Fairbanks assembly candidates Silva, Roberts spread lies about health impacts of masks

Wearing masks is not hazardous to your health, despite what Fairbanks Borough Assembly candidates Patricia Silva and Lance Roberts claim.

The latest evidence comes in two studies from the Centers for Disease Control released Friday about masks being a critical tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19. The CDC recommends that masks be worn in schools, a policy now in place in Fairbanks.

Silva has made many false and irresponsible claims about the pandemic and the federal government. She appears to be eager to broadcast any conspiracy theory that she encounters from QAnon.

She believes that thousands of bodies were buried under the White House and that COVID is not a virus, “but a bacteria that causes blood clots” and that "many of the elite Democrats” have gotten rich out of the willingness of people to be vaccinated.

In a candidate forum Friday night, she gave the following false answer to a question about whether she would support a mask or vaccine mandate at borough facilities, given the crisis in Alaska hospitals and the high number of COVID cases:

“So experts have confirmed that masks cause serious lifetime damages. They cause oxygen deprivations. They also cause something called hippocampus. (sic) It’s part of, what it does, it’s part of the brain that can’t survive more than three minutes without oxygen,” she said.

“It’s imperative that we consider setting guidelines for unmasking our children and our adults. And I do not believe in mask mandates, nor vaccine mandates.”

Silva is running against Savannah Fletcher for assembly.

“I want to start by saying the information we just heard is misinformation,” said Fletcher, who was absolutely correct. “It is false.”

“It is not,” interrupted Silva. “No it is not.” Silva said, “I’ve done my homework.”

The crowd began jeering and shouting at Fletcher, but she kept on.

“I would like my chance to speak,” Fletcher said.

“The more we spread these lies the more people are dying. Folks are dying every day in our community. And I think we need to be leaders to protect ourselves and our community and those who can’t,” Fletcher said.

“I support masks in borough buildings. I will not require vaccinations,” said Fletcher.

GVEA engineer Lance Roberts, who is running against educator Kristan Kelly, had the chance to call out Silva’s lies, but he echoed them.

“So while I agree with Ms. Silva, what we really need to look at, the real issue is that the borough is not allowed to do it. No. 1, constitutionally. No. 2, U.S. statutes. No. 2, (sic) the state has not given it the ability. The borough is a second-class borough. The people have not given it the ability. They do not have the right to take away your God-given rights and decide on their on what you can do. They have no right to create any kind of mandates and it’s just going too far. And I will never support the borough doing mandates anywhere that they have control.”

Kelly said that the borough has limited health powers, but it could act with emergency orders.

“That said, it’s a travesty when elected public officials denigrate medicine, science and expertise. Our hospitals are in crisis. Doctors are asking for help,” Kelly said.

“We’re in a pandemic. This is about what’s doing right for our community for a short time during a global pandemic,” Kelly said.

The continual disruptions, harassment and yelling at the forum should be cause for concern in Fairbanks.

The event was sponsored by the Tanana Valley League of Women Voters, with help from KUAC and the Daily News-Miner.

Freedom of expression is essential, but at Friday’s event, screaming and yelling became a weapon to try and bully others into silence.

David Guttenberg tried to answer the question about masks by talking about responsibility to each other and leadership and the borough’s limited health powers. The hospital is in crisis, he said.

Members of the anti-mask crowd didn’t want to hear him, but Guttenberg had it right.

“You need to be more civil in these events. So if you would please do that for all of our sake, just be civil,” he said.

If jeering, booing, harassment and yelling become the normal audience behavior for local political events when controversial topics are discussed, there will soon be no reasonable candidates running for local office because they won’t want to put up with it.

KUAC-FM has posted the complete audio. The exchanges quoted her took place in the borough assembly portion.

Your contributions help support independent analysis and political commentary by Alaska reporter and author Dermot Cole. Thank you for reading and for your support. Either click here to use PayPal or send checks to: Dermot Cole, Box 10673, Fairbanks, AK 99710-0673