The Michigan Retailers Association Board of Directors is endorsing Republican Bill Schuette for Governor of Michigan.
“Bill Schuette has shown throughout the years that he supports retailers in their quest to build successful businesses and add jobs to Michigan’s economy,” said James P. Hallan, MRA President and Chief Executive Officer.
As Attorney General, Schuette supported ending the onerous item-pricing law and he joined other attorneys general in putting the South Dakota-Wayfair decision before the U.S. Supreme Court. The court recently ruled to require remote sellers to collect state sales taxes, creating an even playing field with brick and mortar retailers.
“He has had an open door to retail concerns, and his varied experience means he understands the issues facing our wide-ranging membership,” Hallan said.
Schuette’s stint as Department of Agriculture director in the 1990s, for example, aids him in understanding the many regulations that MRA’s grocer membership must follow.
Schuette also has served as a U.S. congressman, Michigan state senator and Michigan Court of Appeals judge. He was elected Attorney General in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. He is the only Attorney General in Michigan history to have served in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government.
Hallan also praised Schuette’s choice for lieutenant governor, Lisa Posthumus Lyons, Kent County clerk. As a state representative from 2011-2016, Lyons sponsored the bill that ended item pricing in 2011. For years, retailers struggled to meet requirements to tag every item with a price, especially in today’s world where pricing can quickly fluctuate as stores compete with online sellers.
“Both Bill Schuette and Lisa Lyons have been effective and responsive leaders, and their experience sets them apart,” Hallan said.
Michigan Retailers Association represents 5,000 businesses with 15,000 outlets.
