Editorial: Wolf has more than one guy's opinion

No, Tom Wolf. You are not just one man.

On Thursday, the governor danced away from questions about the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association asking him to reconsider his statements from last week on delaying fall sports until January because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m not sure what they could say that would make me change my sense of what I believe is the right thing to do,” Wolf said. “They have the decision to make on their own. I recognize that I’m just one person. Maybe I’m governor, but I’m one person that has an opinion on what we ought to do here.”

There’s an element of truth there. Governors are not superhuman. They aren’t (or shouldn’t be) petty despots who need to have their whims catered to like Roman emperors. And that’s not what Wolf is doing.

Instead, he is being disingenuous.

Wolf is fully aware he’s the governor of sixth-largest state in the union. He’s got the big house in Harrisburg. He has been involved in knock-down brawls with the Republican-led Legislature over spending that stretched for months. There was the reelection campaign with the debate moderated by Alex Trebek. It’s obvious he is the CEO of Pennsylvania.

For almost six months, he has piloted the Keystone State through a catastrophe with largely good results. His calm and deliberate manner is a welcome feature in an era of overheated emotions.

Actions such as the lockdowns and the stoplight-colored reopenings and the mask requirements have been hotly debated by the people and pushed back hard by political opponents, but despite butting up against the first major hotspot in New York and having real challenges with nursing homes such as Brighton Rehab. Still Pennsylvania has fared better than many other states. Seven smaller states have larger outbreaks, as do the five with bigger populations.

The issue from the beginning has been a kind of cha-cha with how it has gotten done, something that might be perfectly summed up in the administration’s advice on returning to school: Be consistent but flexible.

Wolf’s flexibility has been the constant for months. While it is important to adapt to changing information, the governor has seemed more driven by dodging the blame for unpopular decisions. That’s where the PIAA statement comes in.

The governor does not get to be “just one person” when he is talking about recommendations to an organization that makes policy about people’s kids.

If Wolf wants to drop a random statement at a press conference about his thoughts on the Steelers versus the Eagles or whether Sheetz is better than Wawa, that’s when he would be a single voice in a chorus. But children might be at physical risk if they go back to sports too soon. They might miss out on important developmental or scholarship opportunities if they put off fall sports. It might seem like fun and games, but it’s important.

By making his “it’s just my opinion” statement, the governor is trying to get credit for standing up for science while waltzing away from condemnation for shutting down the sports.

And sorry, Governor, but that’s not how it works. When you run for the top office, you might still be just one guy, but you’re the guy who has the responsibility for standing by his opinions.