Lansing — A business led by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s former chief of staff received consulting payments from the Democratic Governors Association for six months before she departed her role in state government, according to disclosures reviewed by The Detroit News.
Lansing insiders from both sides of the aisle said the arrangement raised questions about how someone could work for a political entity that’s focused on raising money to win elections while also helping lead the state’s top government office.
Whitmer, the vice chairwoman of the Democratic Governors Association, announced on July 17 that JoAnne Huls was exiting her administration but didn’t explain where she was going or why the move was happening. Whitmer can’t seek reelection this fall because of term limits.
State business filings showed Huls formed a company called Freshwater Strategies on Dec. 4. Less than three weeks later, on Dec. 23, the Democratic Governors Association began paying the Huntington Woods-based Freshwater Strategies a monthly consulting fee of $7,500, according to fundraising reports submitted to the Internal Revenue Service.
Whitmer spokesman Bobby Leddy said the situation was consistent with ethics and employment rules.
“State of Michigan employees are permitted to have outside employment so long as it is conducted on their personal time and does not involve the use of state resources,” Leddy said.
Huls, who had been part of the Whitmer administration since it began in January 2019, was making $200,885 a year from taxpayers in her role as chief of staff. Her consulting firm was paid $52,500 by the Democratic Governors Association from December through the end of June, records show.
Whitmer’s office doesn’t fall under the state’s open records law. There was little opportunity for the public to discover Huls was consulting for the Democratic political organization and whether that role had any impact on her position within state government.
‘Absolutely greasy’
Whitmer signed an executive directive in 2019 that barred executive branch employees from engaging “in outside employment or activities conflicting with their official governmental duties.” It wasn’t clear how Huls’ consulting work adhered to that policy.
Meanwhile, Michigan government has experienced a string of controversies in recent years involving state employees doubling as political consultants in their spare time. Two former state House staffers, Anne and Rob Minard, reached plea deals with prosecutors last year after they were charged with embezzling from political funds they consulted for.
In November 2025, the Democratic-led Michigan Senate forced two longtime GOP staffers out of their jobs over their ties to a petition-gathering firm they founded two years earlier.
A month after that decision in the Senate, Huls’ firm began being paid by the Democratic Governors Association.
Over the last year, the association received large contributions from a variety of groups interested in the actions of Whitmer’s office. The major retailer Meijer gave $50,000 on Jan. 21, the transmission line company ITC Holdings gave $25,000 on April 28, United Wholesale Mortgage gave $25,000 on June 8, and the Michigan Health and Hospital Association gave $20,000 on June 17.
Adrian Hemond, a Democrat and the CEO of the consulting firm Grassroots Midwest, said Michigan officials have been getting paid through side gigs for decades.
The only difference between what Huls has done and what the former Senate Republican staffers did was the GOP aides got fired, Hemond contended.
“It’s absolutely greasy,” Hemond remarked of Huls working as chief of staff for the governor and as a consultant for the Democratic Governors Association.
Huls, who officially left her state government role at the end of July, didn’t immediately respond to a text message seeking comment from The Detroit News.
Dennis Muchmore served as chief of staff for Republican former Gov. Rick Snyder.
Muchmore, a longtime Lansing lobbyist, said he couldn’t imagine how someone would have time to be chief of staff for a governor while also working as a consultant.
The dual roles somewhat undermine the administration of state government, Muchmore said.
Snyder drew a bright line between employees working for government and those working on the political side, Muchmore said.
“He didn’t want any of us doing political stuff,” Muchmore said.
Leddy didn’t respond to a question about whether Huls got approval from the governor’s office to do the consulting for the Democratic Governors Association.
But Sam Newton, spokesman for the DGA, said it’s “common practice” for the group to compensate governors’ staff who play a key role supporting the leadership team and the organization’s mission.
“Governor Whitmer has won twice by double digits in the battleground state of Michigan,” Newton said. “JoAnne Huls has been by her side for nearly a decade as one of her top staffers and knows how to win in difficult battleground states.”
cmauger@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Whitmer’s chief of staff also consulted for national political group
Reporting by Craig Mauger, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Craig Mauger, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
