Board of Aldermen 02-22-2022 Page 23
| don't understand why that wouldn't also apply in the other handful of buildings that it doesn't already apply to.
Alderman Klee
Thank you, Madam President. We talk all the time about that we should lift them in the mandate, which | think probably
will happen this evening. We also say that every business should have the right to decide for themselves if they want to
have this mandate. The Mayor is kind of the manager and he's responsible for all the employees here. There's a lot of
traffic that comes through City Hall. | think that it should be his right to decide how to protect his employees to make sure
that employees are here, to make sure that they aren't put in harm's way, and | appreciate him wanting to do that.
| think that we should not vote for that change. If you want to bring it forward in a separate one, we can have a
discussion. We can read it, we can have more discussion on it. As | pointed out, | don't think this is the way to do it. |
think we should have a clean bill here as to whether or not to lift the mandate six days early. | don't think we should be
muddying the waters just because people are saying, | don't want to wear a mask in City Hall. It was put there for the
protection of the employees and it was put there for the protection of the citizens. If the citizens don't want to be
protected, then that's fine. They wear a mask. They don't wear a mask somewhere else. If the SURF were to say you
have to wear a mask and you don't want to go there, fine you don't want to go there. You do have to come to City Hall |
understand for different things. | don't think it's that much to ask for people to wear a mask to protect the employees here.
Thank you very much.
Alderman Moran
At this moment, | don't think | would be able to support that amendment simply because | do feel that the Mayor is in
charge of this building and that is what he was elected to do is to manage the people in this building. | think that authority
should remain with him at the time. | definitely would consider looking at a motion in the future.
Alderman Sullivan
Thank you, Madam President. Question. If when the mask mandate expires on the 28th, does that apply to City Hall? Or
will it be extended after that, if needed?
President Wilshire
| don't have that answer.
Steve Bolton, Corporation Counsel
| don't think it applies to City Hall. The Mayor would be free to have other requirements for City Hall. The library would be
free to have other requirements for the library. (inaudible) department for fire stations. Police Department for the police
station. Private businesses for their own private business.
Alderman Sullivan
Thank you. As a follow up Madam President. Thank you. | would support this because it's the people's house and the
library is a public building. | think its common sense. It keeps it in sync with the rest of the city and | would support that.
Alderman Lopez
So | would point out that there are some places that are still going to be mask mandated regardless such as the bus. It's
dictated by federal guidelines. | would have to agree with what's been said previously. | don't think it's a good idea to try
to verbally construct an amendment that could become very, very tricky particularly the definition of government buildings.
The actions that the School Board has taken with regard to this mandate now ending the 28" but if we pass this tonight
amended, then they didn't have the authority to do that. | think the complexities are a quagmire. With respect to public
buildings being the people's house, | agree with Alderman Klee that not everybody feels safe in the middle of a pandemic
going to certain places without a mask. | think we should be looking to ensure that people who are not feeling threatened
by wearing masks but find them inconvenient or not being put on the same pedestal as people who feel like they might
have autoimmune diseases, or health conditions, or lost loved ones that still wear a mask because ultimately the masks -
it was referenced earlier that they have different percentages of effects.
| would look at instead of just a gross percentage if you look at the different studies that were released on masks and the
different impacts that they have, it's also exposure time. Some masks will give you up to 25 hours of standing within four
