Banner noted that Granholm commuted early in her first term from her home in Northville near Detroit, and said extra money was budgeted to deal with changes in security measures between Granholm and Snyder. She declined to say how much the department is spending to secure Snyder's home near Ann Arbor, protect him and his family and guard the Lansing residence.

I reckon opting out of that 1,900 sq. ft smaller Governor's mansion and the added redundancy expenses of physical presence and "security upgrades" in Superior Twp. is justified to taxpayers merely to accommodate a wealthy nerd.

Seriously, a 160 mile round trip to work at $3.40 a gallon?  Feh!  Still spending $40,000.00 a year maintaining house staff at the Governor's mansion, which includes a full time chef?

Taxpayers still pick up maintenance costs, which run about $40,000 annually...

Mr. Snyder will become the first Michigan governor not to live in the executive residence since it was donated to the state in 1969. The house in Lansing, with rose and herb gardens and a small pond, will continue to be used for official meetings and events, and Mr. Snyder has said he could imagine staying there a night or two during the week if necessary. But his administration does foresee cutting back the house staff, which includes a full-time chef.

"I view it as a family decision that was reasonably straightforward," Mr. Snyder said in a Bluetooth-enabled telephone interview from his car. "There is going to be a lot of strain and stress, and we'd like as much of a normal family life as possible."