Whitmer's Boat: A Look At The Governor's Nautical Escape

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer faced criticism after a Northern Michigan boat dock owner, Tad Dowker, said he received a call from Whitmer's husband, Marc Mallory, asking to have his boat placed in the water before Memorial Day weekend. Whitmer's office initially did not confirm or deny the assertions, but later the governor addressed the claims, saying that her husband's comments were a failed attempt at humor.

Governor Whitmer's husband, Marc Mallory, asked if being married to the governor would get his boat launched earlier

Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan faced scrutiny in May 2020 when her husband, Marc Mallory, asked if being married to the governor would get his boat launched earlier. Whitmer's administration had recently lifted some business and travel restrictions in Northern Michigan, where Whitmer and Mallory own a vacation property. Despite this, Whitmer urged residents not to rush to the region, particularly the waterfront town of Traverse City, ahead of Memorial Day weekend.

Tad Dowker, the owner of a Northern Michigan docking company called NorthShore Dock LLC, posted on social media that Mallory had called the company to ask about getting his boat in the water for the holiday weekend. Dowker's post, which has since been removed, stated that his staff informed Mallory that they were backed up and couldn't launch the boat immediately. Mallory then asked if being the governor's husband would make a difference.

In response to the criticism, Whitmer said that her husband's comments were a "failed attempt at humor." She acknowledged that he regretted his statement and wished it hadn't happened. Whitmer also clarified that while her husband had traveled to their second home in Antrim County, she and her daughters remained in Lansing. She emphasized that this trip was permissible under the relaxed travel restrictions but understood how his comments could be perceived as an attempt to cut in line.

The incident drew the attention of Republican state lawmakers, who criticized Whitmer and her family for seemingly not following the guidance she had set for the state. State Senator Tom Barrett, in particular, compared the situation to a military tradition where leaders get in line for meals last. However, Whitmer's office maintained that the governor and her family had been abiding by the same rules as everyone else.

The controversy surrounding Mallory's request occurred during a challenging time for Governor Whitmer, as her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan had already sparked opposition from Republican legislators and protesters. Whitmer's strict stay-at-home orders and business restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus were criticized as too harsh by some conservatives and progressives.

The request was made to a Northern Michigan boat dock owner, Tad Dowker, before Memorial Day weekend

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer faced scrutiny in May 2020 after Tad Dowker, owner of a Northern Michigan boat dock company, NorthShore Dock LLC, posted on social media that Whitmer's husband, Marc Mallory, had asked if his boat could be placed in the water before Memorial Day weekend. Whitmer had previously urged residents not to rush to the region and warned against descending on the waterfront in crowds.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Dowker wrote: "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. 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?'""

The post drew the attention of Republican state lawmakers, who criticised the governor's family for seemingly not following her guidance for the rest of the state. State Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, wrote a Facebook post criticising Mallory's request, which was shared 500 times. However, he later deleted the post after the governor's office reached out to the staff of Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, asking for its removal and denying the comments.

In response to the controversy, Whitmer said that her husband's comments were a "failed attempt at humor". She explained that Mallory knew his request wouldn't make a difference and thought it might get a laugh. "It didn't, and to be honest, I wasn't laughing either when it was relayed to me because I knew how it would be perceived," she said. Whitmer also noted that her family had been staying home over the past few months and had faced violent threats due to her stay-at-home order.

While Whitmer acknowledged that she had lifted coronavirus-related restrictions on residents travelling to second homes in northern Michigan, she continued to caution against it, emphasising the highly contagious nature of the virus and the potential impact on small-town hospitals.

The governor's office called the comments a failed attempt at humour and said it wouldn't have made a difference anyway

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's office responded to the controversy surrounding her husband's attempt to get their boat in the water ahead of Memorial Day weekend. In a statement, Whitmer addressed the reports that emerged from a Facebook post by Tad Dowker, the owner of NorthShore Dock in northern Michigan. Dowker alleged that Whitmer's husband, Marc Mallory, had asked if being married to the governor would help him get priority service, despite a long backlog of residents trying to do the same.

The governor's office called Mallory's comments a "failed attempt at humour" and affirmed that he knew it wouldn't make a difference. During a press briefing, Whitmer said, "Obviously, with the motorized boating prohibition in our early days of COVID-19, he thought it might get a laugh. It didn't. And to be honest, I wasn't laughing either when it was relayed to me, because I knew how it would be perceived. He regrets it. I wish it wouldn't have happened. And that's really all we have to say about it."

Whitmer also noted that her family has faced an explosion of rampant rumours and violent death threats in the past few months. She mentioned that they had men with automatic rifles standing outside their home and that her daughters had seen effigies of their mother hung from a noose. The governor's office requested that the Senate Majority Leader, Mike Shirkey, stop the personal attacks against her family.

While Whitmer acknowledged that her husband's comments were inappropriate, she also emphasised the impact of rampant misinformation and the need to continue addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. She extended the state's stay-at-home order and the state of emergency until June 12 and June 19, respectively, to curb the spread of the virus.

The incident sparked criticism from Republicans, who said the governor's family wasn't following her guidance

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's husband, Marc Mallory, sparked controversy in May 2020 after reportedly asking if his boat could be placed in the water ahead of Memorial Day weekend. Whitmer had urged residents not to rush to the region and reminded Michiganders to take their personal responsibility seriously.

In response to the criticism, Whitmer said that her husband's comments were a "'failed attempt at humour'". She acknowledged that he had dropped her name in an effort to get his boat in the water but said he knew it wouldn't make a difference. "Obviously, with the motorized boating prohibition in our early days of COVID-19, he thought it might get a laugh," Whitmer said. "It didn't, and to be honest, I wasn't laughing either when it was relayed to me because I knew how it would be perceived."

Whitmer also noted that her family had been staying home over the past few months and had experienced an explosion of rampant rumours and violent death threats. She added that her husband had travelled to their second home in Antrim County for one or two nights to rake leaves, but that she and her daughters had remained in Lansing.

Governor Whitmer had previously urged residents not to rush to Northern Michigan, where the boat was to be launched

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's husband, Marc Mallory, allegedly tried to get their boat launched in Northern Michigan before the Memorial Day weekend in 2020. This was at a time when Whitmer had urged residents not to rush to the region.

Tad Dowker, owner of NorthShore Dock LLC, a Northern Michigan dock company, posted on Facebook that his staff received a call from Mallory, who asked if his boat could be placed in the water before the holiday weekend. Dowker's staff explained that they were backed up and couldn't launch the boat immediately. Mallory then asked if being the governor's husband would make a difference.

Whitmer responded to the criticism during a press briefing, saying that her husband's comments were a "failed attempt at humor." She acknowledged that her husband had dropped her name in an effort to get the boat in the water, but said he knew it wouldn't make a difference and that he regretted his comment.

Whitmer had previously issued a statewide stay-at-home order to combat the spread of COVID-19 and had urged residents not to rush to Northern Michigan, where there are many vacation destinations and hospitals with limited capacity. Despite lifting some restrictions ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, Whitmer continued to caution against non-essential travel to the region.

The controversy surrounding Mallory's request fueled criticism from Republican lawmakers and shed light on the challenges faced by Whitmer in balancing public health concerns with economic and recreational activities during the pandemic.

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