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Moorhead mayor breaks tie to pause aerial mosquito spraying after public outcry
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment and a split council, Mayor Shelley Carlson cast the tie-breaking vote Aug. 11 to pause aerial permethrin spraying for one week while the council reviews its 2021 vector-control policy at an Aug. 19 workshop.
Mayor Shelley Carlson cast the deciding vote Aug. 11 to pause Moorhead’s aerial mosquito spraying for one week, following extensive public comment and a 4–4 roll-call tie among council members.
The pause, which Mayor Carlson said will allow the council to reconsider whether to keep or edit the city’s 2021 aerial-spraying policy, came after residents, advisory-committee members and several councilors debated the public-health benefits of spraying versus potential harm to pollinators and long‑term pesticide resistance.
“There's a lot of comments on social media and people are passionate about this,” Council member Lisa Borgen said during the discussion. Council members who supported a pause emphasized alternatives and additional data; Council members opposing the pause said they wanted to keep the existing matrix in place while the council studies it further.
Residents urged caution. Launice Paquin, a Moorhead resident, asked the…
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