(The Center Square) – When Allie Herkenroder applied for the digital equity director position of Michigan’s High-Speed Internet Office, she admitted no experience working in state government, broadband, or as an ombudsman.
She still got the job.
Herkenroder is one of many state government employees hired in new branches created by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer since 2020. Government spending increases continue through Michigan’s record $82 billion 2024 budget, which would add roughly 1,000 new government employees if signed into law, House Republican Leader Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, told The Center Square.
“Every one of those 1,000 permanent new bureaucrats represents money that could have gone to fix our roads or put more police on the street,” Hall wrote in an email. “But Democrats chose not to negotiate, so instead, our tax dollars are wasted like this.”
In June 2021, Whitmer via executive directive created the MIHI office, which includes eight staff members located within the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. The total annual salary cost is $512,000, according to documents obtained through records requests that disclose Herkenroder makes roughly $87,000 annually. MIHI is funded through $10.9 million of grants as of May 2023.
LEO’s Nicole Klisch firmly pushed back on claims Herkenroder is unqualified.
Klisch said past jobs taught transferable skills qualifying Herkendroder for the role. She’s already drafting a digital equity plan expected on the MIHI website by July 10 detailing knowledge gathered from 41 stops in the MI Connected Future listening tour, which focuses on qualitative and quantitative data to ensure Michiganders can connect to high-speed internet.
Herkenroder applied to the position on June 17, 2022, and by September 2022, was hired and working.
Klisch said a three-person panel interviewed Herkenroder through the Civil Service selection process, which “proved she was the best fit for this position due to her vast experience with grants, knowledge of 2CFR 200 federal regulations and her boots on the ground efforts for digital equity in the Flint area,” Klisch told The Center Square in an email. “She has extensive knowledge and history with working with underrepresented populations and removing barriers for individuals to meet their needs.”
Klisch said Herkenroder is qualified from her two years working for the Flint Housing Commission, where she removed barriers to high-speed internet access in Flint. She worked with the federal government in Washington D.C. to access high-speed internet through the ConnectHomeUSA grant.
Herkenroder’s Linkedin shows she worked as a database consultant for five months for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, followed by two years for the AmeriCorps. The jobs profile says Herkenroder graduated from Spring Arbor University in 2017 with a bachelor of arts in history.
The digital equity director position serves as MIHI’s administrative manager, represents the agency at meetings, and responds to policy-related questions and concerns.
Herkenroder worked 20 hours weekly as Flint City Council president until she resigned effective July 1, 2023, amid an active recall approved in June of 2023.
The minimal duties required to fill the new position are a bachelor’s degree, four years of professional experience, strong communication skills, and a sufficient understanding of the state legislative process.
The Center Square obtained Herkenroder’s salary, job application, and new job duties through records requests sought to gauge how Michigan’s government has grown under Whitmer.
