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NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico has changed his opinion on masks after proposing a mandatory mask ordinance in the city.

This comes after he received a lot of criticism last month for attending his daughter’s wedding in Florida. Photos showed the mayor at the gathering without a mask.

Monday night during the City Council meeting, 138 people submitted public comments and 13 people spoke on this topic.

Naperville officials proposed two options that would require or encourage protective face coverings in public within the City of Naperville.

The 150 comments came both in support and opposition of a mandate.

The mayor responded to the criticism he received, saying his family has been the center of unsolicited attention due to the wedding.

But Mayor Chirico said he is an elected official who is subject to public attention, but that his family and children should not be.

He said his family followed all CDC guidelines and were tested for COVID before and after the wedding.

But Monday, he changed his opinion on mandating a mask in public.

“However, I didn’t run for mayor to impose restrictive mandates on our community and on our citizen’s daily lives. And having just visited a state with an open economy and no mask mandate, I have witnessed first-hand that less regulation can be just as safe and lead to better results,” said Mayor Steve Chirico. “For that reason, I don’t think a mask mandate that should be instituted at this time.”

The mayor said a mask mandate is better regulated on a state and national level. He did say that face coverings are still necessary in controlling COVID-19 and encourages people to wear masks as a personal responsibility.