VALDOSTA – Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson watched the governor’s press conference earlier this week and took to Facebook.

He posted video voicing his displeasure with Gov. Brian Kemp overriding local recommendations and orders for COVID-19.

In an executive order, Kemp revoked local government stay-at-home and social distancing mandates and their abilities to make new orders until April 13. 

“He took a lot of criticism for four weeks by sticking by local rule – by standing by what the GMA had been asking him since the dawn of time,” Matheson said Friday in an interview with The Valdosta Daily Times.

His main issue resides with the Georgia Municipal Association, the advisory body for the state’s mayors. The GMA started a petition asking mayors to defer to the governor for COVID-19 safety measures.

“They hand us a dang scarf when we leave the training that says ‘local rule’ on it,” Matheson said. “And then to see a petition sitting in front of me to be signed by mayors in the 500-plus cities that are part of the GMA that said ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – my permission to use my electronic signature to sign on to this petition to try and force him into more drastic measures, I went, ‘what?’ I was absolutely stunned that they had done a 180 reversal on local rule.”

Although a pandemic provides different challenges, Matheson repeated an adage about what is good for Atlanta is not always great for smaller municipalities around the state. 

“If I needed to modify or do something subtle (the governor’s orders), I have no power to do so anymore,” he said. “We have ceded that control to a blanket from the governor.”

Matheson said he believes it is a mistake for mayors to willingly give further control to the state, citing the need to practice proper “compliance” and “personal responsibility for those around you.”

“I made everything a mandate here shy of a voluntary shelter-at-home (order),” he said.

In terms of the other elements inside Kemp’s order, Matheson said he views them positively.

The order mandates all 10.6 million Georgians stay home unless conducting “essential services,” traveling to and from work, among other necessary daily activities. 

The new restrictions do not include clear definitions of “essential” or “non-essential” businesses but allows travel for businesses, corporations and nonprofits to conduct “minimum basic operations” such as manage inventory, check security and process payroll and employee benefits.

“He actually left the door open for interpretation,” Matheson said. “So if your question is, ‘can my dress shop stay open?’ Yes, if you modify the entire business model and do curbside pick-up and a thousand other things we hope you want to do anyway.”

With current epidemiological models predicting the peak of the coronavirus outbreak will be about April 23, Matheson said he expects Kemp to extend the order past its April 13 time period as COVID-19 continues to spread. 

In the meantime, the mayor maintained a simple directive for residents to follow.

“Don’t get distracted. Stay home.”