Wondering How RTM Item #8, “Unmask Our Children” Vote Broke Down?

Readers asked for a breakdown of Monday night’s RTM vote on the proposed appeal of the unmask ordinance to the RTM Legislative & Rules Committee.

More specifically, the vote was not on the proposed masking ordinance submitted by 20+ petitioners asking the RTM and the town not to follow state orders to require face masks for children in public and private schools.

Moderator Tom Byrne explained, “As a matter of procedure, your RTM moderator cannot accept a motion that would have the RTM take action in excess of its authority.”

Assistant town attorney Aamina Ahmad pointed to the Governor’s executive orders 9, 13A and 14A, saying they were binding and gave authority to Connecticut’s Dept of Education and Dept of Public Health to require masks in both private and public schools, though parents can request exemptions based on certain criteria.

Rather, the vote was on the legality of the item, and several people disagreed with Ms Ahmad, arguing that the executive orders and local requirements were unconstitutional.

Mr. Byrne explained that a yes vote would refer the legality of the item to the RTM’s Legislative & Rules committee.

Those in favor of referring the item to the Legislative & Rules Committee was 43. There were 141 opposed and 7 abstaining.

District 1:

No: Andrea Anthony, Katharine Ashworth, Joshua Brown, Ed Dadakis, Alanna Hynes, Brigitte Lee, Frederick Lee, Jaysen Medhurst, Elizabeth Sanders, Ryan Oca, Dan Quigley, Lihong Zhang

Yes: Dean C Goss, Judy Goss, Bill Lewis

Abstain: Carl Carlson

District 2

No: Mike Basham, Kate Lobalbo, Mary Ellen Markowitz, Eileen Toretta

Yes: Duncan Burke, Nancy Burke, Don Conway, Laura Gladstone, Jill Kelly, Michele Klosson, Wilma Nacinovich, Erica Walsh

Abstain: Aldo Pascarella

District 3

No: Louise Bavis, Martin Blanco, Judd Cohen, Thomas Conelias, Ed Lopez, Syl Pecora Sr, Steven Rubin, Allison Walsh

Yes: None

Abstain: Rosalind Nicastro

District 4:

No: Javier Aleman, Paul Cappiali, Ronald Carosella, Andrea Casson, Liz Eckert, Robert McKnight, Maria Popp, Diego Sanchez, Sam Tamm, Donald Vitti, Lucy von Brachel, Bonnie Zeh

Yes: None

Abstain None

District 5:

No: Edward Broadhurst, Nancy Cooper, Stephen Dolan, Lucy Krasnor, Hale McSharry, Paul Olmsted, Christopher Parker, Charles Parkhurst, Ashley Smith, Joan Thakor and Peter Van Duyne

Yes: Joseph Benoit, Allison “Icy” Frantz, Allison Rogers, Felix Rovelli, and Catherine Whitaker

Abstain: Danyal Ozizmir

District 6

No: Marilyn Cahn, Carol Ducret, Candace Garthwaite, Coline Jenkins, Gunnar Klintberg, Leander Krueger, Arline Lomazzo, Brian Maher, Janet McGuigan, Stephen Meskers, Jo Ann O’Hara, Barbara O’Neill, Victoria Quake, David Snyder, and Victoria Martin Young

Yes: None

Abstain: None

District 7

No: Kimberly Morgan Blank, Ellen Brennan-Galvin, Mary G Nanette Burrows, Jill Cobbs, Alice Duff, Betsy Galindo, Scott Kalb, Doreen Pearson and Elizabeth Perry

Yes: Hilary Gunn, Elizabeth MacGillivray, Elizaeth “Wynn” McDaniel, Henry Orphys, Valerie Stauffer and Luke Szymczak

Abstain: None

District 8:

No: Hector Arzeno, Lisa Becker Edmundson, Peter Berg, Kip Burgweger, Irene Dietrich, Philip Dodson, Christine Edwards, Jennifer Freitag, Dana Gordon, Richard Margenot, Janet Lee McMahon, Linda Moshier, Cheryl Moss, Robert Moss, Jonathan Perloe, Caryn Rosenbaum, and Alison Soler

Yes: Jill Capalbo, Randy Caravella, Adele Caroll, Neil Caton, Carlton “Carl” Higbie, Kons Katsigiannakis, Andrew Oliver, Molly Saleeby

Abstain: None

District 9

No: Phyllis Alexander, Claudia Carthaus, Barbara Darula, Melissa Evans, Betsy Frumin, Donna Gaudioso-Zeale, Anne Jones, Deborah Krautheim, Abbe Large, Brian Malin, Jonathan Shankman, Jane Weisbecker and Carol Zarrilli

Yes: Seth Bacon, Michael Brescia, Lauren O’Keefe, Brian Raney

Abstain: None

District 10:

No: Gerald Anderson, Jude Collins, Mareta Hamre, Katherine Hynes, Sara Kessler, John Mastracchio, Diana Singer, Louisa Stone, Sophie Veronis and Svetlona Wasserman

Yes: Allyson Cowinn, Brooks Harris, Ramya Hopley and Sheryl Sorbaro

Abstain: None

District 11:

No: Nancy Better, Victoria Bostock, Thomas Devaney, Susan Fahey, Tracy Freedman, Karen Giannuzzi, Margaret Heppelmann, Susan Khanna, Adam Leader, Dana Neuman, Richard Neuman, Greg Pauletti, Ralph Penny, Cathryn Fineman Steel, Ronald Strackbein, Gregory Zorthian

Yes: Kim Salib, Michael Spilo, Thomas West

Abstain: None

District 12

No: Hajime Agresta, Thomas Agresta, Francia Alvarez, Craig Amundson, Glen Canner, Mary Flynn, Barbara Hindman, Mary Keller, Paula Legere Mickley, Aaron Leonard, Robert May, Abigail McCarthy, Jocelyn Riddle, Andrew Winston

Yes: Frederick Lorthioir and Jane Sulich

Abstain: Jeffrey Crumbine

See also:

197 Viewers Zoom in for RTM Vote on Legality of ‘Unmask Our Kids’ Ordinance