PARIS, Maine — The leaders of a town in western Maine say a mandate that people wear masks during the pandemic violates the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The Paris Select Board members, all of whom were wearing masks, unanimously passed the resolution on Monday night.
The ADA, adopted in 1990, prohibits the discrimination against people with disabilities.
The executive director of Disability Rights Maine, an advocacy group for the disabled, said she supports the governor’s mandates and called the resolution “a form of misguided civil disobedience.”
Per executive orders from Gov. Janet Mills, Maine people are required to wear face coverings in public settings, regardless of the ability to maintain physical distance.
Another anti-mask resolution similarly caused controversy among Androscoggin County Commissioners and their community in recent weeks. In a 1-6 vote, Androscoggin County Commissioners on Feb. 17 voted down the resolution.
The virtual meeting on Feb. 17 came after several un-masked supporters showed up to speak out on the issue at a meeting two weeks ago, and after Androscoggin County Sheriff Eric Samson said he and his deputies would no longer attend meetings in person unless the mask mandate was enforced.
County Commissioner Isiah Lary, a Republican, proposed the resolution that stated no county official can enforce masking orders in the county, which is home to Lewiston, the state's second-largest city—calling the Gov. Janet Mills' mask mandate "unconstitutional."
Lary was the only commissioner to vote for the resolution in the meeting Wednesday.
