And Then There Were Five

With one more vote the Omaha City Council will be able to enact an emergency mask mandate on Tuesday.

Republican Councilman Rich Pahls announcing this afternoon he will vote for the mandate, joining the four Democrats on the council.

The two remaining council members, Republicans Brinker Harding and Aimee Melton, have not said how they will vote.

An emergency ordinance takes 6 votes from the 7-member council.

Pahls says he knows his decision will be met with cheers and "a chorus of boos" but as a life-long teacher and administrator in the Millard School District he knows the primary concern of parents is the health and safety of their children.

According to Pahls, the mandate is rational policy and not "overly restrictive."

He adds, "So, my vote on this limited mask mandate is yes. And I ask, "Why not?'