Press Releases

Hughes offers Reward for Proof of Valentine Accusation

$10,000 offered for proof of “outsourced” employees

NORTON SHORES - In a bold move, 91st District State House Candidate Holly Hughes offered a $10,000 reward in exchange for proof from Representative Mary Valentine regarding her accusation that Hughes’ family owned, Montague based company with 130 employees, MasterTag, has “outsourced” Michigan jobs overseas.  Mary Valentine was not able to provide proof of any employee losing his/her job at MasterTag from outsourcing.

“This is the most unbelievable exaggeration about me and my family I have ever heard. In 1980’s we opened a sales/distribution office in the United Kingdom and Denmark to expand our sales and increase our Michigan based workforce. Our sole manufacturing facility is located in Montague. We currently have sales representation in Asia, Africa, Canada and Europe selling our Michigan made products.  There is a difference between outsourcing and exporting.  Our company manufactures the product here and exports that product overseas as well as within the United States.” 

Recently, the Mary Valentine campaign and the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee accused the Hughes family of “outsourcing” Michigan based jobs in numerous mailings, radio and television advertising.

In a literature piece that hit mailboxes today, Hughes states “Rather than just get into another political war of words, we’re putting our money where our mouth is” by offering the Valentine campaign $10,000 for every MasterTag employee that lost their job due to outsourcing.

“Clearly, Mary Valentine doesn’t understand business.  She does not know the difference between exporting and outsourcing.  Mary wants to distract you from the fact that she voted for the largest tax hike in Michigan history.  No wonder Michigan is number one in unemployment,” said Hughes.

“This is a reckless and false accusation made by my opponent and her party. She was not able to prove it, now is the time for her to retract it,” said Hughes.

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