In a year of plague, Pierce County Republicans attempt to bring down health department
Richardson and Roach.
It sounds like one of those 1970s cop shows where two unlikely bedfellows -- he, a by-the-book company-man, and she, a fast-talking, shoot-from-the-hip-country gal -- take to the streets to solve crimes, but no, Doug Richardson and Pam Roach are the two Pierce County council members who came to last Tuesday’s council meeting with guns ablazing.
The two Republicans proposed Ordinance No. 2020-136, a measure that dissolves the Tacoma-Pierce County Public Health Department, a local partnership since 1972. Council member Dave Morrell, who will continue serving on the council next year, voted to move the ordinance forward in one of the last acts of a lame duck Republican majority.
As if this pandemic hasn’t created enough chaos and inflicted enough economic uncertainty, these Republican council members are ready to dismantle a functioning piece of government without the necessary due diligence or public dialogue.
Keep in mind, these are the same public servants who’ve repeatedly stalled over behavioral health policy and refused action on climate change. Instead of prepping the county for an economic downturn, Richardson and Roach are spending their last days in office trying to fix something that isn’t broken.
We expect exploits like this from Pam Roach. In her long and storied career both as a state senator representing the 31st District and as a county council member, some of her policy suggestions have been as undisciplined as her mouth -- she’s been known to curse and call names on and off the dais.
But Doug Richardson’s been as solid as a plate of steak and potatoes. The only blip in this former Mayor of Lakewood’s career is his recent failed attempt at becoming Pierce County sheriff.
We’d expect a former brigadier general like Richardson to spend his remaining time in office developing an after-action committee, one that would enable the county to learn from mistakes made during COVID-19; instead, Richardson’s memorable last move will be an amendment postponing TPCHD’s dissolution until 2022, as if delaying a mistake makes it any less of one.
If the ordinance passes on Dec. 15th, which it’s likely to do given the council’s Republican majority, it will come at a high cost. The City of Tacoma contributes $1.7 million in health pool funding that Pierce County will lose. More taxes anyone?
At Tuesday’s meeting, Roach claimed the impetus for the ordinance was made in the name of “equity,” stating, “Everybody in the county should have equal ability to have themselves representatives on the board and included in its overall decision making.”
TPCHD is already governed by a diverse board with representatives from the county, the city of Tacoma, the Pierce County Cities and Towns Association and the Pierce County Medical Society, who put out this alert on Thursday:
“This is an unnecessary disruption to an already fragile healthcare system and a distraction the physician community does not need.”
Judging from the public outcry on social media, many are calling this stunt a reaction to pandemic-related restrictions. We get it. The impact on businesses is heartbreaking. It’s like watching a catastrophe play out in slow motion, but scapegoating TPCHD is not the answer.
Politicians should not replace scientists in the sphere of public health. We don’t need votes on food inspections, vaccinations, and tracking communicable sexually transmitted diseases. TPCHD has been far from perfect, but the independent agency has proven it can respond quickly in times of crisis.
The school-based testing pilot that launched last week is a good example of that. TPCHD medical director Dr. Anthony Chen wants school kids tested for COVID-19 weekly, as the NFL and other organizations are doing. Chen has been able to work nimbly with other partners.
Absent from Tuesday’s political windstorm, one that blindsided the city, including Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards, is the voice of County Executive Bruce Dammeier, who says he’ll be sitting this one out.
It makes a person wonder if Dammeier were coaching the Seahawks on a fourth and one, would he wait to hear what the color commentary on Twitter favored before making a call?
If the executive doesn’t veto this misguided move, as he should, he owns it. The buck stops with him, and henceforth, this will be known as the Dammeier debacle; Richardson and Roach will just be the stinky footnotes.
Smart politicians sometimes do foolish things. It’s not too late for the county council to vote this ordinance down. We hope they do. With enough public pushback, these Republicans may come to their senses before the Dec. 15th vote.
If this were some 1970s cop show, you might hear a superior officer yell off-camera, “Go home, Richardson and Roach, you’re off the rails.”
But Richardson and Roach aren’t fictional characters, they’re elected officials who are about to leave Pierce County with a sour-mouthed hangover for years to come.
This story was originally published December 5, 2020 at 6:00 AM.