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Five mayors of Clackamas County cities called on Gov. Kate Brown to move swiftly with a plan to reopen the state's economy during a press conference on Tuesday.
"We don't have time to wait much longer," said Keith Swigart, mayor of Molalla. "Everything keeps getting pushed forward.…We have businesses now that will probably not open. Things need to change. The last thing we heard was July 6. We don't have until July 6. Something needs to happen."
Swigart was joined by Oregon City Mayor Dan Holladay, Canby Mayor Brian Hodson, Gladstone Mayor Tammy Stempel and Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam.
All voiced discontent with Brown's timetable and criteria for reopening Oregon's nonessential businesses. Brown has said she won't open rural counties until at least May 15, and says no county can reopen until it's shown it has capacity to test, trace and treat COVID-19 cases.
That plan has drawn blowback in Clackamas County, which sits on the border of Portland but also contains many small towns. For more than a week, mayors there have voiced frustration with the governor's timeline.
The mayors said they don't have plans to defy the governor's orders if she doesn't move faster. Instead, they said they hope she will allow local jurisdictions to roll out their own reopening plans, especially in rural communities that rely on small businesses.
“I just implore the governor to either give us a plan and let us open, or tell the cities to establish their own plans,” said Holladay, who on April 24 received a letter from the attorney general threatening legal action if he didn’t halt plans to reopen Oregon City (Holladay says he never made concrete plans to do so).
During Tuesday's press conference, he called on local churches to open their doors.
"We don't have two weeks," Holladay said. "We don't have a month. We need to get this going as soon as possible. And so I'm calling on our communities of faith, our churches. You have the ultimate First Amendment right. Step up. Open your doors. Go back to worship. That'll set the example for the rest of the state."
Pulliam said Tuesday that very few Oregonians, relative to the total population, have actually tested positive for COVID-19, and even fewer have died from the virus.
"The truth is that they've had extreme underlying health conditions," Pulliam said of those who have died from COVID-19. "They're in the elderly community. Half are ages 80 and above.…There's a lot of talk of the cure being worse than the virus."
In Canby, where Hodson is mayor, a restaurant called Pappy's Greasy Spoon opened for dine-in services this past weekend, WW reported Tuesday. Hodson said he feels conflicted about the business's decision to allow diners.
"I feel for that business. I know the owner," Hodson said. "Do I agree with it? Honestly, it's a conflicted piece for me.…From the mayor's side of that point, I don't know if I disagree or agree. I understand where he's at. There are many businesses in Canby that are feeling that way."
