An alleged request from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s husband Marc Mallory to launch a boat stirred controversy on social media this weekend.
Some conservatives, who for weeks have chafed at Whitmer’s stay-at-home order and state of emergency declaration, turned to social media to question actions from the governor and those close to her over the holiday, from launching a boat to whether she was at a packed bar.
The boat launch claim originated on the Facebook page of Northern Michigan docking company owner, Tad Dowker, who owns NorthShore Dock LLC. His original Facebook post, which has since been taken down but MLive reviewed a screenshot of, said a man called the company a few days before Memorial Day weekend asking if he could put his boat in the water.
According to Dowker’s post, when office staff said the company started working three weeks late so that was not going to happen, staff told him the caller said, “I am the husband to the governor, will this make a difference?” The post said they were moved to the back of the waiting list.
The Detroit News reported the company’s Facebook page, which is now private, said Mallory had inquired about install availability and responded respectfully and with understanding.
MLive was unable to reach Dowker or his company on Monday.
Tiffany Brown, Whitmer’s spokeswoman, did not confirm or deny the claim from the dock company owner. She said, “Our practice is not to discuss the governor’s or her family’s personal calendar/schedules.”
Whitmer made an executive order May 18 that allowed much of the Northern Michigan economy to reopen. However, she also urged people to strongly consider traveling to Northern Michigan from places with high counts of the coronavirus.
“Don’t descend on Traverse City from all regions of the state,” Whitmer said. “If you’re fortunate enough to have a place up north and you’re headed there, bring your groceries with you and try not to go out unnecessarily.”
Antrim County property records show Whitmer and Mallory own a home there.
One person who found Dowker’s claims credible was State Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, who made a Facebook post on May 22 about the claim. He said it was a double standard after the governor discouraged travel to Northern Michigan.
Later that evening, Barrett said his chief of staff was contacted by the Senate Majority Leader’s office, who approached by the governor’s team to have him take the post down after denying the claim’s credibility. He did, but said in an interview Monday he later thought he was an “accessory” to a cover-up of the situation after doing some research into it and determining the dock company’s claim was true.
He said Whitmer failed as a leader and tried to “cut in line” in front of Michigan citizens. He said Whitmer and Mallory should address the situation truthfully.
“Trucker” Randy Bishop, who hosts the “Your Defending Fathers” radio show, said the alleged boat launch request from the governor’s husband was an example of elitism.
“He really thought that was going to carry some weight with us in Northern Michigan? They obviously don’t know us very well," Bishop said.
The controversy around the alleged boat launch request circulated on conservative blogs over the weekend and was one of several items about Whitmer to be passed around social media.
Brown said there has been a lot of misinformation and threats floating around about the governor and her family and the threats are “downright dangerous.”
One image of Whitmer sampling beer floated around Facebook over the weekend, claiming to be a current photo of her in Traverse City. However, a Twitter post shows that this photo was from early 2019.
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Memorial Day boat launch claim sparks controversy as conservatives question Gov. Whitmer - MLive.com
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