Why can’t leaders lead on vax mandate?
Why is Phoenix City Manager Jeff Barton the one making the decision to require all 14,000 municipal employees to get the COVID-19 jab or else?
A city spokesperson told The Arizona Republic a decision to comply with President Joe Biden’s executive order is under Barton’s discretion because he manages employees.
That might be technically and legally correct. But give me a break.
Phoenix residents didn’t elect Barton. They elected Mayor Kate Gallego and the other eight council members who make up the Phoenix City Council. They picked Barton, who answers directly to them.
It’s hard to believe Barton made that decision entirely on his own without Gallego’s and the council’s blessing.
Don’t get me wrong. I want everyone to get vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19 and its variants because it has been scientifically proven to prevent death.
But I also believe in this case it should be the elected officials — the ones who answer to voters — who make such key and controversial decisions as a vaccine mandate. They did it last year when the city issued a mask mandate. Gallego and the council issued a declaration then, but why not now?
Apparently, the Phoenix City Council (or at least the majority) saw fit to throw Barton under the bus by letting him be the one to decide.
Barton told employees in a letter that requests for religious or medical exemptions should be done by Dec. 31. Otherwise, everyone should be vaccinated by Jan. 18.
At least half of Phoenix employees had already been vaccinated by Oct. 19, according to The Republic’s reporting. Those who don’t comply “will be contacted and subject to progressive discipline up to and including termination.”
Barton explained the decision was made based on the requirements under Biden’s September executive order that all federal employees and contractors must require workers to get the vaccine.
Phoenix has federal contracts and “as such, all city employees are subject to the provisions outlined in the executive order,” a letter to employees said.
That might be right — and, again, I understand that getting people vaccinated is of the essence. That’s not what this is about.
The point is that Gallego and the City Council — the ones answering to voters — should have been the ones making the decision, not the city administrator.
The least they could do now is publicly state their positions. Conservative Council Member Sal DiCiccio called it “disgusting” and a “witch hunt.”
What is the position of the rest of them? A spokesperson for Gallego didn’t immediately return The Republic’s request for comment when it first reported the story.
On Friday, ABC 15 Reporter Nicole Grigg followed Gallego to her automobile shouting questions over the vaccine mandate to no avail.
Phoenix residents deserve to know where each council member stands on this vaccine mandate. They elected them, not Barton.