Mayor-President Guillory qualifies Governor Edwards statement on rejection of hypocrite mask mandate

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Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory responded to Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, who spoke in an interview with the Washington Post on Friday about city council’s rejection of a local mask mandate by Lafayette.

Guillory questioned the governor’s application of a state-level mask warrant, accusing Edwards of failing to properly apply the rule and failing to write citations for the nearly 4,000 complaints received across the country. ‘State.

The mayor-president also defended the decision not to have a hidden mandate for Lafayette, citing “challenges” and “costs” that this would entail in enforcing the mandate.

The city council voted on February 9 to reject an emergency ordinance imposing masks or face masks in certain establishments and public places. The ordinance was overruled by a 3-2 vote, with Glenn Lazard and Pat Lewis voting in favor.

Opinions about wearing a mask and whether people should be required to wear it in public have been a debate since the start of the pandemic and have since grabbed national headlines.

Guillory made his position on a tenure clear in January during a speech at a meeting for a group called the Acadiana Patriots. Questions were then raised about the government’s role in emergencies after Guillory imposed a stay-at-home order during the winter storm.

The governor said on Friday that the mask debate had become a partisan issue.

“How it looked partisan, I’ll never know,” said Edwards. “This virus doesn’t know and doesn’t care if someone is a Republican or a Democrat.”

Guillory ended his statement on Saturday by saying, “If the governor is to use the national media to audition for a job in Washington, DC, he may want to make sure his own house is in order first.”

Here is the full statement released by Guillory on Saturday:

It is deeply hypocritical for Governor John Bel Edwards to attack Lafayette in the national media, criticizing our city council for acknowledging the challenges and costs of enforcing a local mask warrant. Where is the governor’s application of his mask mandate? The state fire marshal reports to him. ATC reports to him. How many quotes did they write for the nearly 4,000 complaints they received? Zero.

The real leadership failure is immediately evident in Governor Edwards’ decision to use his “mask mandate” as a partisan weapon, rather than enforce it. How much of the $ 1.9 billion provided to the state by the federal government for the COVID-19 response has been spent on fulfilling its mandate? Why does he expect local governments, once again, to bear the cost of state mandates?

If the governor wants to use the national media to audition for a job in Washington DC, he may want to make sure his own house is in order first.

Mayor-President Josh Guillory