Escucha Mi Voz packs Washington council meeting

Dozens turned out to the Washington City Council meeting Tuesday night to support calls for the city to spend money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) on relief checks for workers excluded from federal benefits during the pandemic, most of them immigrants.

The group, organized by Escucha Mi Voz, is petitioning local governments for $1,400 allocations to eligible residents in several Eastern Iowa counties after winning approval for such a measure from the Johnson County Board of Supervisors.

“The city and state can help these people who suffered through the pandemic and lost a lot, including family members,” said Washington resident Ricardo Rios with the help of an English interpreter. “We don’t come here so you can feel sorry for us; we come here so you can listen to us and to ask for your help for the people that are suffering during the pandemic. We know of people that are excluded and undocumented, and they are deserving as well for help.”

Members of the group spoke during the meeting’s public comment period, sharing anecdotes about the struggles they’d faced during the pandemic without the relief of stimulus checks.

“I was very sick with COVID during the month of September,” Washington resident Josefina Gamas said. “The pandemic affected me a lot because I’m a single mother, I had to leave work for a month and the bills keep continuing from the hospital.”

The meeting also drew supporters who would not benefit from excluded worker relief, but said they were in favor of the proposal.

“These folks behind me, they missed out on the stimulus checks that I got, you all got them too,” said Tim Widmer, Washington’s former parks superintendent. “These people are part of our community. They’re hard workers in our community and … they deserve as much money from the government as I do, that’s how I look at it. I would ask you to consider what they’re asking for.”

The city has already spent a portion of its ARPA money on infrastructure spending and law enforcement equipment, areas that city officials described as “low hanging fruit” with minimal strings attached.

While spending on social programs like premium pay would be more logistically complicated, advocates said it was much-needed.

“These are people who showed up every day, allowed their companies to continue operating and enabled our community to continue functioning during times of extreme challenge,” Washington for Justice Associate Director Bethany Glinsmann said at the meeting. “These stimulus checks are small compared to the risks they endured and the public benefits they created.”

Because the issue was not on the city council’s agenda, it was not formally addressed during Tuesday night’s meeting. Still, one council member, Danielle Pettit-Majewski, said she was open to the idea.

“I realize that the pandemic did not impact you all in the same way,” said Pettit-Majewski, who was Washington County’s public health director before her transfer to Johnson County last fall. “Our immigrant community was really, really impacted by COVID, much more disproportionately than a lot of our community … they generate a lot of value to our community.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com