Green Valley – On Wednesday, in response to Governor Doug Ducey’s decision to extend his stay-at-home order, the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors called on the Arizona Legislature to take action and end the lock down.
Ducey announced an extension of his executive order until May 15, 2020. The order was modified to allow retail businesses to begin partial operations starting next week. Under the order, retail businesses currently not operating can begin curbside pick-up on Monday, May 4, followed by expanded in-person operations on Friday, May 8 as long as they implement social distancing and sanitation measures.
RELATED ARTICLE: Ducey Extends Lock Down Order “With Modifications”
The Chamber says they are dismayed by the continued shutdown in the State of Arizona and are concerned about the impacts it is having on the business community.
“We’ve been shut down for six weeks, and while the original goal of healthcare capacity has been met, we continue allowing businesses to die” said Bill Bracco, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce in a press release. “This indefinite closure is putting small businesses out of business and it has to end today. The idea that a mayor, county manager, or a governor can unilaterally dictate policy for indefinite periods of time goes against our republican form of government. City councils, boards of supervisors and the legislature need to step up and exert their lawful authority granted to them by the voters!”
The Chamber notes that while Title 26 of Arizona Revised Statutes – Military Affairs and Emergency Management gives great latitude to the governor in declaring and managing an “emergency”, it also “gives deference to the Legislature to end that latitude. As it relates to policy, reliance on the myopic view of health officials based only on COVID-19 and ignoring all else that matters in the State of Arizona is shortsighted and needs re-evaluation.”
“Businesses can open, individuals can continue to shelter in place if they feel it is in their best interest,” says the Chamber, “and others, and we can resume enjoying the liberties protected by our U.S. Constitution.”
As a result, the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce is calling “on our elected state representatives and senators to live up to their charge as defined in Title 26-303: “The powers granted the governor under this chapter terminate by proclamation of the governor OR BY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATURE DECLARING IT AT AN END.” Bring yourself into session, debate the merits of the state of emergency, and end this state of emergency. Tell the country and the world that Arizona is Open for Business!”
RESOLUTION: Time to Declare “Arizona is Open for Business”
WHEREAS, Arizona’s economy was thriving prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the state of emergency declared on March 11, 2020; and
WHEREAS, initial modeling that led to the state of emergency way overstated the devastating threat and impacts of the virus; and
WHEREAS, in Arizona only 9% of the 67,438 tested have tested positive; and
WHEREAS, COVID-19 cases in Arizona equals 0.00095 of the population and deaths equal 0.00004 of the population; and
WHEREAS, concerns for establishing sufficient hospital and medical capacity, the initial benchmark for success, have been met and far exceeded with 25% of beds and ventilators currently in use; and
WHEREAS, the myopic response to a virus has failed to take into consideration the social, economic and physical health of all the citizens of Arizona; and
WHEREAS, the Governor, who ran Arizona businesses into closure, now wants to crawl out at a snail’s pace ensuring continued economic devastation and business closures; and
WHEREAS, the initial state shutdown allowed many large retailers to remain open while mandating smaller mom & pop shops close their doors; and
WHEREAS, many small businesses will never recover, shattering the dreams and finances of entrepreneurs and their families; and
WHEREAS, trillions of dollars in the CARES Act has failed to reach the majority of the small businesses it was intended to help here in Arizona and here within the membership of our Chamber; and
WHEREAS, government entities and their employees, in large part, have been shielded from the shutdown; and
WHEREAS, allowing businesses to open does not prevent the public from continuing to shelter in place if they fear businesses are failing to look out for their customers or they have underlying conditions; and
WHEREAS, our personal liberties and individual rights have been hammered with little recourse;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board of Directors of the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center calls on the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate to immediately exercise their authority by the Constitution of the State of Arizona, call themselves into session, and pursuant to Title 26, Chapter 303 of the laws of the State of Arizona pass a Concurrent Resolution declaring this emergency over. Allow Arizona to declare themselves “Open for Business.”
The resolution was signed by Bill Bracco, Chairman of the Board and Randy Graf , President & CEO.
Sahuarita and Green Valley are located in Pima County, one of the poorest counties in Arizona. On Thursday, in an interview on KFYI’s James T. Harris show, Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller discussed the difficulties facing small business owners and Ducey’s extension: