The mayor of Beaumont, Texas, broke the state’s stay-at-home order to get help with her manicure.
Mayor Becky Ames issued an apology after she was spotted in an Instagram post, getting her nails done at a salon that was ordered to close as part of the state’s stay-at-home order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Ames’s visit to The Nail Bar outraged many, who reported the mayor and the salon to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Recommended Stories
The Republican told 12News that she was not trying to get a new manicure but had called the nail salon to have help removing her last manicure and asked to have some acetone left out for her to use at home. When she got to the salon, she claims the owner had the acetone poured and offered to do it for her.
She said the whole interaction took 10 minutes, and it was only her and the manicurist in the building. The Department of Licensing and Regulation is going to review security footage from the store to confirm Ames’s story. The owner of the salon, however, could still face a fine of $1,000 for serving a customer during the stay-at-home order.
“My heartfelt apology to all of the citizens of Beaumont for my lapse in judgment on Tuesday, April 21st. I promise that there was no malice intended. I should never have entered the salon last Tuesday,” Ames said in a statement addressing the situation.
She continued, “I did not intend to take personal privilege while asking others to sacrifice, and for that, I am truly remorseful. As an elected official I am held to a higher standard, I regret my action that day. I am honestly sorry and I pray that you will forgive me.”
Ames also said that she asked the City Council to add her situation to the agenda of the next meeting so that she can address her actions before the city.
