Grand Canyon Times

Allen Wegele, the Arizona state director of Convention of States Action, said he is concerned about government edicts issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have restricted individual right and, he said, violated the Constitution.

Gov. Doug Ducey issued a stay-at-home order that took effect March 31 and has extended it until April 30. It used the slogan “Stay home, Stay healthy, Stay connected” to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“There are three options around this executive order right now. The first is to let it expire,” Ducey said. “The second is to extend. And the third, to modify it with changes and improvements that reflect the situation on the ground.”

Wegele said he thinks the governor overstepped his authority.

“The First Amendment clearly recognizes that the people have the right to peacefully assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances,” Wegele told Grand Canyon Times. “The prohibition against peaceful public gatherings by state governments is, in my opinion, a clear violation of the First Amendment.

“The prohibition against gathering to worship, in my opinion, violates the First Amendment as well. While government suggestions to refrain from exercising these rights for a short period of time for the public good may be appropriate — but to use the power of the government to force compliance under penalty of fines or jail time is, in my opinion, tyrannical and unconstitutional.”

The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 6,716 COVID-19 cases and 275 deaths.

Wegele's COS colleague Steven McEwen, who serves as legislative liaison, said the coronavirus has not hit his area of the state hard. No one has died and there are few cases.

News reports make it appear there are hot spots all across Arizona, he said, but that is just not the case. A military veteran who worked in law enforcement, McEwen, 63, lives in rural Santa Cruz County near Rio Rico and is active in local government as a concerned and involved citizen.

The pandemic panic caused the Arizona Legislature to adjourn on March 23 after hurriedly passing a budget. It will reconvene May 1 but it’s still unclear if it will end the 2020 session or resume work.

McEwen told Grand Canyon Times he is amused that state legislators are being paid their salaries — and per diem — while working from home. They say they are being swamped with phone calls and letters.

“My representatives haven’t answered a single phone call or answered a letter,” he said. “Not one.”

It’s not as if there isn’t work to be done. More than 350,000 people in Arizona have filed for unemployment, hotels are empty, restaurants are reduced to take-out and delivery service and numerous shops are closed.

The state’s economy was strong before the pandemic hit and the state had set aside a $1 billion rainy-day fund. But major players in the state — Arizona State University, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Arizona Commerce Authority and the Arizona Office of Tourism, Valley Partnership — are making plans for moving forward once the worst is past, according to an April 23 Chamber Business News report.

Wegele said he isn’t fully informed on the state’s economy.

“Locally, most of my friends are retired and, therefore, their livelihood is not impacted as significantly as people who are dependent on the income from working especially in households where both husband and wife were working and like many Americans don't necessarily have a cushion to get them through this shutdown,” he said.

Still, he supports the nationwide call to resume daily life.

“I have signed the petitions proposed by the Open the States initiative sponsored by the Convention of States Action organization, which will be or are being sent to the president, my congressional representative, both Arizona senators, my state representatives and state senator,” Wegele said. “I have forwarded the link to the Open the States initiatives to my friends on Facebook urging them to read and sign the petitions as well.”

He joined the Convention of States in 2015 and was named a district captain. He was promoted to regional captain in 2018, and was named state director in April 2019.

He said when he researched the movement, he decided it was something he wanted to be involved with and help grow.

“When I read Mark Levin’s book 'The Liberty Amendments,’ which described the ability of the states to call a convention to propose amendments to the Constitution pursuant to Article V of the Constitution, I recognized the power of this approach to correct serious problems in the federal government,” Wegele said. “Not long thereafter I learned of the Convention of States organization and immediately signed their petition and applied to become a district captain. I am convinced that this is the only approach that can succeed and that is why I have volunteered many hours over the last five years to see that happen.”

Many others have done so as well. The number of declared COS supporters in Arizona is more than 40,000, he said.

Wegele, 72, is retired after a career in nuclear power, working with the Navy nuclear program after he was discharged after serving 4 1/2 years. He earned a degree and became a civilian worker for the Navy. Wegele then worked for the Hanford Waste Management facility and for other commercial nuclear power programs. He spent the last 25 years of his career as a software developer.

 Wegele, who lives a rural area of the state northwest of Show Low in Apache County, is married and has four adult sons, six grandchildren and a great-grandchild.