Raymundo Frasquillo File Photo/Gila Herald: The Greenlee County BOS deadlocked 1-1 to continue its mask mandate as Supervisor David Gomez did not attend the meeting due to illness. With the vote, the mandate will expire on Dec. 12. A special meeting may be called to discuss the subject prior to the next regularly-scheduled meeting.
Board deadlocks 1-1 to extend the mandate
By Walt Mares
CLIFTON – At the regularly scheduled December meeting of the Greenlee County Board of Supervisors, the decision to extend the county-wide mask mandate failed in a 1-1 vote. Supervisor David Gomez did not attend due to illness. The mandate, in effect since July 1, is set to expire on Dec. 12.
While Supervisor Ron Campbell (Morenci) passionately urged Chairman Richard Lunt (Duncan) to vote to continue the mandate, at least temporarily until all supervisors could be present, Lunt said that he felt people in Greenlee would “do the right thing” and mask up without a mandate.
Prior to the vote, Clifton resident Susan Breen was the only member of the public to speak on the subject. She detailed a recent trip to Duncan wherein she noted that businesses south of Clifton were not putting notices about the mandate on their doors. She said her understanding was that Greenlee County Sheriff Tim Sumner refused to enforce the mandate as written and asked how this could be rectified.
The two supervisors agreed that a special meeting on the subject with all three supervisors present should be held before the next regularly scheduled BOS meeting. A date was not set.
The Graham County Board of Supervisors issued a mask regulation for Graham County in November that will run at least through Jan. 4, when the matter will be up for discussion during its first meeting of the new year.
