The owner of a Michigan dock company alleged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s husband tried to use his standing as the governor’s husband to try and get his boat put in the water before Memorial Day.
In Facebook posts that are no longer public, NorthShore Dock and its owner, Tad Dowker, said Whitmer’s husband, Marc Mallory, called last week but was told the company had a long line of clients to get through before him, according to the Detroit News.
“This morning, I was out working when the office called me, there was a gentleman on hold who wanted his boat in the water before the weekend,” Dowker posted Thursday. “Being Memorial weekend and the fact that we started working three weeks late means there is no chance this is going to happen.”
“Well our office personnel had explained this to the man and he replied, ‘I am the husband to the governor, will this make a difference?'” he added.
NorthShore Dock posted a second statement about the incident on its page Saturday after Dowker appeared to remove his own post.
“After a long day of keeping crews running, adhering to the additional safety regulations that need to be in place to operate our small business and fielding calls from customers frustrated with our lagging installation schedule I was told the governor’s husband called asking for install availability,” the company posted. “Up until this point we, as a company, had no idea we installed their dock or boat.”
The statement said Mallory was respectful and understanding when told they wouldn’t be able to meet his request.
Tiffany Brown, a spokeswoman for Whitmer, said she would not “make it a practice of addressing every rumor that is spread online.”
Whitmer announced last week that she would lift some business and travel restrictions in the northern part of the state, where there have been fewer coronavirus cases, but warned residents to “think long and hard before you take a trip” there. She and her husband own a property in the Elk Rapids area.
