To our Lancaster County community:
Sunday, in a letter addressed to Governor Wolf, Republican policymakers at the county and state level made public their intention to disregard the consensus of doctors, medical professionals, and scientists in order to prematurely reopen Lancaster County before it is safe to do so. In illegally disobeying the Governor’s executive stay-at-home order, these politicians are risking the lives of their own constituents in an attempt to score political points.
As public officials in this crisis, each of them had a choice: put aside partisan opportunism and protect the lives of your constituents, or exacerbate the devastating impact of this deadly virus. Prematurely forcing people back to work will deepen the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and lead to more illness, death, and economic catastrophe.
We cannot allow that to happen.
Can you attend the County Commissioners virtual meeting tomorrow morning to hold them accountable? Here is the link to attend the meeting.
Two of our three County Commissioners, Joshua Parsons and Ray D’Agostino, signed Sunday’s letter. Last week they released a plan for spending the $95 million in emergency aid Lancaster County received nearly three weeks ago. The commissioners’ own plan, which includes critical capacity for COVID-19 testing and safety measures for places of business, will be nowhere close to ready by this Friday, the date they plan to reopen Lancaster County.
Parsons and D’Agostino are playing politics with our lives. In a Facebook post today, Parsons claimed to be advocating for the “working class,” but it is frontline workers whose lives are at risk by forcing them back to work before measures to protect them have been implemented. Allowing businesses to reopen with insufficient measures to protect workers is not advocating for the “working class”; it will literally result in the preventable deaths of many more working people.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 13 at 9:15am, Lancaster’s County Commissioners will have their weekly meeting open to questions via public livestream. We are calling on everyone in Lancaster County to join this virtual public forum and hold our County Commissioners accountable. We encourage you to type questions or comments for the commissioners during the meeting, or submit your questions in advance via email to commissioners@co.lancaster.pa.us. Click here to attend the County Commissioners meeting at 9:15am on Wednesday, May 13.
At 8:30am, prior to the commissioners meeting, Lancaster Stands Up will be holding a virtual press conference to discuss the crisis and the recklessness of our elected officials. We will be taking questions from the press and communicating with our members about our next steps to halt the GOP’s illegal, reckless, and hamfisted attempt to prematurely reopen Lancaster County. Register to attend Lancaster Stands Up’s virtual press conference here.
Staying safe and saving lives did not have to be a partisan issue. Cynical politicians and political operatives are making a choice right now. In a moment when we need to stand united in the face of a common threat, they are recklessly dividing us. In a moment when we need leadership, they are instead making political calculations.
It’s up to us to hold our elected officials accountable.
