Denver’s Democrat Mayor tweets ‘stay home’ and ‘avoid travel’ before flying to Texas for family Thanksgiving
DENVER Mayor Michael Hancock flew to Mississippi to spend Thanksgiving with his wife and daughter despite telling his constituents to avoid traveling for the holiday.
Hancock faced a number of outcries from his constituents calling foul at his push for residents of Denver to remain in the city to stop the spread of the coronavirus - despite he himself flying to Mississippi.
"As a public official, whose conduct is rightly scrutinized for the message it sends to others, I apologize to the residents of Denver who see my decision as conflicting with the guidance to stay at home for all but essential travel," Hancock continued.
"I made my decision as a husband and father, and for those who are angry and disappointed, I humbly ask you to forgive decisions that are borne of my heart and not my head," he ended.
Still, the apology was not enough for some of the Democratic mayor's critics.
"That is incredibly disappointing," said the University of Denver’s school of global health affairs head Dr. Sandy Johnson. "So many folks in the city of Denver have been doing the right thing."
"Unless there is some family emergency compelling the travel this just seems hypocritical at a time when we need leaders to lead by example," Johnson added.
State Representative Kyle Mullica said Hancock's actions come at the direct cost of the scientific community pushing for people to stay home.
"I don’t expect people to be perfect," Mullica, who is a nurse, said. "But I think there is an expectation that you essentially try to practice what you preach."
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said he hadn't spoken with Hancock about his holiday plans - but said he would only be spending Thanksgiving with his four-person family.
"That's because we care deeply about our extended family and I haven't seen my parents in nine months and that's very hard," Polis said. "Not only do I want to set the example as governor, of course, but frankly this is what we do because we love our family."
Others spoke more directly to the mayor, like Denver City Council President Stacie Gilmore who said she expects Hancock "will follow and comply with the directives he issued to all City of Denver employees and quarantine for 14 days upon his return."
"While we all miss the ability to see our friends and family during the holidays, travel is strongly discouraged by all the leading health experts," Gilmore added. "The most recent health order from the State of Colorado asks that travel be limited to 'necessary travel' for critical government and business purposes only."