WEST SENECA, N.Y. — First, it was Town of Marilla supervisor Earl Gingerich pushing back against Erie County's mask mandate.
West Seneca town supervisor Gary Dickson is doing the same, saying in a statement that "mask and vaccine mandates are counterproductive and abusive of residents’ rights."
Dickson says Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz's recent emergency order regarding masks does not address the root cause of the hospital problem.
In addition, Dickson is calling on the county executive to meet with local leaders to come up with a plan to increase hospital capacity instead of requiring masks and proof of vaccination for the public.
"It's a mystery. You remember way back at the beginning of the pandemic, you had St. Joseph's, they were looking at other places to handle an increase in COVID cases, and it seems like we just forgot all about that," Dickson said.
2 On Your Side reached out to Erie County for a response. A spokesperson said, "Erie County will continue to work closely with hospitals and with New York to address capacity issues, which are real and can't be ignored."
In Marilla, Earl Gingerich said he made the decision to defy a new mask mandate for Erie County at a time when COVID cases are spiking.
“I did officially notify the Erie County Health Department last evening. I sent a fax down to their (health) department stating our position and kindly asking them to not to come to the Town of Marilla to enforce that mandate,” Gingerich said.
Just down the road from the Marilla Town Hall is one of the busiest spots around, the Marilla County Store, where a steady flow of customers abided by the owners' decision to make wearing a mask a condition of entering the store.
“I understand advocating for everyone’s personal rights and freedoms and decisions. The town government does not speak for our business, however. We have to make the decisions we feel best serve our customers, and our employees, and the longevity of this business,” co-owner Sandra Grunzweig said.