I would have thought that I would be excited about the election of the first woman governor of Arkansas, but I would have been wrong. This particular woman with her far-right agenda makes that impossible.

I had sincerely hoped that we would not have to revisit a ban on mask mandates. What about when the next pandemic comes to our state? There is little doubt that an even more deadly virus will strike at some point. We have already seen that many people in our state are apparently not that concerned about their fellow citizens and refuse to voluntarily wear masks. This ban makes no sense and could be tragic for our elderly and compromised individuals. In addition, I would think that many businesses would be hesitant to relocate to an area that could be hazardous to workers’ health. I would also think that it could lead to lawsuits against whomever was deemed to be at fault in the deaths of our citizens.

In my opinion, the first woman governor of Arkansas may well destroy many people’s well-being. I hope that voters will remember this nonsensical action in four years!

CATHERINE LAMB

Little Rock