MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP – Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder said Friday that if he wins the governorship, he will resign the one or two corporate boards on which he now sits and transfer his ownership of his businesses to others.

“I’ve got a new day job then,” Snyder said of why he would resign his corporate board memberships.

Snyder was in Meridian Township at a new housing development to accept the endorsement from the Michigan Association of Home Builders political action committee. In doing so, Snyder said he could balance the often-competing interests of homebuilders and those who oppose exurban developments at the expense of maintaining healthy urban centers. Snyder said if the state and its cities can improve education and services in urban areas, people will want to move back to cities and build there.

Of his business ventures, like the Ardesta venture capital firm, Snyder said he’s already in the process of transferring control to others.

“We’ve already transitioned most of that already in the sense that campaigning’s been a pretty active enterprise to begin with,” he said. “So in many respects there’ll be a rational transition that’s already been in process for some time, and those companies will be well-managed. … Being your next governor, that’s more than a full-time occupation.”

Snyder also was asked about how important it is to him for Republicans to win control of the Legislature.

“That would be a great solution, but in many respects we need to make this work,” he said. “It’s about people working and winning together.”

Asked if that meant he is raising money and visiting key legislative districts on behalf of Republican candidates, Snyder said, “I’m happy to because in many respects we share a common platform. There’s an alignment of vision, an attitude, a plan of action.”

Asked for further explanation, Snyder spokesperson Bill Nowling said Snyder has been helping Republican Mark Ouimet of Scio Township in the critical 52nd House District in Snyder’s home county of Washtenaw. He’s also helped Rep. Paul Scott (R-Grand Blanc), Nowling said.

“It’s important to have people that are reform-minded,” Nowling said. “We will help where we can.”

But Nowling also said, “The most important thing for legislative candidates is to knock doors and raise money.”

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