Jones pushes fellow GOP House members to vote against new state police HQ

State Rep. Rick Jones, a Republican from Grand Ledge, is stepping up his attacks on the proposed new state police headquarters in downtown Lansing.

The former Eaton County sheriff sent a letter to fellow GOP Caucus members last week in which he called the deal with developers Gary Granger and Joel Ferguson “corruption” and “a bridge to nowhere.” Jones has been an opponent of the project which will cost the state $45.2 million in the first 11 years of the lease-to-own agreement with local developers. The developers are building the new location with specifications from the state police, and at a cost of $39 million. When the 25-year lease runs out, the state will be able to purchase the building for one dollar.

The State Senate opposed the lease agreement last month, voting not to fund it.

Republicans argue the new building is not needed by the state police, and that proceeding with the deal while laying off 100 troopers is wrong. Supporters of the deal, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Col. Peter Munoz, head of the state police, say the building is necessary to the operations of the state police.

In letter sent to his Republican colleagues and published by the Lansing State Journal, Jones writes:

I always show passion when I’m speaking about corruption. Corruption is exactly what the inside stinky deal is all about. I’m sending you this note today because I wish to warn you that if you vote for the MSP HQ lease, you may held (sic) accountable later for making a “bridge to nowhere” type vote.

He then proceeds to lay out his claims that people are going to be “pissed” about the coming state budget cuts:

I just got a call from Sheriff Kowalowski about the MSP issue. He was angry that his area is losing troopers. He was going to call Rep. Scripps and raise hell. The issue of wasting money on the MSP HQ is growing daily and I believe will get bigger. By Oct. 1 we will cut every service and every program that is state funded. Everyone will be pissed; from early childhood to revenue sharing. The building will stand as a symbol of Lansing waste of tax dollars. MIRS has already reported that is (sic) widely known that Ferguson works the democrats and Granger the republicans with donations. It is an open secret. Everywhere I go in my senate district people are talking about it

Jones then lays out how supporting the plans for the headquarters could be used politically by the GOP caucus:

Pete Lund and Paul Opsommer where (sic) right when they said there should not be one republican vote for this thing. Imagine how this vote can be used. Picture a postcard with Granholm, Mike Simpson, and the MSP building on front. On the back it could say: “They supported lining the pockets of developers with millions of dollars while 100 state troopers got laid off.” “They supported wasting your tax dollars with a boondoggle that was not needed,” “Throw the crooks out! It’s time for a change!”

Jones also alleged that a local developer met with him recently and intimated that if he changed his opposition to the plan, the developer would make campaign donations. The Journal spoke with Joel Ferguson about that allegation and here’s what he had to say:

“I am convinced that Representative Jones seeks only to perpetuate this issue for his own self aggrandizement, to use the issue for political opportunism and to get his name and picture out in the media.”

No vote has been scheduled on the lease of the new building in the House.