The BDN is making the most crucial coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact in Maine free for all readers. Click here for all coronavirus stories. You can join others committed to safeguarding this vital public service by purchasing a subscription or donating directly to the newsroom.
WINDHAM — The town council passed a resolution Thursday night that declares all businesses essential, a push to get businesses that remain closed back open, WGME reported.
Chairman Jarrod Maxfield acknowledged this resolution is non-binding, meaning businesses can not yet open, but it’s who this resolution is aimed toward that he says matters: the governor and the legislature.
Windham joins Gorham, which passed a similar resolution on June 3, in protesting lockdown regulations both towns leaders describe as too severe. The towns are not alone. A Bethel restaurant co-owner reopened in early May, drawing more than 150 customers, in a deliberate act of disobedience that was at the time the clearest example of tensions boiling over in Maine about the pandemic restrictions. He said he was protesting inconsistencies in a state order that barred dine-in restaurant service as part of an order that he said favored big businesses and hurt smaller operators such as his.
[Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county]
Windham’s resolution differs from Gorham’s in several ways, including with its call upon the Legislature to immediately reconvene to tackle COVID-19 issues related to business.
The most significant change is that their message to lawmakers and public health officials is to start looking at Windham and other towns, and make a decision based on the numbers.
“We have the benefit that Gorham didn’t have of having the new ZIP Code-based data that came out last week,” Maxfield said. “Windham is a town of more than 18,000 with 37 cases. We are lumped in with Cumberland County because we are part of Cumberland County, but we’re also asking [Maine Gov. Janet] Mills to perhaps find a more granular way, if possible, or perhaps look at more towns on a town-by-town basis.”
Watch: Janet Mills announces changes to June 1 reopening phase
[bdnvideo id=”2979650″]