Board of Aldermen 5-21-2020 Page 31
Attorney Bolton
OH — | have gotten more communications than the Board of Aldermen has about people who intend to do
that if this passes, “I will be going downtown, | will be NOT wearing a mask and | dare you to do something
about it”. I’ve gotten that type of communication. So | do expect there will be some testing of this.
Alderwoman Lu
My feeling, my point is that it won’t be harmless ignorance that causes this but maybe something else. | just
don’t think there are many people that are not aware of the need to wear masks. And | don’t know that we
have to belabor how it’s going to be addressed, because | think that our Police Officers do a really good job
of using their fine discretion. Thank you.
Alderman Klee
Madam President.
President Klee
Alderman Klee?
Alderman Klee
Thank you. | wanted to mention one other thing and | don’t know if it is germane to the amendment that
I’ve got sitting there. But kind of to answer some of the questions that have brought up, | have spoken to a
number of businesses. Now while | have not spoken to every business that we have in Nashua, the
businesses | have spoken to want this Ordinance to help support them. | can give you one instance, there
was one business that when retail was starting to open up, put a sign in their window that basically said,
“No Shirt, No Shoes, No Mask, No Service”. And they got phone calls that said, “you don’t have the right to
do that, it is my constitutional right” and so on. This is kind of being brought up to the Governor. And they
said to the Governor, you know, a lot of businesses would like this to be done and he said that he did not
want to mandate this but that he understood especially those cities and towns that were right on the border
of Massachusetts, he could see the need for it. He still did not mandate it but the businesses want it and |
think this is our way of also supporting the businesses by saying, “/Ve support those people that are frail
that want to go out of their house”. | mean the Governor said that those employees have to wear it so why
wouldn’t we want to protect those employees by us wearing them? And | can tell you, I’ve been in stores
where people are not doing social distancing and I’ve been to a different place where they are not doing
social distancing and they don’t have masks on. | find it very offensive because | always wear a mask. |
even walked out of a store today and got in the car and my husband said to me, “Why do you still have your
mask on” and | went, “I do?”. | am getting to the point now where it is almost becoming like putting on
lipstick, it’s just part of my — and | am claustrophobic so | have gotten past it. | just think we are doing it to
support businesses. | don’t want anything punitive to happen. And | pray that these people don’t come and
protest just because they can. We are a live free or die State but we also have to think about all of our
citizens. And | think that’s what this does. It is for caring for somebody else, not just myself but somebody
else.
President Wilshire
For the record, Alderman Dowd had joined us at 8:30. Any further discussion on removing the warning and
the $25.00 fine? Alderman Jette?
