July 11, 2022
Benson’s Husband Registers as Lobbyist For Company Slated to Receive $100 Million in FY2023 Budget
Lansing, Mich., July 11, 2022 – Ryan Friedrichs, the husband of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, has registered as a lobbyist with the State of Michigan to represent The Related Companies. Shortly after registering as a lobbyist, Governor Gretchen Whitmer hailed the passage of Michigan’s FY 2023 budget which includes a $100 million appropriation for a project being developed by The Related Companies.
The Secretary of State oversees required filings by lobbyists and handles complaints regarding violations of state law. Should this situation arise, Secretary Benson would be faced with a clear conflict of interest. The registration also contradicts Benson’s vow to reduce conflicts of interest in Michigan’s lobbying laws, the Detroit News reports:
“Benson, one of the top Democrats in state government, was elected in 2018. She has touted efforts to promote transparency and combat conflicts of interest in Michigan government.
‘Several changes are needed to increase transparency and reduce conflicts of interest in Michigan’s lobby law including full, timely disclosure of all lobbying expenses and purposes and a required two-year ‘cooling off’ period before former public officials can become paid lobbyists,’ Benson said during her 2018 campaign for secretary of state.
Lobbyist registrations and complaints about lobbyists violating state law are handled by her office, according to the manual for Michigan lobbyists.”
Friedrichs previously made headlines when he resigned his position with the City of Detroit after the city’s inspector general found he had abused his authority in deleting city emails.
Despite vocally committing to government transparency, Benson’s actions have failed to meet her rhetoric. A website touted by the Secretary of State to highlight open government has been offline since at least 2021.
“Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has already proven her inability to promote government transparency from her office, and her husband’s status as a lobbyist reaffirms that inability,” said Eric Ventimiglia, Executive Director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “Benson has completely failed on her commitment to transparency, and Michiganders are taking notice of her incompetence and shortcomings.”