The Ripon Rabbit
Members of the community returned this week at Tuesday’s Oct 12th 2021 council meeting aimed at challenging the approved face covering policy for all City buildings and facilities.
Members of the public were allowed again to enter the building MASKLESS per “EXEMPTION”
What still remains unclear at this point is what the city would do if someone appears at the podium with zero exemption stated, simply choosing to not comply with the policy?
It would appear that even in that scenario the policy wouldn’t or couldn’t be enforced, as no action was taken and the subject has not been discussed openly by the council. Nor does it appear that they have provided reasonable arrangements for any individual who wished to address the city body maskless and without any exemption.
As Ripon Common Sense reported in an article “RIPON CITY FACE COVERING POLICY: CHALLENGED – NOT ENFORCED!” Following last month’s September 27th 2021 council meeting where members of the public showed up with many questions regarding the details of this policy and or it’s ability to enforce it.
Orlando Nieves & Scott Zemlicka, members of the community who spoke against the policy last month continued raising their important questions again, while this time formally requesting their comments and questions be entered “On Record” which the council accepted.
Ripon resident Rob Wittchow also returned and approached the podium stating;
“During a September 14th meeting when the policy was approved all the body had zero consideration or absolutely no discussion regarding the general public. Me, someone who is not a city employee and how the policy affects the members of the community like me? The entire discussion was about City administration and employees only. You never considered us in your actions and I ask why?”
Rob is right! If I remember correctly the phrase is; WE the people, not WE the government.
Wittchow continued stating;
“The members of the community like he was about city employees and officials only in your actions and I asked why last time I was here I received zero answers to the question understandably because it was new business but as far as I’m aware, please correct me if I’m wrong, absolutely nothing has been done to address the questions my fellow Americans and residents of Ripon asked. No further discussion has been had, no further action has been taken, no answers provided. Will you be answering any questions tonight?”
You can watch Mr. Wittchow and his public comments in their entirety here.
According to Wittchow the Council’s primary discussion prior to the approval of the policy was entirely based on staff, administration and all 59 of the city’s employees and failed to address the public whatsoever.
In fact a great deal of discussion during the Sep 14th meeting revolved around item 7 of the policy and which term “may or shall” be used, ultimately deciding the particulars read in the following way:
“Employees who refuse to comply with this directive may be subject to discipline up to and including termination.”
Honestly, there is a big difference between the following two statements: What is good for the goose “shall” be good for the gander. Vs. What is good for the goose “may” be good for the gander. Alleging that for some needed or liked who does not comply “may” lose their job vs. Anyone who isn’t liked or needed doesn’t comply “may” lose their job. The use of “shall” would make it impossible to distinguish the infractions.
We have yet to see exactly what was submitted to the record by these gentlemen? At the time of publishing this article the meeting minutes from Tuesday October 12th 2021 still have not yet been posted on the City of Ripon website. (You can check here for the meeting minutes when posted)
As we watched the meeting come to an end alderman John Splitt asked his fellow members;
“I was just wondering if anybody feels that we should have a discussion item of the face covering policy, if we did break any open meeting laws or if we did what our arrangements are? Probably a question for Lud?”
City Attorney Lud Wertz replied;
“Certainly you can vote tonight to put it on, I didn’t want to cut you short. But I did want an opportunity to kinda go through it again, and see what some of these questions were. I haven’t seen all the questions that were at the last meeting. So I want to take a look at the questions from the public and see if any of those need to be addressed in a forum like the full Council.”
So although no open discussion or action item regarding the policy has been placed on the next agenda for the regular meeting scheduled for the fourth Monday of this month. There seems to be an expectation that Council will have some answers to the public’s questions after Wertz has reviewed them.
If you support the abolishment of the City’s face covering policy and feel it is perhaps over reach on behalf of the elected officials you have a chance to have your voice heard Monday October 25th 2021 at 7PM in the council chamber. Mark your calendars now!
Keep in mind however without declaring an “Exemption” from your mask, covered under the policy, we have no idea in what way this policy could be enforced or how one would be accommodated? Perhaps we will have more answers then?
