PORT ANGELES – The state Representatives and Senator from the 24TH Legislative District this week sent a letter to Gov. Inslee asking he allow Clallam County to commence “Phase 2” of the coronavirus recovery plan.
In the letter, Senator Kevin Van De Wege and Representatives Mike Chapman and Steve Tharinger argue that, like Jefferson and Grays Harbor Counties, Clallam County has a small population and has had only a small number of confirmed cases, all of which were contracted in other counties.
Jefferson and Grays Harbor counties are also within the 24th District, and wer allowed to commence “Phase 2” of reopening this week.
Representative Mike Chapman told KONP’s “Todd Ortloff Show” why he signed the letter.
“In this case we were saying, ‘Hey, you’ve opened up two of the three counties we represent, you put the county in the middle in this separate category, but yet the cases are similar. The economies are similar’. What I’ve heard from constituents is, you know, you go to Costco or Home Depot or Walmart, it’s it’s business as normal. But if you go downtown to try to get your bike fixed or go to get some stationary at one of the local stores, they have a sign on your door that says ‘We can’t open’, and to me it just seems somewhat arbitrary and unfair.”
The letter points out that Clallam County has the second highest unemployment rate in the state. Latest estimates have it around 20% and getting worse before it gets better.
“And finally, not everybody’s going to get a check from the government. The unemployment system has been overwhelmed. It will be out of money in a couple of weeks, literally, and I don’t know what we’re going to do, what the Governor’s plan is for that. But for everyone who says, ‘Well, everybody can get unemployment’, yeah, I know many people who are not able. Have not even been able to file their claims yet, or get adjudicated, or received any money. And we’re six weeks, seven weeks into this. I think everybody who’s choosing an avocation feels they’re pretty essential to what they bring to the table. And so I cringed when the Governor made that determination of essential versus non-essential. You’re pretty essential if you’re the breadwinner for your family.”
Chapman says they’ve already heard back from the Governor’s Chief of Staff that they’re looking at ways to get some rural counties back to work sooner than the plan would allow.