Rich Studley, Michigander
@rstudley
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Life is good! We’re enjoying retirement and spending time with family & friends. And yes, I still care about good public policy.
🇺🇸 Independent voter.
Joined December 2008
Large, high-tech data centers designed to maximize AI use massive amounts of water & electricity. Is Michigan’s aging water infrastructure ready for data center boom? The honest answer to this timely & important question is: No!
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Large, high-tech data centers designed to maximize AI use massive amounts of water & electricity. Is Michigan’s aging water infrastructure ready for data center boom? The honest answer to this timely & important question is: No!
bridgemi.com
Much of the country’s water infrastructure was built 40 to 50 years ago and is showing its age. Michigan is no exception.
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I first worked in Lansing as a policy analyst in a State Senate controlled by Democrats with a Republican Governor. As a chamber of commerce executive, I also worked with a wide range of law lawmakers & six different Governors to achieve good policy. Evaluating a legislative
This graphic from @GrantSchwab shows how truly unusual 2025 was for the Michigan Legislature. More here: https://t.co/WGbSZjKgr7
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Yes, Michigan is facing an array of long-term challenges including the need to scrap the secretive & corrupt MEDC; and mediocre education quality in many K-12 schools. However, state lawmakers should be evaluated on the quality of their work, not the quantity of bills.
With Michigan facing an array of long-term challenges, the Legislature approved a record low number of new laws this year. House Speaker Matt Hall is planning to break the record again next year. Story with @DNBethLeBlanc.
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Exemplary performance? FSU President Bill Pink is a member of the MEDC’s Executive Committee that failed to conduct adequate due diligence on the costly; controversial; and now cancelled EV battery factory near Big Rapids.
On Sept 3, 2025 the FSU Board of Trustees met on short notice to review Pres Bill Pink’s compensation & benefits. After a brief closed session, the Board decided Pink’s performance was “exemplary” and approved a $60,000 bonus in addition to his annual base salary of $450,000⁉️
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On Sept 3, 2025 the FSU Board of Trustees met on short notice to review Pres Bill Pink’s compensation & benefits. After a brief closed session, the Board decided Pink’s performance was “exemplary” and approved a $60,000 bonus in addition to his annual base salary of $450,000⁉️
The Ferris Board of Trustees met on short notice and approved a $60K bonus for President Pink, recognizing his work over the past 3 years. Learn more below.
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Congratulations to Ferris State University Bill Pink on your recent $60,000 performance bonus in addition to your base salary of $450,000⁉️
Tuition costs have been steadily increasing across the country amid economic challenges, and Ferris State has not been exempt from these changes. Learn more below.
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Throughout her political career, Detroit Edison & Consumers Energy have been two of Gretchen Whitmer’s largest campaign donors. Gov Whitmer’s three member Public Service Commission has been captured by the utility companies they are supposed to regulate in the public interest‼️
@DNBethLeBlanc As for unanswered questions, the apparent mystery of why Gov. Whitmer replaced one of her appointees to the Michigan Public Service Commission continues:
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🎯 To the Detroit News investigative reporters covering Lansing: if you’re not taking flak, you’re probably not over the target! Keep up the good work. Be fair; balanced; and never give up‼️
@DNBethLeBlanc Also got lots of feedback this year. It came in a broad range from very positive to very negative, including this comment from one Michigan lawyer: "It’s truly shameful that The News allows you to continue to behave like this." I'll try to keep behaving like this next year.
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@DNBethLeBlanc Also got lots of feedback this year. It came in a broad range from very positive to very negative, including this comment from one Michigan lawyer: "It’s truly shameful that The News allows you to continue to behave like this." I'll try to keep behaving like this next year.
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@DNBethLeBlanc Finally, it took showing up, unannounced, at a law office in Okemos earlier this month to get my hands on a tax filing that revealed a utility-backed group had quietly written six-figure checks to many of Michigan's leaders.
detroitnews.com
A new tax filing from a DTE Energy-funded group reveals $3 million in political giving that was previously secret.
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@DNBethLeBlanc As for unanswered questions, the apparent mystery of why Gov. Whitmer replaced one of her appointees to the Michigan Public Service Commission continues:
detroitnews.com
Whitmer's pick to regulate DTE, Consumers Energy and other utilities is drawing criticism from some within her own party.
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@DNBethLeBlanc Beth and I also spent a lot of time investigating $15 million that went to an Upper Peninsula nonprofit. The money was supposed to fund workforce housing, but we’ve uncovered many questions about how it’s actually been used.
detroitnews.com
The unusual flow of money for housing in the Upper Peninsula involved a senator from Midland, a former staffer and prominent developer.
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More records. @DNBethLeBlanc + I found an email that showed it was Gov. Whitmer who recommended lawmakers allocate $15M for a grant program aimed at bringing international businesses to the state, an initiative sought by one of her campaign donors.
detroitnews.com
The origins of a lucrative taxpayer grant for a Metro Detroit businesswoman trace back to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration, state records show.
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A bevy of court records that I happened to come across provided a rare inside look at how dark money is raised in Michigan. A quote I know I won't ever forget from a fundraiser to a donor in the records: "No one will know."
detroitnews.com
Court records show how money from wealthy executives secretly flowed to a fundraising account for Michigan Senate Republicans in 2020.
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I filed somewhere close to 100 FOIA requests this year. Many of them went to figuring out how many students schools were putting in elementary classrooms. Lawmakers later put $65M in the budget for a pilot program aimed at shrinking class sizes.
detroitnews.com
The sizes of elementary school classes that have been allowed in Michigan conflict with what top policymakers say is best for learning.
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