Let me begin by stating that I am an independent voter, although I have voted primarily Republican in the past. I wanted to make that very clear so that I am not referred to as one of "those tree hugging liberals," which seems to be a common theme when you disagree with the Republican Party.
With that being said, I am thoroughly disgusted with two recent incidents reported on by The Chronicle regarding Republican representation in Lewis County (past appaling remarks by Sheriff Rob Snaza not forgotten but not worth discussion). Commissioner Sean Swope was quoted by The Chronicle as saying he took everything the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised against taking while ill with COVID-19 was in my opinion a very irresponsible and insensitive statement. Irresponsible, as he is an elected official which makes him accountable for his actions and insensitive to the recent death of his fellow commissioner. An elected official should serve as a role model to the community, not someone who goes against scientific recommendations in regards to this pandemic (and if he does he should remain silent about it).
Don't get me wrong, I don't care one bit that Swope went against the CDC recommendations. What I am in opposition to is the fact that he felt the necessity to brag about it as if that was the way to treat COVID. Because of his age and apparent usual good health his recovery from COVID most likely would have a positive outcome no matter how he treated it, but for him to "brag" about going against the CDC was narcissistic and inappropriate.
The second incident that I am disappointed in is the coverage in the Oct. 7 edition of The Chronicle regarding the Lewis County Republicans’ monthly meeting with a picture that includes at least 10 people sitting in close quarters with none of them wearing masks.
Snaza and Morton Police Chief Roger Morningstar were two of them. If Lewis County can't trust our elected officials to do the right thing and wear a mask when in close proximity to others, how can we trust them to do the right thing in other areas of leadership?
As I said earlier, I am an independent voter leaning toward the Republican Party, however Snaza and Swope will never get a vote from me.
Hopefully residents of Lewis County will question the motives of these individuals. Are they seeking to serve the public or are they seeking to serve their egos?
Diane Stedham-Jewell
Chehalis
