MONROE — The Monroe Common Council once again dealt with the fluoridated water issue, and it all ended with the mayor vetoing an amendment — setting fluoride levels to zero — to continue “ensuring the health and safety of our residents.”

That was in a statement released following another Common Council debate Monday night about whether the municipal water supply should continue adding fluoride — reflecting an anti-movement nationwide that has gathered steam, especially with the new administration’s public health changes and Robert Kennedy’s ascent to health secretary. 

But Mayor Donna Douglas vetoed it for Monroe, nonetheless.

“The decision is crucial that the city maintains the public measure,” said the mayor in a statement released after a lengthy March 3 meeting largely devoted to a public hearing on the matter.

City Administrator Brittney Rindy clarified the mayor’s action, considering a previous vote on the chemical.

“The vote at Monday’s meeting was to approve the amendment to the original motion to vote on an ordinance that would reflect fluoridating the water at zero concentration,” she wrote, via email on Thursday. “The amended motion was approved, then the vote to approve an ordinance with zero level concentration of Fluoride was approved with a 4-3 vote.”

The zero-level amendment was proposed at Monday’s meeting by outgoing Ald. Andrew Kranig, but then came the mayor’s nascent veto.

Rindy continued: “The Mayor has the opportunity to veto action taken by the Council. Her veto cancels their action to stop fluoridation, and our current ordinance for Fluoridation remains in effect. The Council will have an opportunity to overturn her veto on Monday, March 17… to override a veto of the Mayor, two-thirds majority is required.”

Indeed, when the council meets again on March 17, a super-majority vote will be required to override the mayor’s veto. Thus, overriding the veto would require the support of at least six council members.

The fact that the measure keeps coming up seems to have irked a few on the council, including Ald. Tom Miller, who noted that the council has been “bombarded with emails from people throughout the world” on the fluoride issue, which at one point at the Oct. 21, 2024 meeting, had a dentist chiming in remotely from the UK.

But Miller, who is not running again for council, continued to argue his point.

“We need to take care by the people who elected us, go by what they want,” said Miller. “An amendment is just going to hurt this town and its people.”

Fluoride, many experts, and dentists say, strengthens tooth enamel, which protects teeth from the acids produced by bacteria in the mouth. This prevents cavities and reverses early signs of tooth decay. Fluoride is naturally found in soil, water, and plants, but the levels are usually too low to prevent cavities. Many communities — including Monroe — add fluoride to their water supply to help prevent cavities. 

But voices in the crowd and council were decidedly split on the matter again on Monday, although those who supported continued fluoridation seemed to be a majority. Still, little agreement emerged on whom owned the majority viewpoint.

“Trusting the science and trusting in the experts is not a democracy, whatsoever,” said Kranig. “Everybody in this community needs to make a decision, make a choice and by leaving it in, where’s the choice (to avoid fluoride…)”

Miller countered that its only a vocal minority who want to remove it. 

“I think it’s a big mistake removing it, and we need to do what the people who elected us want,” he said. “The city council wastes so much time on this, we got other things we gotta’ deal with.”

Ald. Mary Jane Grenzow also supported Miller’s view.

Ald. Richard Thoman, for his part, said “I’m not sure where we’re getting where the majority in Monroe wants to keep the fluoride unless we poll everybody.”

He maintained that Fluoride is a toxic danger in the water supply writ large and that many communities and localities are eliminating fluoride, citing the uncertain risks.