Gov. Rick Snyder is out of office on Jan. 1, but a senior member of his administration is sticking around in a new job while she faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the Flint water crisis.
The Flint Journal reports that Dr. Eden Wells, the state's medical executive, has been hired for a position in the Department of Health and Human Services. She'll be a public health adviser for $180,000 a year. The job also has civil service protections.
Snyder says he wasn't aware of Wells' new job. Health department spokeswoman Angela Minicuci says Wells was hired by Karen MacMaster, acting deputy director of the department's Population Health Administration.
Sen. Jim Ananich of Flint says it's an insult to taxpayers.
A judge last week ordered Wells to stand trial on charges related to a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in the Flint area while the city was using tainted water. She's accused of failing to timely inform the public about the outbreak. Department director Nick Lyon also is facing charges .
