On July 30, Governor Tony Evers wrote an executive order over a mandate on wearing masks in public spaces. The Emergency Order was introduced when new COVID-19 cases showed an increase in community spread.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office released a statement in response to the mandate since it “has our own citizens again divided on what should be the correct course of action.”

The County Sheriff position is an elected position. Current Sheriff Nate Dreckman assured Grant County residents in his recent response to the Emergency Order that he has “broad discretion in the enforcement of laws and will not take any action on this order.”

He has supported his stance by drawing attention to the inadequate number of resources, deputies and the obscurity to who should enforce the mask mandate. Another point is the limited number of deputies in Grant County since, “they continuously run from call to call.”

In addition, Speaker Vos shared his belief that the local governments should be in control of this issue. He also claimed that the governor was not willing to work with the legislature.

When the counties and the legislatures do nothing to implement some guidelines, are they truly protecting the health of all Wisconsinites?

Personally, I applaud our law enforcement, for they try to maintain the peace of our society in Grant County, the state of Wisconsin and other states. However, when I see the sheriff whom I have continuously voted for say he sees no merit in enforcing an order that would protect people from getting COVID-19 or, at the very least, lessen the chances for exposure, I do not see the general stability of welfare, more specifically, health, guaranteed from a duly elected official, who should be upholding and corroborating for the public’s safety alongside the governor.

This should not be a political conversation. Please make sure to register to vote for the upcoming elections and understand the candidates’ platforms and values.