Board of Aldermen 5-21-2020 Page 32
Alderman Jette
If | could Madam President through you, if | could ask Attorney Bolton, when Alderman Kelly made the
motion to amend by providing for a written warning, you expressed some misgivings about that. How do
you feel about Alderman Clemons’ verbal warning? What are your thoughts on that?
Attorney Bolton
| think both the written and the verbal warning basically renders the entire thing unenforceable. | do not
think it will be easily proven that someone was given a warning, whether written or verbal for a prior
offense. | just don’t see careful enough records being kept; | don’t see one Police Officer knowing what
other Police Officers have previously done. So that’s my opinion, it renders the measure unenforceable,
written, or oral.
Alderman Jette
Can | follow up Madam President?
President Wilshire
Alderman Jette, yes.
Alderman Jette
So | am wondering what the purpose of the warning is, as contained in Alderman Clemons’ amendment.
Because as | understand it, you know, someone comes to a restaurant for example and is not wearing a
mask, | would assume that they would be told that there’s an Ordinance requiring that you wear a mask. |
understand that businesses have been provided through the State, free masks they can use in order to
protect their employees and their customers. So | kind of envision that if somebody shows up at a
restaurant not knowing that they need a mask that they would be told that they need a mask and if they
don’t have one, they would be handed one. If they don’t want to wear it, then they could leave. So | guess |
am inclined to vote in favor of eliminating the written warning part of this. | understand reducing the fine to
$25.00 or $100.00 to avoid the specter of a larger fine that some people might find offensive. | could
probably support something like that, but as far as this motion to reconsider Alterman Clemons’ motion | will
vote for that.
President Wilshire
Anyone else?
Alderman Clemons
President Wilshire? May | speak?
President Wilshire
Yes, Alderman Clemons.
Alderman Clemons
Thank you. So | don’t want to go down this road but apparently | see it going there. So Attorney Bolton
alluded to this earlier with the people contacting him saying that they will go downtown to violate the
Ordinance on purpose and things like that. The purpose of me making my amendment was two-fold, one is
| don’t think $1,000.00 and up to $1,000.00 is appropriate. Two, | really do believe that a warning system,
