Never mind Trump. Coronavirus shows why electing competent state and local officials is vital.

How the president responds to a disease outbreak is important, but it is only one aspect of multifaceted efforts at every level of government. Does a county have a system for prioritizing who receives virus tests and for delivering the results quickly? Will public transit be sanitized? Answering questions such as these is the real work of disease management — and it is not done by the White House.