Hi,
Thank you to everyone who has continued to share and sign this petition. I stepped back from this petition for a bit after Kemp banned cities from mandating masks; however, Kemp has lifted that ban and many other cities are now enacting such legislation. We must do everything we can to protect our communities. Mayor Lori Henry did something right yesterday, she mandated masks within city buildings. It is a good place to start and certainly helps with in-person voting quickly approaching. It is disappointing to see that it took her THIS long and the mandate is just not enough. We need to see mandates in all businesses, public places, and places of worship. Other cities, such as Atlanta and Savannah, have clear outlines on where they must wear masks and it extends beyond city buildings. We also need to have clear penalties if people refuse to a mask — it must to be enforced to work. As it stands, there is no penalty for anyone who does not wear a covering in a city building. Roswell Police Officers need to be equipped with proper PEE to hand out to citizens who need a mask and should only be penalizing people if they refuse to wear it. We need stronger leadership - especially as Georgia has now been labeled as the state with the fastest infection rate.
Just to be abundantly clear, Mayor Lori Henry does have the power to mandate face coverings and all public places in Roswell and it even states so on the City of Roswell website: Under the governor's executive order, county and city governments may not issue orders, with the exception of qualifying "Local Face Covering Requirements," that are less or more restrictive than his order.
Additionally, I have a lot on my plate as school kicks up and I begin my job. I will be enlisting my friend and fellow activist, Keirstan Capurso, to take over this petition on my behalf and I will be helping and supporting her in our mission from the sidelines.