Hanna-Attisha's book calls Wurfel the “chief villain” of the crisis and an “attack dog” of the administration of Gov. Rick Snyder.

Wurfel resigned after Snyder’s Flint Water Advisory Task Force criticized the “substance and tone” of DEQ communications and its “callous and dismissive responses to citizens’ expressed concerns”

When he quit, Wurfel told MLive communications “could have been better” and said the “human element” of his statements “got lost in the press account” of them.

Reached last week, Wurfel asked a reporter when this story would be published, replied “have fun with that,” and hung up the phone. He didn’t respond to an email request for comment.

Jennifer Holton, a spokeswoman for the agriculture department, said it’s a “fair question” to ask about the appearance of hiring Wurfel, but Kandler Reed Khoury & Muchmore “was the only vendor that passed the technical portion of the proposal,” after the agency twice sought bids for the job. No one responded the first time the agency sought bids.

“The firm demonstrated it had both the experience and expertise required. KRKM has provided good service resulting in excellent feedback and has been well-received by attendees,” Holton wrote.

The training, which Holton said focuses on communicating about “food safety and public health issues,” was set to kick off April 25, 2018, in Frankenmuth, according to the contract. Sessions were expected to accommodate up to 50 people. The instruction included “how to create a voice for your department,” best practices for social media, building relationships with local media and doing public relations on a tight budget, according to one advertisement.

Wurfel led another training session in mid-June, but has since left the lobbying firm to start his own "communications consultancy," Muchmore told Bridge on Wednesday.

Meghan Swain, executive director for the Michigan Association for Local Public Health, said the trainings had been “successful, valuable and we appreciate them.”

Anna Heaton, a Snyder spokeswoman, would not comment on MDARD’s decision to work with Wurfel, other than to say “the Governor’s Office isn’t involved with routine contracts departments sign with private vendors.”

Muchmore, Wurfel’s partner on the state contract, is the wife of Dennis Muchmore, Snyder’s chief of staff from 2011 through 2015.

Wurfel’s wife, Sara, was Snyder’s press secretary from 2011 through 2015. She now works for the Michigan public relations firm Truscott Rossman.

Kandler Reed Khoury & Muchmore is registered to lobby for several corporations and groups in Michigan, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Comcast and Enbridge Energy.

Clarification: This story has been updated to note that Wurfel left the Kandler Reed Khoury & Muchmore firm in June.