Exclusive conference call provided latest information on coronavirus initiatives
On an April 24 exclusive conference call for NFIB Wyoming members, Gov. Mark Gordon discussed the latest initiatives the state was taking to combat the coronavirus, speculated when the economy might return to normal, and answered questions submitted by the small-business-owning listeners.
“As a small-business owner myself, I have to say, I fully understand the challenges that we have to go through,” the governor began the call with. “Our concern is we’re building this plane as we’re flying it; no one has ever done this before,” the governor later added in reference to what every state is facing as the coronavirus crisis continues to unfold.
In answer to one NFIB member’s question about restrictions, the governor said, “I am very conscious of the impatience that people have, and that’s why we’re trying to ease those restrictions in a way the population understands.”
Rob Creager, the governor’s top aide on small business, also spoke on the call. “The PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) was a huge success for us,” he said, and underscored the importance of NFIB-member input on the federal program and all other small-business issues.
“Is Wyoming prepared for the onslaught on services?” one caller asked. Governor Gordon listed a couple of programs that had the state as prepared as it’s possible to be, including the Unemployment Trust Fund, which he called “one of the very best in the nation.”
What Does the Future Hold?
“I wish I had a more optimistic answer than what I’m going to give you,” the governor responded to one caller’s question about when things will return to normal, which he pegged at a year to a year-and-a-half, but he said the time in between would be well used.
“We’re really looking at what is the business we want to build back into Wyoming, not just go back where we were. Things are going to be different going forward. How do we want to rebuild, how do we make Wyoming?” said the governor.
Other questions the governor answered included social distancing at restaurants and nightclubs and whether he’d tap the state’s Rainy Day Fund or raise taxes to balance the state’s budget.
Click the arrow on the graphic below to listen to the 28-minute conference call with Gov. Mark Gordon. It opens with some introductory remarks from NFIB Wyoming State Director Tony Gagliardi. The governor comes in at the 1:40 mark.
