Memo to Schauer: Don’t forget to feed the prisoners

In his interview with the Detroit Free Press editorial board, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer mentioned ending Aramark's three-year, $143 million deal with the state for providing food services to the prisons as a way to save money.

ForTheRecord: Firing an “incompetent contractor” may be proper, but it’s difficult to see how that would generate any significant savings. The prisoners still need to be fed. In this instance, the contract with Aramark Corporation saved the state $12 million in the first year of the three-year contract and is projected to save $16 million the second year, according to Caleb Buhs, spokesman for the state of Michigan.