Opinion: Governor says only he can save lives

In a one-on-one interview this week, Gov. Jay Inslee makes some eye-opening statements

Jason Mercier
Washington Policy Center

Gov. Jay Inslee had a one-on-one interview this week with Mike McClanahan for TVW’s The Impact to discuss his mandates and use of emergency powers. One of the most interesting things the Governor said was this:

“There is only one person in the state of Washington who has the capability to save those lives right now and it happens to be the Governor of the state of Washington.” (16:12 mark of interview)

Other highlights from the interview:

• Governor says we shouldn’t involve lawmakers in these decisions because we need to act right now (4:32 mark).
   
• Governor says there aren’t specific metrics available to determine when the state should return to normal governance via the legislature (7:30 mark).

I encourage every Washingtonian to watch The Impact interview with the Governor and determine whether they believe it is time for the legislature to reform the state’s emergency powers to provide some type of legislative oversight and involvement in these governance decisions.

Jason Mercier is the director of the Center for Government Reform at the Washington Policy Center.