SE Grand Rapids News

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's habit of cracking down on businesses during COVID-19 doesn't fit with her words about conquering the pandemic together as a community, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential.

Michigan Capitol Confidential reported that Whitmer said in March 2020, “This is going to be hard, but we’re going to get through this, and we’re going to get through it together." However, some Michigan residents feel she is failing business owners who aren't able to comply with her orders and still remain open.

"Michigan Capitol Confidential has reported many examples of small business owners trying to avoid ruin while also complying with the state’s lockdown orders," reporter Tom Gantert wrote. "Hundreds of thousands of Michigan workers are also still sidelined by official orders and restrictions, as of the end of 2020. There appears to be a discrepancy in this story, however: While the private sector has suffered during the pandemic, many government and public sector employees appear to have avoided those financial setbacks."

Pay raises for government workers have been verified after Michigan Capitol Confidential collected payroll data from several local governments, showing that many of those reaping the benefits of pay increases are enforcing tight restrictions on businesses struggling to survive. 

Plymouth ROC Restaurant is one business that is fighting to stay above water and avoid bankruptcy due to COVID-19 lockdowns. 

"The establishment has been charged by the state of Michigan for engaging in 'an illegal occupation or illegal act upon the licensed premises'," Gantert wrote, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential. "The illegal act of attempted self-preservation was in providing service to customers in an outside tent with four walls in the middle of winter. Under the fine print of the governor’s orders, the tent is classified as 'indoors,' with service prohibited."

The action taken against the restaurant was no accident, and it was undertaken by local officials after a complaint was filed. John Buzuvis, director of community development for the city of Plymouth, went to the restaurant to take photos of the restaurant’s "illegal" tent. Those photos were used against the restaurant to prove it had violated the order. Buzuvis was asked to take the photos by Allen Cox, the city’s director of public safety, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential. Both Buzuvis and Cox have received substantial pay raises over the last year.