Republican Oklahoma Mayor Accuses GOP State Rep. of Threats, Harassment Over Mask Order, Says He Wanted to Meet in 'Gun Shop'

Yukon, Oklahoma, Mayor Shelli Selby recently accused a Republican State Representative of making threats and harassment over her recent emergency proclamation requiring masks for restaurant and bar workers.

According to the Yukon Progress News, a two-page police report was recently taken down by Yukon Police Major Matt Fairchild and it includes a letter written by Shelby that was sent to State Rep. Charles McCall, speaker of the House, in Yukon.

"On July 29th, at about 2:45 p.m., Shelli Selby came and spoke to Chief (John) Corn at the Yukon Police Department regarding her belief that she is the subject of continued harassment," the report written by Fairchild reads, according to the Yukon Progress News.

The newspaper also included a copy of the letter Shelby sent to McCall.

The letter begins with Shelby writing, "It is my duty to inform you that Representative Jay Steagall (District 43) has exceeded his authority as an elected leader and conducted himself in a manner that is unbecoming as a State Representative of Oklahoma."

She then describes the details of her emergency mask order, which requires food service personnel to wear masks, as well as mandating social distancing in "in any venue with theatre style seating" and "also mandated the wearing of a mask at any city managed building."

"Since my signed proclamation, Representative Steagall has harassed, ridiculed, demeaned, and threatened me in direct response to the painstaking decision that I made as Mayor of my city," the letter adds.

In the letter, Selby goes on to detail her different encounters with Steagall and how she felt threatened by him, over her mask order. According to the letter, Selby's first encounter with Steagall came after he requested a meeting with her that she accepted.

"When meeting with him, he alluded to people who wanted to 'take me down' and that he wanted to help me. In that meeting, he said that he had reviewed the proclamation and compared it to the Yukon city charter and said that the mandate was illegal," the letter reads.

The letter then states that Steagall called on of Selby's friends to let her know the mayor was "in "big trouble" and that "people were out to get me."

"Fifteen minutes later he called asking for a meeting at his gun shop. I thought a state representative asking a sitting mayor to meet him at his private business was inappropriate, I refused," Selby added in her letter. "I have also learned that Representative Steagall has talked to restaurants directly telling them to actively disobey my lawful proclamation. He has told them openly that my mandate is illegal and employees should quit wearing their masks."

Her letter comes after Steagall issued a statement on the letter, saying, "The mayor does not have the authority to issue the content of that emergency proclamation that she thinks she does," according to the Yukon Progress News.

"A municipality can't enact or enforce a rule, regulation or ordinance that is inconsistent with state law. There's no state law authorizing any government entity in the state to put anyone in a mask. So that's an issue," Steagall continued.

Newsweek reached out to Selby and Steagall for comment but did not receive responses in time for publication.