UPDATE: Local Leadership should be more than an imaginary piece of paper
l3wis 
Update: TenHaken was featured on Meet the Press this morning, it seems he has simply gave up because of Trump’s rhetoric. Really?!
CHUCK TODD:
I want to ask you, get you to react to something here from the mayor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a Republican. I spoke with him on Friday. I’m guessing you’re going to empathize with what he has to say. It’s, again, a Republican mayor of Sioux Falls. Take a listen.
MAYOR PAUL TENHAKEN:
Trying to enforce any government restrictions now at this point in the game, even if, even if I felt that was the right thing to do, it’s a non-starter in the community right now. It’s difficult for us at the local level. It’s difficult for us as local leaders, county commissioners, mayors to deal with how politicized this has gotten, and it makes it frustrating.
I’m willing to bet Paul that the people who have made mask wearing political in our town are about 20% and last I checked they are NOT a majority. Do the right thing and push a public mask wearing mandate. For those that don’t want to comply, oh well, they can stay home, I don’t want to see them anyway.
We have already seen the story;
Sixteen mayors of South Dakota’s largest cities sent a letter calling for the public’s action to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
First of all, I am confused as to where this letter was sent? I certainly did NOT get it in the mail or my email box, so I wonder about its effectiveness. I also don’t know if they are providing new information;
We are writing to you with a simple ask, but one that we need everyone to take seriously. We need you to do your part. It is crucial that we are all aware of our behaviors. Wear a mask when physical distancing cannot be maintained, keep your social interactions to small groups, wash your hands frequently, clean frequently touched surfaces often, and stay home if you feel sick. These may seem like small actions, but can make a big difference during this current surge we are experiencing in our state.
These mayors are pretty much telling us something we have known about for a long time and should already be doing. At this point, I’m not sure what this even means.
Councilor Starr thinks we should do more and have some better planning;
Asked what measures he had in mind to address the disease in the city, Starr said that’s why he had requested the update.
“That’s the point that we need to hear from the medical professionals,” Starr said, adding that there are some actions “that are more palatable than others.”
“Are we at a point where we’re overloading our health care systems?” he asked. “Our workers?”
This is what REAL leadership does, they recognize an issue, they gather the information, and they put a plan in motion. Sometimes that is legislative, sometimes it is less restrictive, but we can certainly agree penning a letter in the form of a PDF making ‘strong’ suggestions isn’t going to stop the spread of this virus. In fact the mayors that signed this electronic document should be embarrassed and ashamed at their lack of real leadership on this issue.
It’s going to be a very long winter.
