move. Bring in some seasoned, and diverse, experience. Good move and shows bipartisanship.
A2Lawyer
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 3:34 p.m.
johnya2 - In an attempt to be clever, you came up with an analogy that makes no sense. Nice try though. Give Snyder a chance before you rip on him. DetroitWorker - You probably voted for Virg. If so, thanks for doing so. He was an exceptionally weak candidate and made Snyder's victory easier. That also left one of the few pro-life Democrats open for a job with Snyder later. He brings experience and will do just fine at the job.
ChrisW
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 3:20 p.m.
This is all about government employee healthcare and pension expenses. Smart move.
ChelseaBob
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 3:16 p.m.
Excellent move. Rick will follow his agenda, but he is making it clear he will work with both parties. This bodes well.
DetroitWorker
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 2:42 p.m.
Is it too late to take my vote back? I never voted for Andy Dillon for anything. Great going Rick - Sell out the people of Michigan before you ever take office!! I had so hoped that by electing an outsider that Michigan would have a chance to change and grow. I guess no matter what your background, as soon as you are elected, you are for sale. Looks like we can expect 4 more years of tax and spend government. After all, that is Any Dillon's claim to fame. After he lost the domocratic nomination and the people of Michigan made it clear that we did not want Andy Dillon. It was nice to hope for something better, but it sure doesn't seem likely now. What a disappointment!!
heresmine
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 2:13 p.m.
Lobbyists should be prohibited from having personal contact with any elected officals. It should be a felony and elected officials who have direct contact with a lobbyists, should be subject to impeachment. If newly elected officials don't understand the pitfalls of dealing with lobbyists, there should be a mandatory class on what to expect and what to avoid.
John Q
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 2:12 p.m.
Dillon was a terrible Speaker. Synder is putting show above substance.
johnnya2
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 1:38 p.m.
"Rick Snyder will FIX Michigan." In much the same way dogs get fixed. We will be a neutered state.
Ted Annis
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 1:35 p.m.
Brillent initial move! I know, like, and respect both Rick and Andy a lot. Now, someone, perhaps Andy, can begin an initiative to double the term limits for the State Reps and Senators. This would give Rick an experienced team and cut down on the influence of the lobbyists. The current, much-too-short term limits have placed the lobbyists in the much-too-powerful position of being the institutional memory and providing the legislative continuity.
InsideTheHall
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 : 1:15 p.m.
Rick Snyder will FIX Michigan.