Residents describe threats, secrecy and lawsuits after state-backed Goshen project faltered

Lansing — Residents and local officials from Green Charter Township told the House Oversight Subcommittee on Corporate Subsidies and State Investments on Oct. 12 that the proposed Goshen project drew state attention and subsidies without meaningful local consent and sparked recalls and litigation.

The hearing featured testimony from Lori Brock, owner of Majestic Friesians, Jason Cruz, Green Charter Township supervisor, and community organizer Ormond Hook, who described a multi-year campaign of secrecy, alleged intimidation and what they called misleading public statements from project backers. “Please understand, this isn't a fight against a factory. It's the fight to preserve our very way of life,” Brock said.

Why it matters: Witnesses framed the dispute as an example of state economic-development incentives being applied to a project that many nearby residents opposed. They told the committee that state and quasi-state actors, including the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and regional development group The Right Place, promoted Goshen and that local officials initially presented the deal as effectively settled. Residents said that message undercut opportunities for public input and that some elected officials privately coordinated with company representatives.

What witnesses said: Brock said she and others first learned of the project only after wide circulation of a proposal and that local meetings were tightly controlled. She told the committee she and neighbors staged rallies and door-to-door surveys; she said a neighborhood survey her group conducted showed roughly 88…