×

Our Opinion: Pennsylvanians deserve to know who’s been granted waivers and why

The time frame for a nonessential business to apply for a waiver from Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown order has come and gone. Now, the wait is on to see what happens — and that’s going to be made harder by the decision of the Wolf administration to keep secret who has applied and who is being allowed to reopen.

We think Pennsylvania citizens deserve better.

Businesses included in the governor’s March 19 order as non-life sustaining were required to shut down within days. They were allowed to request a waiver, with that application reviewed by the state Department of Community and Economic Development. Businesses are required to remain closed until a waiver is granted.

The state legislature attempted on Tuesday to force the governor’s hand by putting forth an amendment to a related Senate bill that may have allowed more businesses to reopen under standards set by the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, part of Homeland Security. Lacking support, it was withdrawn.

The Senate bill, which was approved by the House, would form a task force with input from the executive, legislative and judicial branches that would replace the governor’s seeming iron hand of leadership.

The focus on who is getting the waivers became an issue when SpotlightPA, a joint effort of several news organizations, reported that Wolf Home Products — yes, that Wolf — had an early waiver and was up and running. Then it was going to be revoked. Then it stayed open anyway.

Meanwhile, at the end of March, Wood-Mode (custom cabinetry based in Kreamer, Pa.) got no answer to three waiver requests, according to The (Sunbury) Daily Item, despite being in a similar business as the governor’s former company.

If you ask DCED (the people who should be able to answer the question), don’t be shocked when the door is slammed in your face. The response news organizations have been getting statewide is as unhelpful as they come — DCED will answer Right-to-Know Law requests when they are open for business.

And as long as the governor has the state shut down, they are not open for business.

That’s fair under the law, according to the state agency charged with enforcing it, the Office of Open Records. In an advisory, it states, “If an agency is closed on a given day, that day is not a ‘business day,’ and does not count toward the five business days referenced in Section 901 of the RTKL, which governs the time period under which an agency must respond to a request.”

Visible work around the commonwealth begs even more questions when it comes to who is getting waivers and why. WHYY in Philadelphia found that a $325 million office and hotel complex in suburban Conshohocken has the green light to keep working, but a real estate development company in the city is waiting to complete a 100-unit housing project, some of which is leased or pre-sold. SpotlightPA reported Wednesday of a casino still under construction in Philadelphia.

You can still order from national stores — in many cases picking up the same day locally — while small businesses are shuttered.

We all want to put an end to COVID-19 and the restrictions it has forced upon us. Gov. Wolf needs to realize Pennsylvania is not a dictatorship and needs to tell us not just what he’s doing, but why, and who’s affected. And be fair to all.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today