I was disappointed to see the Lewis County Board of Commissioners, led by Commissioner Sean Swope, break from 66 years of decorum and abstain from all proclamations in 2022. This also broke a personal promise Commissioner Swope made to me earlier this year about building more community with constituents he has little interaction with. Abstaining from all proclamations is preemptively shutting down the very conversations Commissioner Swope promised to work on.
Proclamations are a part of being a public servant and are a medium for constituents to engage with their representatives. Commissioner Swope chose to spearhead an effort to abstain from even participating in these conversations that he is well paid to handle. He may claim an objection to Earth Day as the motivator, but it is transparent that the only proclamation Commissioner Swope abstained from signing in 2021 was in recognition of Pride Month.
According to the Washington State Archives, Lewis County’s first indexed proclamation was signed on Aug. 1, 1955, designating Aug. 8 to 15, 1955, as Tansy Ragwort Eradication Week. At least eradicating tansy is something we all still hopefully agree on. The next few proclamations recognized Veterans Day in their Oct. 27, 1955, meeting and National Hospital Week in their May 3, 1956, meeting.
The list of community members who take some sense of validation and placemaking from something as simple as a two-minute reading and signature on a piece of paper is varied and extensive: school sports teams, Little Miss Friendly, town mayors, 4-H clubs, master gardeners, first responders, etc.
The first proclamation slated to be skipped by Commissioner Swope is recognizing Law Enforcement Appreciation Day coming up on Jan. 9.
I recognize the debate that proclamations are an unnecessary part of governmental function. To that I ask: Are flowers and beautification projects necessary for our government to function? Why do we devote taxes to these programs? Why does Santa ride in a firetruck or municipalities decorate their streets for Independence Day? These are all examples of unnecessary cogs of a functioning government that are done for the simple act of community.
Commissioner Swope claims he is abstaining from proclamations in order to focus solely on county business, yet he chose to enjoy a fiddle performance by his own daughter in the very same meeting he announced this. Make no mistake, it was an adorable and enjoyable performance, but it was done on county time as an unnecessary nicety — the same as 66 years of proclamations have been. Building community involves listening to and acknowledging individual experiences and making others feel they have a place. By leading the effort to abstain from all proclamations and shutting down the conversation from the gate, Commissioner Swope has revealed that he would rather not listen to any constituents than have to participate in the hard conversations of a few that he is uncomfortable with.
I am disappointed in the leadership qualities this has further revealed. Lewis County deserves better from our representatives.
Kyle Wheeler
Toledo
