God help Clackamas County. That was my first thought on reading that newly-elected chairwoman of the Board of County Commissioners Tootie Smith had declared her opposition to Oregon Governor Brown’s latest coronavirus restrictions, and her intention to turn her Thanksgiving into a covid super spreader event by inviting as many guests as she could. At the time of Smith’s bold announcement last week, intensive care units in the Portland metro area were at 89% capacity, with other hospital beds at 93% capacity, due to a surge of covid cases, according to the Oregonian. Yet Smith, who will play a key role in Clackamas’ County’s response to the coronavirus, “said she can’t speak about Oregon’s hospital capacity” — whether out of simple ignorance or an understanding that doing so would make her look like a fool, the Oregonian does not clarify.
Smith quickly took her rebellion roadshow national, appearing on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program to re-iterate her opposition to the governor’s restrictions. On the show, reports the Oregonian, “Smith bemoaned the state requirements to wear masks in public places, as well as social distancing and other state-issued COVID-19 guidelines.” Sit with that one for a moment. At this late stage, to hear an elected official claim government overreach in enforcing mask-wearing and social-distancing is not surprising, but it’s still shocking every time. In an apparent effort to publicize to the nation that her ignorance extends far beyond not knowing how virus transmission works, Smith went on to tell Carlson that, “We are adults, we do not need to be treated like second-rate slaves” — once again confirming that you seldom have to wait long before a Republican elected official manages to slip in a bit of racism to show fealty to the white supremacist party the GOP has become.
I have seen Smith’s actions criticized as selfish, but selfish is just the tip of the iceberg. As an elected official, and a fairly high-ranking one at that, Smith has a particular responsibility to model good behavior and promote the health of her constituents. And yet she has indicated that “she believes public safety measures such as wearing a mask, staying 6 feet from others, washing hands and staying home when feeling sick are enough” (even as she vows to defy these measures at her Thanksgiving Day massacre). That these few measures are enough to control the virus, or that it’s okay to defy them as long as you yourself feel healthy (as Smith appears to believe), would be news to anyone with a modicum of expertise around public health issues. Pretending that she has some particular knowledge about how this deadly disease spreads, and undercutting not just the governor’s measures but the consensus of the health community about how to preserve lives, Smith has committed a dereliction of duty that renders her unworthy of the office she holds. If she lacks the honor and good sense to resign her seat, then I pray that the citizens of Clackamas County will seek to recall her from office at the earliest opportunity, and maintain a steady stream of condemnation and ridicule in the meantime.