The Herculaneum Board of Aldermen is expected on Monday (Oct. 19) to vote on a proposed mandate that would require people to wear face masks in public places within the city limits.
The board voted 4-2 Oct. 5 to have City Attorney Jessica Mikale write an ordinance that would create a mask mandate designed to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Ward 1 aldermen Mike Burlage and Dennis Tesreau and Ward 3 aldermen Joe Burke and Edwin Edwards Jr. voted in favor of having Mikale create the ordinance, while Ward 2 aldermen Chris Baker and Norm Seithel voted against it.
A mask mandate has been hotly debated among Jefferson County Health Department officials, but the county doesn’t have one.
However, many businesses and school districts in the county require people to wear masks.
Burlage said he had a simple reason for voting in favor of creating a mask mandate for the city of Herculaneum.
“Every mask we wear can save a life,” he said. “I think when you’re around people and can’t social distance you should wear it. If we had an ordinance more people may wear one and that might help a little. The COVID positive tests have gone up. Somebody needs to take a stand.”
For the week from Sept. 27-Oct. 3, Herculaneum had a total of 130 cases since the pandemic began, including 39 active cases, according to the county Health Department.
When looking at the rate of cases per 10,000 residents, Herculaneum had the highest rate in the county, said Sara Wilton, epidemiologist for the Jefferson County Health Department.
Herculaneum Mayor Bill Haggard says he’s not against wearing masks, but he doesn’t want to see a mandate requiring everyone to wear them.
“I’m all for masks. I think they do some good,” Herculaneum Mayor Bill Haggard said. “I’m opposed to a mandate. I wear one in public. We wear them in our meetings and at City Hall.”
Haggard said city leaders encourage people to wear masks and practice social distancing.
“But we’re not down there enforcing it,” Haggard said. “We’re hoping people can (wear masks) without being told to. I don’t think it’s something we should do because it affects businesses. Enforcement would be very difficult.”
Haggard said the aldermen who support the proposed mandate feel strongly about their position.
“I respect their opinions,” he said.
Seithel said he, too, wears a mask when he’s in public and can’t properly social distance, but, like Haggard, he doesn’t want to tell Herculaneum residents they have to wear one.
“I’m 100 percent in favor of wearing a mask, but it’s not the city’s place to mandate a business to make people wear masks,” Seithel said. “We shouldn’t be telling businesses what to do.”
Since the board decided at the last meeting to have an ordinance drawn up proposing a mask mandate, Seithel said he’s received plenty of emails from people opposed to it.
Seithel also said he thought it would be difficult for the city’s small police department to enforce such a measure because officers wouldn’t be able to monitor public places to see if people were wearing masks.
“Unless a bunch of people get into a big fight about masks, then you have to call the police,” he said.
Seithel said the city’s acting Police Chief Sharia Kyle told him she hadn’t heard about major problems involving people upset about wearing masks.
If the ordinance is ready for a vote on Monday, Seithel said he hopes the hot-button issue is tabled so the board has more time to discuss it.
“I’m hoping enough people contact (Haggard) so we can table this for a couple of weeks and hopefully change some minds,” Seithel said.
Burlage said he thinks the proposed mask mandate is important and he doesn’t want to wait to vote on the measure.
If a large crowd turns out for Monday’s meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Herculaneum City Hall, 1 Parkwood Court, city officials could move it to the cafeteria at Herculaneum High School, 1 Blackcat Drive.
The school’s football team was quarantined for two weeks this season after several players tested positive for the coronavirus. That set off a chain reaction that also forced the Jefferson football team to miss two weeks because it was quarantined.
Being aware of your surroundings and gathering as much information as possible are two ways to avoid becoming a COVID statistic, Seithel said.
He also said city businesses and the Dunklin R-5 School District have stricter mandates than the city can provide.
Burlage said he has received a lot of emails from people who say they won’t patronize Herculaneum businesses if a mandate passes.
“I don’t think it will hurt businesses,” he said. “They’ll put a mask on and go in. More people are starting to mask up. It’s going to become a thing people do eventually. If people would just wear them, you wouldn’t need a mandate.”
