Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE.

A small business owner in Maine is protesting the state’s coronavirus lockdown by reopening his restaurant and sharing the governor’s personal phone number.

Maine restaurant owner Rick Savage expressed his frustration with Democrat Governor Janet Mills during a Fox News interview, telling host Tucker Carlson that he plans to reopen the doors of his eatery Friday despite the extension of stay-at-home orders to mid-May.

(Source: Fox News)

The owner of the Sunday River Brewing Co. pub in Bethel said “it’s time to go back to work” in the state of Maine and he is ready to defy the governor’s orders to safely serve his customers, he said on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Thursday.

Initial stay-at-home orders, which included the shutting down of restaurants like the one owned by Mills – except for take-out and delivery – was set to end April 30. But the governor extended the directive to May 15th in the state of over one million people which has had 33 coronavirus hospitalizations and 53 deaths due to the disease.

Carlson noted that the shutdowns in the state have meant that “one in every seven people in the state of Maine is now unemployed.”

Savage explained that he was getting ready to reopen Friday as per the original order and said they “did what we were supposed to do and we closed for six weeks, cooked for the community, went right through the whole restaurant and remodeled and cleaned it and it’s time to open back up.”

“We tried to call the governor,” he said, adding, “we should have never been shut down in the first place.”

“We are advocating for everybody, not just my restaurant. It’s time to go back to work. If people don’t want to go out, quarantine yourself. We are a very clean restaurant … and I’m going to challenge the state to come and see, this is what we are doing — if you don’t like it, take me to court,” Savage said.

“And if they do take me to court I will save my tax money that I collect this month and use that to fund a lawyer,” he vowed.

“She’s doing this all rogue on her own,” he added, speaking of Mills.

“What do you think the authorities, Janet Mills, will do? You are admitting this on television. What do you think will happen tomorrow?” Carlson asked.

“I don’t think anything’s going to happen because she’s over her head … She’s just doing this to break our state even more than we are right now. We’re broke, we were broke before this,” Savage replied. “She spent our rainy day fund two months into being in office. So she’s trying to get federal money from the government to bail her out.”

Savage explained how he had asked the governor’s office to refund his earlier state sales tax receipts so his restaurant could get through the lockdown but said all he got was a letter reminding him that sales tax payments for March were due.

“Come on!” Carlson exclaimed. “Janet Mills is the most incompetent, dictatorial, self-involved governor that I’ve seen in a long time.”

“Godspeed, Rick Savage,” Carlson said shortly, attempting to end the segment.

But Savage had one more thing to say.

“And one further thing, I would love to share Janet Mills’ cell phone number with everyone so they can give her a call directly,” he said. “You can’t even call. It goes to voicemail. The lawmakers can’t even call. They have to email her.”

He then proceeded to read off the governor’s phone number as a surprised Carlson laughed and attempted to interrupt him.

“How about this?” the Fox News host said.

”If our viewers are interested, it’s Sunday River Brew Pub,” Carlson said, suggesting viewers call the restaurant owner instead.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Frieda Powers

Senior Staff Writer
[email protected]

Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

Latest posts by Frieda Powers (see all)

• ‘Do not lose your life over a f-ing car!’ Brazen thieves tell homeowners to stay inside as they swipe Corvette - April 18, 2024
• Sworn in jurist in Trump hush money trial already dismissed as selection becomes growing nightmare - April 18, 2024
• INSIDER: ‘Speaks volumes!’ Biden ignored when he visits Pennsylvania gas station, stark contrast from Trump - April 18, 2024

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.