Michigan’s former Lt. Gov. Connie Binsfeld is now a candidate for the MSU Board of Trustees. Before you cast your ballot please consider not just name recognition, but Binsfeld’s past record.

The Lansing State Journal and Detroit Free Press described, in detail, how Binsfeld used her position of power to pressure the Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency to grant permits.

Binsfeld’s longtime friend Michael Hendrickson of Munising was twice denied a permit by the DNR for a landfill that was near a wetland connected to Lake Superior. This land bordered a wood treatment plant, also owned by Hendrickson, that was listed as one of the state’s worst polluters. After an intervening letter from Binsfeld pressuring the state DNR, the permit was granted. This was over the objections of many Munising residents.

In another report, the EPA and state DNR were pressured by Gov. John Engler and Binsfeld to allow a permit to Robert Kurus, a golf course developer, for a project that would destroy a wetland next to the Crystal River that runs into Lake Michigan at Glen Arbor. Scott Jones, then president of the 750-member “Friends of the Crystal River,” accused Engler, Binsfeld and the Bush administration of pressuring the EPA. Jones said they made a mockery of the nation’s environmental laws and the democratic process. Also, because of the tampering, the group was going to ask for a congressional investigation.

The General Council for the Michigan United Conservation Clubs said, “This is, in our opinion, the most blatant display of political interference ever in the state of Michigan.” The news report also stated that Binsfeld owned property near this development and that she became the project’s major booster.

Because of Binsfeld’s record of behavior regarding these issues, I feel she is not a suitable candidate for the MSU Board of Trustees.

Marilyn Frayre
Lansing resident