The Jan. 2 edition of this newspaper reported that Sen. John Damoose accepted over $2,400 in gifts from lobbyists in 2023. Secretary of State records show that $907.61 of this amount was really accepted while Damoose was state representative from 20202022, placing the correct value of gifts accepted at $1,513.45 in 2023.
These figures come from the Michigan Transparency Network website, a database that records travel, food, and beverage gifts by lobbyists to public officials.
“Senator Damoose has been focused on transparency in the Michigan legislature and openly supported Senate efforts to reform the way things are done in Lansing. Senator Damoose is grateful the people of Leelanau County have trusted him to serve them and appreciates the Leelanau Enterprise correcting the errors from their original misleading story about these expenditures,” Sen. Damoose’s Deputy Chief of Staff Dakota Moose said.
If Damoose accepted the same value of gifts every year over his remaining 10 years in office, then he would take in $16,042.11 when he reaches his 12-year limit across the Senate and House of Representatives, including the $907.61 from 2020-2022.
This would put Damoose just outside Eye on Michigan’s list of top 25 takers in the Michigan legislature between 2001 and 2023. The 25th biggest taker, former state House Speaker Rick Johnson, accepted $16,507.
And as the state senator’s office notes, this puts the current state senator’s average at $807 per year when not distinguishing between Damoose’s time as senator and representative, a distinction that the Jan. 2 article did not make with his peers. This projects Damoose even lower at less than $10,000 over 12 years.
Damoose can still serve up to six more years as senator. If he were to reach his maximum of 12 total years in the Michigan legislature, he would have to be elected as state representative again for a term of at least two years.
Damoose’s office also notes that the senator is “very much in line with representatives John Roth ($2335.71) and Ken Borton ($2230.53), who came into office at the same time he did and are both representatives in our region.”
