Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As we begin a new year, I want to thank you so much for the honor and privilege of serving you in the legislature. While the 2021 legislative session is unlike any other, your participation in it is more important than ever to ensure that the legislature keeps “of the people” front and center in its decision-making. If there is anything I can do to help you participate, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached by phone at (360) 786-7612 and by email at Shelly.Short@leg.wa.gov.
Reflections on 2020
2020 was a year that immensely challenged us all – it is incredibly difficult to put into words. But I continue to have faith that individuals, not government, know what is best for themselves and their families.
We have all been witness to the devastating impacts of COVID-19, from illness to death, loss of jobs, loss of family-owned businesses, months of isolation from family members and our children from their school and friends. We are seeing first-hand, the mental health and other challenges that affect us all. And we witnessed the unprecedented consolidation of power into one person’s hand and the myriad of heavy-handed edicts that put a halt to everyday life and the loss of personal freedom. We cannot continue to live in a glass bubble, keeping businesses, jobs, and schools shut down anymore. We have to allow people to live, to work and to be with loved ones.
I care very deeply about the health, safety and wellbeing of you and your families and do not want our healthcare system overwhelmed, but we have to chart a different path forward in dealing with the COVID-19 virus. Our work needs to be focused on the most vulnerable to this disease. For those who wish to get the COVID vaccines, we should do so as quickly and expeditiously as possible through the support of our local healthcare system.
As bleak and challenging as all of this has been, I have faith that we will get through this together with greater grace, patience, compassion and a renewed focus on helping one another and the importance of family, friends and our communities.