To the editor:

I thought I could sit this one out, but it is becoming more and more apparent that the newest mask mandate has once again left Westport MA Businesses holding the bag. Again and again, on social media and in conversation, am I hearing people deciding to take their business out of town, instead of enduring your mask mandate. And I have spoken with business owners, who are sick and tired of enforcing town mandates on their customers and employees, especially when they were left out of the discussion on the mandate in the first place.

During your Jan 10th meeting, in just a few-minute span, the mask mandate, which effects over 16 thousand people in Westport MA, was passed by just three. And there was literally no one there to speak against it. Why? I believe because that’s the way YOU, the BOH, wanted it. There was no prior mention either by comment or on the agenda for this meeting. And that was on purpose. Because if the town knew ahead, that their rights were going to be discussed and then taken away, they would have showed up to voice their opinions. And these opinions might have been contrary to those of your board. During the meeting, each of you actually touches on the backlash that you would see from the town, but then you each quickly dismiss it. You spent more discussion time on using remote means for board meetings than you did on the actual mask mandate.

And...as if by design, people are blaming the businesses, not the BOH for this decision. Today on public media... and you can check Facebook yourself....

“I’m refusing to buy in Westport until they drop this mandate. Countries all over the world are quickly doing away with these completely ineffective and unjust mandates.”

“ I saw lees requires it. I got in my truck and left. Tom’s market was nice.”

Not only was this a sneaky tactic, to pass this mandate, with 4 people in attendance to your meeting, with no prior mention on the agenda, and absolutely NO input from Westport voters or business owners; but EVEN WORSE is you aren’t even getting blamed for it. So...

Shame on you. And now our businesses are suffering. And you chose to do this during literally the bleakest months of the year for Westport business owners.

I’m not saying that masks work or don’t work. I am arguing it is a business’s right to choose to require them. And then it is the customer’s choice to choose to frequent these businesses.

ADVISE. Don’t mandate. That choice is up to the business owner and the customer.

Rebecca Mosher

Westport