WESTPORT — Third-party first selectman candidate T.J. Elgin weighed in Sunday about First Selectman Jim Marpe’s decision to allow fitness businesses, including the Westport-Weston Family Y, to allow people to work out without masks, calling it confusing and frustrating.

Describing the town’s guidelines as inconsistent as they relate to schools in particular, Elgin asked why fitness businesses were allowed this option, while parents were not allowed into the school buildings without proof of vaccination.

“I have not discovered any evidence or town ordinance that supports what our current administration is doing, by banning parents from entering schools and forcing individuals to display vaccine cards to enter government buildings,” Elgin said.

“The World Health Organization states children ages five and under should not be required to use a mask, while children ages six to 11 should only use a mask if they meet specific criteria,” his campaign said in a statement.

“Why is our town ignoring WHO guidance that appears to be working for many other countries?” Elgin said.

He said that while students are eating lunch outside with their masks off, they are allowed to get snacks indoors without masks.

“We need a consistent message that is based on expert guidance and not political motivations,” Elgin said. “I would start by replacing the health director with a physician, as opposed to the current administration keeping Mark Cooper.”

Last month Elgin’s running mate, Louis D’Onofrio, the former director of community health at the Westport-Weston Health District, brought a lawsuit against Cooper, claiming intolerable conditions in the work environment and citing other issues, including allegations of the mismanagement of funds.

D’Onofrio, a Westport parent, said that frustrations with the WWHD and failures to address them prompted him to run for the Board of Selectmen as a third-party candidate.