Running a city is always a challenge. During a worldwide epidemic that has cost thousands of lives and would spare no one, keeping a city going becomes that much harder.
“A lot of our employees are front line first responders and essential services…that hasn’t stopped because of coronavirus,” said Racine Mayor Cory Mason on WTMJ’s Steve Scaffidi Show.
“Our employees deserve thanks…they’re still in there every day, interacting with the public as safely as they possibly can.”
Those employees include police and firefighters who often cannot use social distancing in order to get their job done. It also includes election workers for the upcoming April 7 election.
The city does not want to risk infecting those workers if possible, so it is asking voters to do one of two options.
“If they’ve had a chance to request an absentee ballot by mail, that’s the safest thing to do,” said Mason.
“We are also encouraging people…to come in early and vote in person. You’re not going to have long lines like Election Day.”
He says that they are trying to make adjustments to help people in social distancing in order to “fulfill our duty to conduct a free and fair election,” he said.
“We’re figuring out how to allow people to do curbside voting.”
Still, he says the city is having trouble staffing the election, due to the older age of many poll workers.
“We’ve had to recruit a whole new wave of poll workers, as a lot of poll workers…are often retirees,” he said.
“A lot of them are saying ‘Given the potential impact on older Americans, I’m not going to work this election.’ “
Mason says they have recruited college and high school students in an effort to fill the needed slots.
But Mason understands that the business of a city involves the success of business – particularly small businesses that are getting financially rocked in this time.
“A lot of small businesses…are closed, like lots of places are to maintain social distancing. We’re working really hard to help them make it through this period as well.”
