BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

CANTON -- Two county legislators tried to draw parallels between statewide measures intended to stop the spread of COVID-19 and Nazi Germany.

The discussion happened during the Board of Legislators Finance Committee meeting on Monday, Oct. 26. Committee Chairman Kevin Acres, R-Madrid, had introduced a three-page resolution “opposing the unfunded mandate of enforcement of the executive orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic and calling upon the governor of the state of New York to remove the threat of loss of state aid conditioned on enforcement.”

Acres said one of his biggest issues with the executive orders is the phone number where people can report violations of the “NY on PAUSE” executive order, like gatherings of more than 50 people, or businesses where customers or employees aren’t wearing masks or social distancing. Responding to a question sent via email, Sheriff Brooks Bigwarfe told North Country This Week his office has not issued any citations, fines or penalties related to alleged violations of the PAUSE order. County Attorney Steve Button said he isn’t aware of any penalties being handed down, but there have been warning letters sent to businesses who were reported for alleged PAUSE order violations.

“While I am unaware of any fines having been issued, to date, we have issued letter warnings citing numerous businesses covering more than 100 violation complaints (approximately 140) of the NY on PAUSE provisions. We have received 827 complaints since the start on the NY on PAUSE executive orders,” Button said in an email.

“I think the problem I have is the deputizing. Everybody gets a paper badge and can rat out their neighbor, or whatever,” Acres said. “I see people up there, in St. Lawrence County, they’re wearing the masks, maintaining the social distancing.”

He said he believes the phone reporting is an “infringement of our constitutional rights.”

Following those comments, two members of the legislature tried to equate the pandemic hotline with the Holocaust, where over 6 million people were murdered.

“I agree it’s important to have reasonable protections, utilize safety precautions. I support what the governor has done. I don’t want to get people calling 1-800 numbers and ratting on their neighbors. I think it’s like (the George Orwell novel) ‘1984’ and Nazi Germany,” said Legislator Harry Smithers, R-Gouverneur.

Legislator Rita Curran, R-Massena, compared the pandemic hotline to the novel “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah. It takes place during World War II and tells the story of a French woman who initially provides a list of Jews and Communists who teach at her school to the Nazis, and they’re all fired. She later joins the French Resistance, aiding Allied forces and helping save Jewish children from being sent to concentration camps.

“I don’t think ratting each other out is helpful,” Curran said. “It’s like ‘The Nightingale’ … they had to give the names of where the Jews were in Eastern France,” Curran said.

Instead, she thinks people should be reporting illegal drug activity.

“I’d like to know where the drug dealers are,” Curran said.

Legislator John Burke, R-Norfolk, said he feels there are inconsistencies with regard to statewide pandemic regulation enforcement, but overall the state has done a good job in the fight against the coronavirus.

“I won’t be supporting this. I know there are mandates that have been issued. My question would be where have we been tagged with fines or any kind of retribution as a result of what the governor has done,” he said. “There are inconsistencies. I can’t imagine the magnitude of the job New York State and New York State Department of Health has had in trying to contain COVID. As I listen to the national news … I’m delighted to live in NYS for a number of reasons, but particularly right now because of the COVID.”

“I certainly don’t want to be giving any messages back to the governor that would indicate I’m not happy with the overall job he’s done,” he said.

The motion passed 10-5, mostly along party lines.

Yes votes came from Republicans Bill Sheridan, Harry Smithers, Larry Denesha, Acres, Dave Forsythe, Curran, Jim Reagen and Joe Lightfoot. Democrats Rick Perkins and Dan Fay also voted yes.

No votes came from Democrats Margaret Haggard, Suzanne Fiacco, Tony Arquiett and Nicole Terminelli. Burke, a Republican, also voted against the resolution.

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