During the 08/04/2021 Common Council meeting Alderpersons Joe Martin (District 4), Sheri Hartzheim (District 13), Chad Doran (District 15), and Matthew Reed (District 8) introduced Resolution #12-R-21 which, if passed, would express “concern that the City has undertaken health initiatives and enacted a public health mandate while the position of Health Officer remains vacant” and call for “the Mayor to prioritize and expedite the hiring of a Health Officer as quickly and as practicably as possible and prior to enacting or implementing any further COVID-19 guidance or mandates in the City.”
The resolution will appear before the Board of Health on 08/11/2021.
[In some respects, a resolution calling for the swift hiring of a Health Officer before the city starts implementing health mandates seems like it ought to be uncontroversial, but in the present social and political climate, that very well may not be the case. Certainly, the mayor seemed to have some concerns.]
While announcing that the resolution had been referred to the Board of Health, Mayor Woodford took the opportunity to briefly address not only the Council but also the wider Appleton community.
He said, “That item will be referred to the Board of Health, and in referring that item I just want to say to the Council and to the community that I urge all of you to be calm and to be kind to one another. To let the Board of Health have a discussion about this, and to work collegially as a Council to address this item. And I want to say that in making this referral, because we need to work together as a community. And we have a choice to make about how we treat each other and how we handle our business, and complicated things come before this body and we have a responsibility to set an example for our community. So I ask you all to please think about that as the Council takes up this piece of business. And I ask the community to please stay calm, stay together, to be kind to one another.”
The full text of the resolution reads:
WHEREAS, on August 4, 2021, City of Appleton Mayor Jacob A Woodford put forth new guidance in the City requiring masking in indoor public City facilities; and
WHEREAS, the permanent position of Health Officer for the City of Appleton has been vacant since early June, 2021, and the Mayor and city staff were aware of the pending retirement of the previous Health Officer since prior to the first COVID-19 cases in Appleton in early 2020;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Members of the City of Appleton Common Council hereby express their concern that the City has undertaken health initiatives and enacted a public health mandate while the position of Health Officer remains vacant; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Members of the City of Appleton Common Council urge the Mayor to prioritize and expedite the hiring of a Health Officer as quickly and as practicably as possible and prior to enacting or implementing any further COVID-19 guidance or mandates in the City.”
After introducing the resolution, the Council then moved on to the “Other Council Business” portion of the agenda which included an exchange that seemed somewhat related to the introduction of this resolution and to the discussion that had taken place earlier during the Covid-19 Update.
Alderperson Nate Wolff (District 12) was the only alderperson who spoke.
Mayor Woodford: “Is there any other business? Alderperson Wolff.”
Alderperson Wolff: “Thank you, Mayor. I would just like to thank you for your leadership over this past year, especially dealing with Covid-19. It’s been a very difficult time for us all, and I appreciate your professionalism in all of that. The other day…”
Mayor Woodford: “Alderperson Wolff…”
Alderperson Wolff: “Yes?”
Mayor Woodford: “Respectfully, I appreciate that. We’re discussing other business and I’d like to ask that we limit our statements in Other Business to Other Business for the Council. I appreciate the sentiment, but I just want to make sure we don’t get into a space of debate or discussion about items that are before–have come before the Council or will be coming before the Council. So thank you, with all due respect. But please do continue if you have anything else.”
Alderperson Wolff: “I do. Thank you. So the other day I was delivering–I posted this on Facebook but–I saw this mother come home from the hospital and her kid was outside and so was her husband, and she–the kid wanted to hug his mother but she had just come home from the ICU unit with Covid-19 patients, and she had to keep telling this toddler that she couldn’t pick him up and hold him until she took a shower, and it was really sad to see, and I think that we need to keep pushing for our community to get vaccinated so that we can let–you know–that mother hug her kid, because as long as Covid-19 is in our community, every day when that mother gets home, that kid can’t hug his mom. I know that that’s a weird way to look at things, but it was really…”
Mayor Woodford [gently interrupting]: “Alderperson…”
Alderperson Wolff: “It made me very emotional to see.”
Mayor Woodford: “Thank you Alderperson Wolff. As I said, I appreciate the sentiment; I understand, but let’s limit Other Business to Other Business please.”
There was no other business and the meeting adjourned shortly thereafter.
[Regarding the particulars of the story Alderperson Wolff recounted, here are the CDC’s recommendations on “How to Protect Yourself & Others”. They were last updated 07/26/2021. The CDC does recommend washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds but, at this point, does not mention showering as a preventative measure.
The CDC’s full list of guidance documents are available on their website. A search of those documents for the CDC’s showering recommendations for health care professionals turns up no results, nor does a more general search not limited to health care professionals.]
View full Common Council meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=873331&GUID=05E94B95-E8A1-4761-82D5-5668A4FB8932&Options=info|&Search=
Be the first to reply