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Posted on 09/09/2020 9:25:30 AM PDT by lightman
An audit that examines the consistency and fairness of Gov. Tom Wolf’s controversial coronavirus waiver process that allowed some businesses to reopen after appealing the governor’s March 19 business closure order while others were told to remain closed will be released next month.
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday that his auditors have collected a significant amount of data about the more than 40,000 businesses that requested waivers from the state Department of Community and Economic Development to offer an analysis about its fairness.
He said his auditors are examining the consistency of the decision-making about whether to grant a waiver or not to a business made through the department’s website and call center. They also are looking to make sure there was no undue influence exerted by elected officials, lobbyists and others that affected those determination. DePasquale shared that the audit findings so far offer no evidence of that occurring.
“We want to make sure that this was all happening based on the merits of whether businesses should or should not get a waiver,” he said.
Wolf ordered the closure of “non-life-sustaining businesses” to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Instead of following the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s guidance on what business categories should be permitted to remain open as many other states did, Wolf crafted his own policy. DePasquale said his analysis of that decision by Wolf is that the governor was within his right to do so.
The governor’s “biggest concern what he relayed to me, he was concerned about the lack of a waiver process” in the Department of Homeland Security guidance which was more expansive in the types of businesses that could remain open, DePasquale said.
He said his audit report will look at the pros and cons of that policy decision by Wolf.
DePasquale’s decision to audit the business waiver program came in April after state Senate Republicans announced they would be subpoenaing records on the waiver program that the governor’s office had refused to provide. Wolf subsequently rejected the subpoena on constitutional grounds relating to separation of powers but released but a list of thousands of businesses that received approvals to reopen amid the shutdown. That disclosure, however, fell short of disclosure fell well short of the information that the lawmakers had sought.
Throughout the spring until well after Wolf began lifting some of the business closure orders in certain counties in early May, business owners complained about the waiver process. They found the inconsistencies that, for example, led to one garden center being given a waiver to open while others were denied to be disturbing. Questions also were raised why some businesses that were granted waivers were later revoked. DePasquale said his audit looks at all those aspects of the administration’s handling of the waiver program.
In deciding to undertake this examination of the waiver program, DePasquale said not only would he focus on the consistency of decisions that were made but also the lessons learned to ensure there is consistency if a business closure should become necessary in the future.
DePasquale said the target date for the audit’s release is Oct. 6 and that the audit’s findings may be released in two phases if the final analysis isn’t completed by that date.
Pennsylvania Ping!
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Wonder if they looked at the cabinet making exemption at Wolf Products?
Democrats auditing Democrats. How much will they blame on Trump, and how much will they blame on Global Warming?
I can’t wait for the results!
So he’s a Democrat.
So this is your basic cover-up operation.
Ask the Feds to come in and audit it for fairness. Otherwise, this is like asking dad to audit mom’s treatment of the kids for fairness. Doesn’t matter what he finds because his findings will always be the same: “Looks good to me!”
That’s been clear for a long time. The lockdowns have put and continue to put massive numbers of businesses (primarily small businesses) OUT of business. And it’s led to massive job losses and economic problems. All this results in a poverty surge. And nothing kills more people than poverty.
If you look state-by-state, most of those with the strictest lockdowns faired far worse than Sweden, which didn’t shut down. Instead, they imposed some common sense rules that kept businesses operating while slowing infection rates to keep hospitalizations at manageable levels. They still took an economic hit, but not nearly as bad as it would have been, and their hospitals never became overwhelmed.
I agree with everything you said.
Anyone know if this guy is related to the Eugene DePasquale who used to serve on Pittsburgh city council?
He was a Democrat, but a fairly conservative old-school one. He used to get into screaming matches at council meetings with a blowhard Lefty feminist. Those were Must See TV in the early days of public access cable.
“Surprise! Surprise!!!”
From wikipedia:
“DePasquale is the grandson of Eugene “Jeep” DePasquale, who served in the Pittsburgh City Council between 1971 and 1989.”
Grampa DePasquale died in 2008.
Sweden imposed common sense rules.
(D) Governors imposed COMMIE-sense rules.
My business actually received a exemption waiver. We were about the only people open of my kind of business for about 200 miles around. We were crazy busy. My husband thinks his letter was that great. I think they made a mistake. Mr. Wolf is not particularly fond of our political affiliation.
The interesting thing with us, is that even though we received a waiver, we were not on the list when they finally tried to be transparent.
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