Mask Mandates and the County Fair Public Comment Jennifer BreeseFrom:Jennifer Breese
To:Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Mask Mandates and the County Fair
Date:Tuesday, August 4, 2020 8:11:38 AM
Dear City Council,
I am emailing you today to voice my concern over placing mask mandates andcanceling the county fair. I understand that the council is trying to work in the best
interest of the city of Kalispell; however, mask mandates and canceling the county
fair harm the community more than it will help the community.
When looking at the mask mandates that our Governor has tried to put into place weneed to focus on the fact he has no Constitutional right to do this. The people of the
United States have the right to wear or to not wear what they want without
Government interference as it falls under freedom of expression. For the council togo along with this plan would mean that they are participating in taking away therights of the citizens living in Kalispell. Some will argue about the effectiveness of
wearing masks in stopping the virus, but that isn't relevant to what the government
has the right to do. If someone wants to wear a mask they can, but they (and the
government) have no right to force others to do so if they don't want to. I urge thecouncil to do their job in doing what is best for Kalispell by protecting the citizens
rights to wear what they want (or to not wear what they don't want to wear).
In regards to the county fair, I urge the council to keep the fair open. There are localbusinesses and people that need the fair for income. The bonus income that they get
from their booth at the fair or the advertising that comes from the fair goes to
furthering their business, giving employees needed bonuses, going towards
unexpected costs, etc. In this time when Covid has already hit small businesses hardthey need even more opportunities to make money in order to keep their
businesses afloat. The council also needs to consider the students that sell their
animals during the fair. For some students this is how they will be able to pay for
college or for college expenses. These students and their families rely on this fairand to cancel it (especially to cancel it on such short notice) would be unfair to
them.
There is a lot of fear in the air and I get that there are loud voices trying to getmandatory masks and shut down the fair. But I would advise the council to look
beyond the fear and to listen to the doctors in our area that are combining their
medical knowledge and knowledge of the area to speak out against the mandatory
masks and closing down the fair. I trust the council to listen to the informedindividuals and the citizens of Kalispell. I trust the council will make the best
decisions for the citizens of Kalispell; which means a vote in favor of protecting our
rights and keeping the fair open. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Jennifer