Oklahoma GOPer tells mayor she's 'in big trouble' for food-service mask mandate -- and invites her to gun shop to discuss
An Oklahoma mayor felt so uncomfortable by repeated contacts from a state lawmaker that she filed a police report for "harassment and intimidation."
According to Yukon Progress News, Oklahoma state Rep. Jay Steagall, a Republican, was so irate about servers in restaurants wearing masks that he lodged a campaign against the city's mayor to get rid of them.
The City of Yukon was one of those in Oklahoma to reopen first before the state's larger Oklahoma City, and Tulsa began a phased reopening. But Yukon's mayor mandated that restaurant and bar staff must continue to wear face-coverings when serving food to the public.
Mayor Shelli Selby explained that she felt no other choice but to file the report after Steagall's alleged "harassment."
"On July 29th, at about 2:45 p.m., Shelli Selby came and spoke to Chief (John) Corn at the Yukon Police Department regarding her belief that she is the subject of continued harassment," the police report said, according to Yukon Progress.
"It should be noted, Selby is the Mayor of the City of Yukon. Mayor Selby provided the attached letter indicating she was being harassed and intimidated for political reasons by Jay Steagall, who is a House Representative for the State of Oklahoma."
The mayor said that his comments made her feel threatened. She also sent a letter to the House Speaker questioning the behavior of the state legislator.
"It is my duty to inform you that Representative Jay Steagall (District 43) has exceeded his authority as an elected leader and conducted himself in a manner that is unbecoming as a State Representative of Oklahoma," the mayor wrote in her letter. "As a leader and steward of the House of Representatives, I request that you review and address this matter as soon as prudent.
"In June of this year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I signed an emergency proclamation making it mandatory for food service personnel to wear a mask while working with food intended to be served to the general public," the letter continued.
"Since my signed proclamation, Representative Steagall has harassed, ridiculed, demeaned, and threatened me in direct response to the painstaking decision that I made as Mayor of my city," she also said, recalling her first encounter with the city's state legislator.
Their first meeting, which he requested and she agreed to, included a comment from Steagall that people wanted to "take me down," she recalled.
"In that meeting, he said that he had reviewed the proclamation and compared it to the Yukon city charter and said that the mandate was illegal," the mayor continued. "This assertion is directly contradicted by my legal counsel and has been affirmed by multiple opinions. He further went on to say that people were going to sue me and the city and that if they did, he would back them 100% and they would win."
She then asked who the people were that he referenced, but he refused to say.
"Later that day, a meeting was held with the Honorable Retired Judge Gary Miller and members of both city management and members of the city council," she explained. "In this meeting, Representative Steagall attempted to intimidate and berate Retired Judge Miller in saying that the mandate was illegal."
Steagall then proceeded to demand additional meetings with the Mayor through a friend of hers and a city councilmember. He allegedly said that the mayor was in "big trouble" and that "people were out to get me," and she should speak with him to ensure her safety.
Steagall then called the mayor, asking for her to meet him at his gun shop.
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