Even though I was already live on the radio, I had planned on monitoring the mandatory mask meeting live via their web stream from the Gallatin City-County Health Board Tuesday morning. But by 715 or so when I tried to find the live stream, there was nothing there.

And that's when the phone calls started rolling in- not just from Bozeman, but from elsewhere across the state. The reports we received said there were too many folks in attendance to protest a proposal making masks mandatory that the city-county health board instead shut the meeting down. This, after opponents refused to leave the room due to state mandates limiting crowd size.


After the meeting was cancelled, callers told me they were impressed with Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin. The sheriff stayed behind afterwards and answered questions from the public. As Perrin Stein reports:

He urged the crowd to go to the Montana Legislature if they want to change laws they disagree with.

He also said if the health board approved a mask mandate, the sheriff’s office wouldn’t issue criminal citations to violators.

 

More From Montana Talks