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As Denver Mayor Michael Hancock posted messages on social media and city staff on Wednesday asking everyone to avoid traveling for Thanksgiving, he was on his way to Mississippi to celebrate the holidays with his wife and daughter.
Hancock spokesman Mike Strott confirmed that Hancock flew from Denver on Wednesday morning to spend the holidays with his wife and youngest daughter, who are already there.
This hypocrisy – first reported by 9News – amounts to an unforced error on the part of the mayor that risks delegitimizing calls from public health officials to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, experts and the officials agree.
“It’s incredibly disappointing,” Dr. Sandy Johnson, director of the University of Denver’s School of Global Health Affairs, said of Hancock’s actions.
“So many people in the city of Denver did the right thing,” Johnson added. “Unless there is a family emergency necessitating the trip, it just seems hypocritical at a time when we need leaders to lead by example.
The news has also sparked widespread anger locally and nationwide online.
Mom was right: actions speak louder than words. Especially when you are a public leader in a pandemic and undermine a public health message that saves lives. “After Warnings to Avoid Travel, Denver Mayor Hancock Flies to Visit Family on Thanksgiving” https://t.co/encqWjuCcZ
– Dr Kathleen Bachynski (@bachyns) November 25, 2020
“Mom was right: actions speak louder than words. Especially when you are a public leader in a pandemic and undermine a public health message that saves lives, ”tweeted Dr Kathleen Bachynski, assistant professor of public health at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania.
Mayor Hancock must resign
– Jeremy Entwistle (@ JerEnt1) November 25, 2020
Others have demanded that the mayor resign or questioned whether to launch a recall petition. Hancock is in his third term as mayor and can no longer run.
Colorado Republicans, including U.S. Representative Ken Buck and U.S. Representative-elect Lauren Boebert, also weighed in on social media, berating the mayor’s actions.
“Hey Siri, what’s the definition of hypocrisy?” Buck tweeted.
Hey Siri, what is the definition of hypocrisy? https://t.co/o9ymkxS3hj
– Ken Buck (@BuckForColorado) November 25, 2020
Strott said the mayor didn’t think his actions contradicted what he had asked the Denverites to do, however.
The mayor typically hosts a family dinner of 50 for Thanksgiving, when this year he will be spending the holidays as one of three at the table, albeit in Mississippi. The rest of the family will join electronically.
“(Hancock) told people to rethink their Thanksgiving plans. He also stated that if you are traveling to follow health and safety guidelines and the mayor will always follow health and safety guidelines upon his return, ”Strott said.
But on Wednesday morning, Hancock tweeted public health recommendations that called for avoiding unnecessary travel. He also sent a note to city staff that was obtained by the Denver Post.
Pass the potatoes, not COVID.
?️Stay at home as much as you can, especially if you are sick.
? Host virtual gatherings instead of in-person dinners.
❌ Avoid traveling, if you can.
?Order your holiday meal at a local restaurant.
?Buy online with a small business for #Black Friday. pic.twitter.com/acQpWs2Ism– Michael B. Hancock ? (@MayorHancock) November 25, 2020
“As the holidays approach, we all aspire to be with our families in person, but with the continued increase in cases, I urge you to refrain from traveling during the Thanksgiving vacation,” the memo reads.
Colorado is experiencing a third wave of coronavirus which state experts say will kill at least 2,000 more people by the end of December. The state has imposed tighter restrictions on counties across the state to prevent another stay-at-home order that would devastate the local economy. Exhausted healthcare professionals brace for hospitals to run out of room.
“The behavior of the mayor ‘do what I say but not what I do’ is irresponsible and sets a bad example for city employees,” said Lisa Calderon, chief of staff to Councilor Candi CdeBaca. “He should have canceled his plans, just like the thousands of Denver residents who are doing their part to stop the spread of the coronavirus.”
Councilor Chris Hinds tweeted that he will be spending this Thanksgiving with only his dog, Porthos.
Full Disclosure: My Thanksgiving plans are to stay home here in Denver. My home is just me and the Porthos Council of Denver, and our plans are to only interact with each other.
– Chris Hinds Denver City Council (@ DenverPerfect10) November 25, 2020
Neither Denver state nor public health officials immediately responded to a message asking how the Coloradans should follow through on demands that elected officials themselves are not following.
Hancok is among a growing number of public officials across the country who have been spotted circumventing their own COVID recommendations.
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