Sweetwater County Complainers… err… Commissioners

What is it with all of the whining coming from the Sweetwater County courthouse since the election? To hear the current commissioners talk, the four new commissioners-elect have already taken over and burned the place to the ground! From complaints that they are meeting with each other without inviting or including the current commissioners, to complaints that they are going to unceremoniously wipe out all the “progress” that the current commissioners claim to have made over the last two years, to the charges that they are “usurping” the current commissions power by meeting with the department heads and other elected officials, there is no shortage of grumbling. Even CEO Derek Brown has gotten into the gripe fest, mewling that the four meanies haven’t (gasp) called him since the election and, worse, that they are planning on firing all kinds of people when they take office!

Really? First of all, who cares if the commissioners-elect meet without inviting the current commissioners? They haven’t taken office yet. Right now, they’re just four regular folks who know they are going to have to work closely together over the next four years and want to get to know each other. Besides, it isn’t as if they have been welcomed with open arms at commission meetings.

Next, how do the current commissioners have any idea what the incoming commissioners are going to do?It’s a board. They have to vote on any decisions they make, and I don’t think anyone knows how every vote will turn out, even them. Besides, isn’t it obvious that the people of Sweetwater County had some issues with the “progress” the current commissioners were making? Why else would have they so overwhelmingly voted for such a sweeping change?

Of course the commissioners-elect are meeting with the county department heads and the other countywide elected officials. They have a lot to learn before they take office, and sadly the current commissioners aren’t stepping up to help them manage a smooth transition of power. It’s a tradition in America for outgoing governing bodies to assist the incoming government. Commissioners-elect have historically been invited to participate fully in commission meetings, even so far as being invited into the executive sessions. Not this time. The current commissioners haven’t been quite so accommodating. If the commissioners-elect are going to hit the ground running on January 3, they are going to need all of the information and knowledge they can get about the inner workings of the county government, and if that means going around the current commissioners to get it, then so be it.

As for CEO Brown whining that the commissioners-elect haven’t called him since they got elected, so what? First, most of them got elected campaigning against his newly created position, and he actively railed against them during those campaigns. Why would they feel the need to call him now? Second, if I found out I had a new management team that had openly stated their desire to get rid of the position I held, I would be the one trying to contact them and attempting to convince them how important my job was, not sitting around moping while the impending pink slip wound its way through the system.

Finally, how does he know the incoming commissioners are planning to fire a bunch of people when they take office? Didn’t he already say that they haven’t talked to him? If he can really read minds, maybe the commissioners-elect should revisit their apparently already made decision to get rid of him. He’s too valuable to lose!

While all of this whining is sad, the real story here is that this particular lame-duck commission is on a fast forward mission to shove through as many decisions as possible in the short time they have left. They are spending money like it’s water and hurrying to make select board appointments with no regard to the wants or wishes of the incoming commissioners. Earlier this month, they made an appointment to fill a vacancy on the Joint Powers Water Board that wasn’t even effective until December 31, just days before the new commissioners will be sworn in. They made that appointment with no public notice, no public input, and no opportunity for additional interested parties to present themselves. Then, on Monday, they improperly made an appointment to fill Commissioner-elect Reid West’s position on the hospital board, even though he hasn’t officially announced his resignation from it. Again, it was done with no public notice. Why are they so determined to fill vacancies that don’t even exist yet?

Now the grapevine has turned up the nasty rumor that Commissioner Wonnacott is planning on resigning before the end of the year. A little known fact is that in the event of her resignation, since she holds office as an independent, the remaining commissioners could replace her immediately, with no public notice, no public input, and with any legally qualified person they choose. Who would that be, I wonder? Someone like, say, Debbi Delai-Boese? No way. That would be a little too egregious, wouldn’t you think? Besides, the back-fence talk is that she already fingered Robert Herman as the replacement. He was very supportive of the current commissioners during the campaign, after all.

Now I’ve known and respected Commissioner Wonnacott for many years, and I’m sure this is not what she’s planning to do. She was elected to do the job for four years and I know she’ll fulfill her responsibilities, but the fact that the commissioners have scheduled a last minute meeting for December 30 does raise eyebrows.

All in all, I’m looking forward to January 3 and the inauguration of our four new commissioners. Sweetwater County should never have become  the source of so much incessant whimpering, and it’s time to set it right again.