Gov. Polis campaigned on the notion he is a savvy tech entrepreneur who would bring managerial expertise to state government.
But a new report from Colorado Public Radio reveals systemic problems with Polis’ management of the state’s COVID-19 response.
Appearing on “Meet the Press,” Polis refused to directly answer why Colorado has lagged on COVID-19 testing, instead shifting blame to the federal government calling national testing a “complete disgrace.”
That description may be more appropriate for Polis’ own failures in Colorado.
Colorado Public Radio’s Ben Markus details a number of disturbing problems that contributed to Colorado ranking dead last among peer states in testing per 100,000 residents.
Polis put someone in charge of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment with no experience, and this reportedly created severe bureaucratic dysfunction at the agency leading to the departures of multiple epidemiologists and public health experts both before and during the pandemic.
So while Polis has been blaming Trump for Colorado’s testing problems, we now know Polis is the one who has severely mismanaged Colorado’s response to the pandemic.
Instead of pointing fingers, it’s time for Polis to stop passing the buck and exercise leadership if he hopes to restore any confidence in the state’s ability to manage this pandemic.