On October 20, Governor Rick Snyder announced he will close his nonprofit, the New Energy to Reinvent and Diversify (NERD) Fund, saying that the fund, which has come under fire for not disclosing donors, has become "an unnecessary distraction." In a Detroit Free Press article, John Chamberlin stated that the NERD Fund was a bad idea in the first place and that the announcement is "a major step in the right direction."
In the article, Chamberlin also commented on the governor's decision to still not disclose the names of donors, noting that, while he would prefer full disclosure, he "can live with it." When asked about the chance Governor Snyder will have be called as a witness in an upcoming trial in U.S. Bankruptcy Court over whether Detroit was eligible to file for Chapter 9, Chamberlin noted that he sees no problem with the governor having to testify in a court case.