WI Governor Ever's personal assistant died

[racer254]

MADISON (WKOW) -- Gov. Tony Evers announced Monday the man who died in a tubing accident on the Sugar River in Green County over the weekend was his personal assistant.

In a news release from the governor, he remembered 25-year-old Ben Belzer as "incomparable" and "remarkably talented."

“Kathy and I and my team are stunned by the loss of Ben this past weekend. It’s unimaginable that he’s gone.

Ben was simply incomparable. He was remarkably talented and, even at 25, thoughtful and mature beyond his years. He was exceptionally bright and inquisitive, and he had a thirst for knowledge and understanding of our state and our world. He brought out the best of us with his wit, never shying away from a laugh even in the most frustrating of times. Ben was always optimistic about how we could be part of making this world a better place. He brought an unrelenting joy and drive to his job and the work we do each day, and it resonated with every person we met, everywhere we went.

Months ago, as we asked folks to limit their interactions to a circle of five people or less during this pandemic, and someone asked who was among my five people—Ben was. I am grateful and humbled that I had the great fortune of spending as much time with Ben as I did. I talk frequently of our Wisconsin values of kindness, respect, empathy, and compassion—Ben was truly the embodiment of these qualities. Through the most challenging of times since joining our team and especially these past few months, Ben came to work in earnest service of the people of Wisconsin and he did it with unmatched enthusiasm, grace, and humility. I could never have asked for a better partner in serving the people of our state.

We are devastated by Ben’s death, and our thoughts and prayers are with Ben’s family and friends as we all mourn the loss of an exceptional young man who was taken from us far, far too soon.”

Gov. Tony Evers Office

Belzer joined the governor's office as a personal assistant in February of 2019. The release said he was raised in La Crosse and graduated from UW-Madison.

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You may be wondering why I bothered posting this.   Well, this particular tubing spot has been in the news lately regarding COVID-19, So while this is a tragic situation, the underlying issue really shows how hypocritical EVERS and people around him are acting.   On one hand he wants masks, social distancing, etc and yet his very own personal assistant was visiting places that they consider to be a problem.

ALBANY, Wis. (WMTV) - Concerns over long lines outside a Green County business over the holiday weekend sparked a renewed warning from public health officials.

A video posted to social media on the Fourth of July holiday is circulating online. It shows crowds lined up waiting outside S&B Tubing.

“I didn’t really notice too many people had masks on nor were they social distancing.” said Crystal, the woman who posted the video online. Crystal says she wanted to go tubing with her boyfriend Saturday but decided to turn around when she saw the long lines of people waiting to rent their equipment and lack of physical distancing.

She isn’t the only one with concerns. “Green County Public Health has received a number of messages from concerned community members regarding the crowds turning out to tube on the Sugar River,” says local public health director, RoAnn Warden.

Warden says her department has been in contact with S&B Tubing about safety concerns and plans to reach out again this week.

In Green County there are no capacity limits on businesses or mandates, but all are encouraged to practice social distancing and wear masks. Tuesday the county event launched a Mask Up Campaign. Warden says the goal of this initiative is to educate about masks, promote mask wearing, and make masks accessible. This comes as the county continues to see an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Warden says the department has encouraged S&B to move their business to online appointments to control crowds and provided other guidance.

NBC15 spoke to the owner of S&B Tubing Tuesday. She says she contacted the local health department before the business opened for the season and asked about safety precautions. She says she was given little guidance other than the suggestion for online reservations, which she says is not practical for the nature of the business.

She says customers are encouraged to wear masks and socially distance but that there’s only so much they can do to police it. She also says other tubing companies are operating similarly right now and doesn’t know why her business is being singled out. She wants customers to come and have a good time safely.

NBC15 asked the health department how their recommended safety guidance could be enforced. “If there was an outbreak of the disease that’s connected with the tubing industry, there is a local ordinance where we could impose mitigation methods on the owners,” said Warden.

Crystal says posting the video was not about blaming the business. She says this isn’t the businesses fault but that this is about people respecting one another.

“A lot of people including myself were out of work when things shut down. There’s still a lot of people out of work and it’s not going to get better until people start taking things seriously,” she says.

https://www.nbc15.com/2020/07/07/concern-over-weekend-crowds-at-tubing-business-in-albany/

Edited July 20, 2020 by racer254

[racer254]

This is exactly why there are people around this country are calling BULLSHIT on the recommendations to STAY AT HOME, WEAR MASKS, etc.

Here is the assistant to a Dem Governor out in crowds where social distancing is almost impossible.   If the governor's own assistant doesn't want to follow the recommendations, why should someone else?