Wednesday, March 24, 2021 

Edmond’s police department began its effort to equip all of its officers with body cameras in 2016. In 2019, three years after the project began, officers who were not wearing body cameras fatally shot 17-year-old Isaiah Lewis.

In January, the Edmond City Council voted to purchase enough cameras to fully equip the city’s officers by May. But asked what he would tell residents who were frustrated by the past delays, Davis, who voted to purchase the cameras, said he did not know why there was a delay in fully rolling out the program.

“What I would tell the community is the why of why that happened,” he said. “I don’t have a specific reason today, but I could easily research and find out what they are. We need to tell the community that we started the program, and now we’ve completed it. Sometimes we start an initial plan, and it doesn’t come out exactly the way you want it to, but it’s essential we tell the community why. The good thing is all of our patrol officers will have body cameras.”

Walters said that when projects encounter problems, making sure the public knows is critical.

“The mayor is the face (of the community),” he said. “It’s being able to get out and explain any of these issues that we have frustrations with with our constituents. I understand it’s easier said than done. But one of the reasons I’m running (on) is that, as an entrepreneur, we have to get things done or people will start going elsewhere. Body cameras is such an easy thing for everyone to agree on, but then on the back end, how do we get that done? We have to push things through.”

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While Walters and Davis agreed on many issues, masks and their role in reducing the spread of the novel coronavirus that has killed nearly 560,000 Americans was not one of them.

Davis voted for Edmond’s mask ordinance — which expired this week — multiple times as a councilmember, a decision he said was backed by science and guidance from public health officials.

“I was listening to the medical community that we listened to before on many other issues, and they were saying that we needed to wear masks,” Davis said. “I am concerned for our first responders that are out there. Our police and fire. The medical community. Our teachers that are out there. Those are my concerns. So yes, I do stand by initial votes that I’ve had over the pandemic.”

Walters said he doesn’t favor mask ordinances because it is a personal freedom issue.

“I’m running on a stance that my number one belief is that the function of government is to protect the individual’s God-given rights through the Constitution,” he said. “I’m a big believer that we’re in a community, that you present this option to the business owners and the citizens. And we had that for a whole, and then we went into a mandate.”

Walters added that he wouldn’t have required masks in city buildings as mayor. When asked if he believes masks help to curb the spread of the virus, he said he doesn’t know.

“I’m not exactly sure. I’m not a doctor,” Walters said. “I stay out of the scientific side of it. I feel like politicians have crossed over as doctors, and I feel like doctors have become politicians. Science is ever-evolving (…) I just don’t know. I don’t follow it that much. My issue with it was never a science issue, it was a liberty issue.”

The CDC and the World Health Organization both have said masks help prevent the spread of the virus. A study by Yale University last year found that weekly increases in per-capita mortality were four times lower in places where masks were the norm or recommended by the government compared to other regions where masks were not encouraged or required.

To read the rest of the full article please visit nondoc.com/2021/03/24/edmond-mayoral-candidates-disagree-on-masks/