GET ME REWRITE: Southwest Michigan First finds out what happens when you hired a homophobic former GOP legislative leader who's also a Trumper

 

The hiring announcement was made to great fanfare on February 11, 2021

Bridge Michigan, 2/22/2021

Chatfield's hiring sparked an outcry in the Kalamazoo area, where critics argued the Levering Republican's public opposition to expanding anti-discrimination protections to gay and transgender workers conflicted with the economic development group’s goal of fostering a local environment for job growth. 

While Chatfield told Bridge Michigan last week he would support LGBTQ rights in his new role, he could not escape his political past. The City of Kalamazoo voted to sever ties with Southwest Michigan First, and nonprofits including the Kalamazoo Promise and the Community Foundation quickly followed suit. 

In a Monday resignation letter to the Southwest Michigan First board of directors, an apologetic Chatfield acknowledged that "the arrival of my family and me to the Kalamazoo area has caused some unfortunate controversy, and for that I am truly sorry." 

In his letter, Chatfield admitted he was "walking a fine line" in trying to balance his new professional obligations with personal convictions.

And based on his behavior during his 6 years in the legislature, his 'personal convictions' would have easily won out.

 

The Detroit News, 1/19/2019

I do not believe we can pass this law while still protecting religious freedom,” Chatfield, R-Levering, said last week during a taping of “Off The Record” on WKAR-TV. 

“You’ve seen these laws passed in other states where what happens, in my opinion, is a reverse discrimination against those who have religious beliefs.”

You can read here about the school he attended and where he later worked as a teacher and coach.