By Ron Muzzall / For The Herald

Over the past 10 months the people of Washington state have seen for themselves what can happen when government takes a heavy-handed approach to an unexpected challenge.

Common sense and creativity get pushed aside by proclamations and an overreliance on contrived and convoluted processes that miss the mark and erode the public’s trust.

The executive branch of our state government knew for many months that a covid-19 vaccine would be coming; how could it not know? While the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may have arrived sooner than expected, there had been ample time to plan for how to get them into people’s arms most efficiently. It’s a basic question of supply, demand and delivery.

The supply part is beyond the state’s control. Gov. Jay Inslee caused demand for the vaccine to soar when he changed vaccine eligibility standards, and there’s no going back on that. That leaves delivery, which hasn’t gone very well so far; because the top-down approach is leaving vulnerable Washingtonians in the lurch.

Officials in Olympia point to the percentage of vaccines administered as though it’s proof that their bureaucratic approach is best. But is forcing people 65 and older to navigate an online registration system really the right approach for people in that high-priority bracket? What about the anger and disappointment and distrust when the executive branch basically overruled local health officials’ plans for the mass vaccination sites, and people went home without immunizations, despite having appointments?

The state Department of Health promises there eventually will be enough vaccine for everyone in Washington who wants it. Supply issues aside, government should be looking to locals for help with the delivery part; by harnessing their collective creativity and problem-solving skills and willingness to jump into action.

Kittitas County recently made national news by using local experience dealing with wildfires to distribute 97 percent of the vaccines it had been allocated. More headlines were made when a freezer with vaccines quit working in Seattle, and a pop-up vaccination clinic was quickly created to save 1,600 doses by getting them into people’s arms. None of this needed a state mandate or complex tier system.

The first-come, first-serve approach seems to work pretty well for people looking to take a ferry across Puget Sound, and we’ve seen it work pretty well for covid-19 vaccinations too. The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, as with all tribes, is free from being micromanaged by the state, and hundreds of senior citizens on the Olympic Peninsula who received immunizations in a drive-through setting in Sequim are the beneficiaries. As the tribe’s health director told the local newspaper, state guidelines are helpful, but he’d rather see individual communities have the flexibility to distribute vaccinations as needed.

The governor spoke glowingly this past spring about companies that reinvented themselves to produce masks and sanitizer, and saluted school districts that found creative ways to help with childcare and food distribution. Now is the time to display the same regard for local organizations that can help with this stage of fighting covid-19.

Look for places to cooperate and offer whatever assistance the state can uniquely provide. Use a light touch instead of a heavy hand. Above all else, remember the people of Washington can do remarkable things when trust is placed in them. That’s a better way to deliver on the vaccination promise.

State Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, serves the 10th Legislative District, which comprises all of Island County and parts of Snohomish and Skagit counties. He is Republican leader on the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee and deputy whip for the Senate Republican Caucus.