Disease that must not be named? Tacoma mayor oddly silent on coronavirus in hour-long speech
In the first book of the “Harry Potter” children’s fantasy series, the archvillain Lord Voldemort is referred to by the young wizards-in-training only as “He Who Must Not Be Named.” Afraid of a dark force they’ve barely begun to comprehend, Harry and his friends mistakenly believe speaking Voldemort’s name will somehow conjure his presence and unleash his evil powers.
That’s what came to my mind last week when Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards delivered her third annual State of the City Address.
Oddly, she said not a word about Washington’s outbreak of novel coronavirus, which at the time had just reached a double-digit death count in King County. Two days later, on Friday, health officials would announce Pierce County’s first confirmed case.
The mayor spent 64 minutes summarizing Tacoma milestones from the past year and enthusiastically laying out goals for the year ahead. But she made no mention of the clear and present danger lurking at her city’s doorstep.
Avoiding any talk of COVID-19 seemed particularly strange given that the fast-spreading viral strain had caused Woodards to shift her speech plans just a day earlier. Rather than deliver it at Mount Tahoma High School, she live-streamed it from the seclusion of a recording studio.
Instead of an audience, there was an elephant in the room: fear of coronavirus. Or rather, “an abundance of caution” — four words now being dispensed by public officials as liberally as hand sanitizer.
Woodards and city staff deserve credit for changing her speech format on the fly. It was a responsible example to set for the community, and it turned out to be prescient. Over the last several days, “social distancing” has been on the rise, and several public events, group gatherings, even college classes, have been canceled.
Steps like these are important to control transmission of an illness that’s now topped 160 confirmed cases in Washington, as of March 10.
What she didn’t change, even as coronavirus emerged with a Voldemort-like fear factor, was the speech itself.
I have no quarrel with the overall content and upbeat tone of Woodards’ address. Her focus on business growth, affordable housing, public safety and environmental protection was spot on. Her clearly stated commitment to vulnerable Tacomans, including unsheltered people and immigrants, was honorable.
She concluded by rolling out a new initiative called “Compassionate Tacoma” — basically, a call to arms for volunteers. It’s vintage Woodards, reflecting her big heart for the community. (To learn more, text “I’m all in” to 253-650-0588.)
Still, Woodards’ decision not to talk about coronavirus left me perplexed. Her only mention of the disease — briefly commending a local fundraising effort for Tacoma’s sister city in Fuzhou, China — came without so much as an acknowledgment of the outbreak here.
Right now, the people of the 253 are hungry for information, and we’re relying on officials at every level to provide a steady flow of it. We don’t care if there’s redundancy across jurisdictions. We don’t care that city authority is downstream from the feds, the governor and state and local health departments.
A mayor should be out front sharing health updates and safety tips. Perhaps instead of publicizing big community events, like the T-Town City Services Expo planned for March 28 at the Tacoma Dome, she should be bracing us for more cancellations in coming days and weeks.
Above all, a mayor should shed light on how Tacoma is gearing up for coronavirus impacts and preparing to escalate its response. Does the fire department have enough masks and other supplies? (Yes, they say they do). Are city utilities making contingency plans to keep services running in the event of employee absences. (Yes, they are.)
The City Council discussed these and other COVID-19 preparations last Monday. “Our utmost priority,” Woodards said at that study session, “is the health and safety of our community.”
Tacoma officials should take every opportunity to personally and publicly communicate that message. Website updates aren’t enough.
As long as coronavirus infections are accelerating in the region, we need leaders to provide reassurances and notifications, and should the risk level increase, no-nonsense warnings and instructions.
An abundance of caution is good, but officials must also act with an abundance of transparency, unafraid to openly discuss this public health threat, answer tough questions and deviate from a script that promotes business as usual.
Maybe we can all learn something from Albus Dumbledore, the heroic master wizard of the “Harry Potter” saga. He had this to say about confronting that which seems unspeakably scary.
“Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”
Reach TNT editorial page editor Matt Misterek at (253) 597-8472 or matt.misterek@thenewstribune.com
This story was originally published March 8, 2020 at 8:00 AM.