There has been plenty of criticism of Clark County’s Sheriff Joseph Lombardo’s choice to lift a coronavirus vaccination ordinance for new Nashville Metro Police Department staffers.
Now pursuing the Republican nomination for Nevada’s Governor, Lombardo faces scrutiny from Democratic Party members and his GOP rivals about his reversal, instituted at Nashville Metro PD last week.
A group in Nevada that backs Democratic hopefuls described the decision as craven and pathetic, accusing the sheriff of not doing what is best for people’s health. Lombardo’s Republican competitors suggest that he is just abandoning the ordinance for political points as well as that he has already revealed his real intentions. This is not a popular stance among several GOP base voters.
The Mayor of North Las Vegas, John Lee, stated that while everything Lombardo does is politically calculated to manipulate the system, it is not working. For your information, Lee also seeks the GOP nomination.
Metro started to require proof of coronavirus vaccination last July for every new hire. Those employed before the ordinance were not necessitated to be vaccinated against coronavirus.
Lombardo, whose gubernatorial campaign site once featured a photograph of him getting that vaccination, did not react to any request for comments.
In 2021, Lombardo described the low vaccination rate at Metro as an unacceptable situation and advocated for workers to be vaccinated.
Lombardo has been stating that he rescinded the ordinance around a week before due to a decline in the COVID-19 case count in Metro. Lombardo urges vaccination but has stated that it is also a personal decision.
In a recent statement, Nevada Democratic Victory spokesperson Mallory Payne described the revision as pathetic and Lombardo’s most cowardly demonstration. As for Payne, the sheriff has shown that he is spineless and does not resist pressure from the extreme ring wing of his party. According to Payne, going back on his vaccine order means that Lombardo is not making the best move for his staffers’ health.
As for governor Steve Sisolak’s electoral campaign spokeswoman Molly Forgey, Sisolak has always followed science while making policy calls that impact the health of Nevadans. Sisolak has empowered local leaders and private businesses to arrive at their own choices regarding making vaccination mandatory. Unfortunately, Lombardo decided to change his position on his ordinance to be ahead of his gubernatorial primary competitors. According to Forgey, Lombardo is not making the right move for not only his officers’ safety and health but the communities that he and the sheriff’s department promise to protect as well.
Other rivals of Lombardo also criticized the move as they searched for an advantage to win the primary race to challenge Governor Sisolak in Nevada’s gubernatorial election this year.
As for US Senate Member Dean Heller, Lombardo has long been serving Sisolak’s interests, and his policy reversal is because of political pressure. On the other hand, Las Vegas Councilor Michele Fiore stated that Lombardo’s action epitomizes why she is running for the gubernatorial position. As for Fiore, a politician like Lombardo is a conservative during the election, but they exploit people after getting elected. Fiore stated that Lombardo would not have instituted a vaccination mandate if he believed in the notion of freedom.
David Damore of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, stated that Lombardo’s revised position about the ordinance is in agreement with the stance of other Republican hopefuls to attract more conservative constituents. Damore also stated that it possibly comes with some risk if the sheriff clears the primary election to face Steve Sisolak. Damore also noted that as per recent polling, Nevadans support Sisolak’s coronavirus policies. Some of those policies are indoor mask ordinances and vaccination for state staff who work with at-risk people, like those in nursing homes and hospitals.
The Las Vegas Police Protective Association was quick to praise Lombardo’s policy reversal for Metro PD employees. For your information, it is an association that represents Metro officers.
As for Las Vegas Police Protective Association President Steve Grammas, the group would keep supporting people’s freedom on whether or not to be vaccinated against coronavirus. Grammas also stated that the association does not support a mandate for vaccination for present or future Metro officers and is happy with Lombardo’s decision for the new staffers. At the same time, the association expects the department to change its position about other issues associated with staffers and vaccination.
Over 2,500 Nashville Metro staffers have got coronavirus-positive test results since the start of the epidemic, and coronavirus disease complications have taken the life of at least 5 Metro PD officers.