Riccelli’s hypocrisy

Recently in The Spokesman-Review, state Rep. Marcus Riccelli is quoted complaining about the current Spokane County commissioners because they did not do as he intended as a major sponsor of a bill that changed how local governments structure their public health boards. (“County commissioners reduce size of health board,” Nov. 17)

Referring to the actions of the commissioners, Riccelli said, “This is a move really to control power. It seems like the end goal is absolute power.”

How ironic and hypocritical of him. He is the representative that proposed the bill that resulted in Spokane County going from three to five county commissioners next year without a vote of the people. Talk about power and control!

And he, along with most other Democrats, have continued to allow Gov. Jay Inslee to govern under a state of emergency that went into effect on February 29, 2020. Republicans have tried to open discussions on emergency powers reform but most Democrats refuse to even have a hearing. HB 1557, an emergency powers reform bill, will again be introduced in 2022.

According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, reporting on a Maine Policy Institute study, “Washington state joins Vermont, Ohio and Hawaii as the worst-ranking states to provide legislative oversight of executive emergency powers. These states, including Washington, bestow upon the governor the sole authority to determine when and where an emergency exists and when it ceases to exist.”

Seems that Rep. Riccelli only thinks it is wrong when Republicans have control and power but perfectly fine when his party does.

Gretchen McDevitt

Spokane