Dear Neighbor,
Just recently, my father came for a visit from New Mexico and I took him on a tour of the Capitol Building in Olympia. I found the tour guide’s explanation of how the building was designed especially profound. The main floor houses state-wide elected officials such as the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and treasurer. Their offices are on the main floor so they are immediately available to the people. The next floor holds both the House of Representatives and Senate chambers where legislation is debated and bills are passed. The top floor contains the public viewing gallery. This is where the public can come and directly view the legislative process.
I believe it is important to remember the people are purposefully placed above all elected persons. We work for the people of our districts and the state. We are here to serve you.
With this in mind, it is proper to recognize we are now passing 557 days of emergency rule by the governor with minimal input and oversight from the people’s representatives. Most recently, my inbox has been flooded with more than 2,500 emails from citizens all throughout the 25th Legislative District concerning the topic of his most recent mandates. So, I’ll spend most of this update speaking about the mandates and the controversy around them.