House subcommittee hears allegations of 'weaponization' after pandemic-era prosecutions of Michigan businesses

The Michigan House Oversight Subcommittee on Weaponization of State Government heard testimony from two business owners who said state officials targeted them for enforcing pandemic restrictions after they reopened during COVID-19 closures.

Carl Manke, a barber from Owasso, told the committee he reopened his shop after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s early COVID-19 orders and later was cited, fined and pursued through administrative and appellate proceedings. “I went back to work,” Manke said. He told the panel he paid about $9,000 in fines tied to health-department actions and later estimated his total out-of-pocket legal costs at about $90,000.

The committee then heard from Marlena Hackney, owner of Marlena’s Bistro in Holland, who described a December 2020 visit by health inspectors, a subsequent order suspending her license, a bench warrant and a March…