MANDATE: Lead with consistency

Greetings Mayor Widmyer,

My name is Megan Dardis-Kunz and I am a resident of Coeur d'Alene. I am writing in response to what I saw while viewing the City Council meeting on November 17.

Mayor Widmyer, as I watched the City Council meeting yesterday via livestream I had many emotions but the strongest was a feeling of hopelessness for our community and our region. My feeling of hopelessness was because as I watched the livestream it was visible for all to see that one of our very own elected officials, a City Council member, could not bring himself to care for others in the room by wearing a mask. And that City Council member was Dan Gookin, as I'm sure you are aware.

Why is that you passed a city ordinance requiring masks in the city of Coeur d'Alene yet you allow the blatant disregard for that ordinance in the very location it was passed? We all know that masks reduce the spread of COVID-19 yet you allow this abhorrent behavior of non-masking to occur in a City Council meeting? Where has your leadership gone?

I never thought I would be filled with a feeling of hopelessness toward my fellow community members. The feelings of hope need to come back. If we don't have any hope, what is there left?

Sincerely,

MEGAN DARDIS-KUNZ, MSW, LMSW

Coeur d'Alene