Where the Rubber Meets the Road

So, a little time has passed and there have been some encouraging signs from the newly elected BOCC.  While I was still on the Elbert County Citizens  online site with my weekly blog, I made mention of how positive a step it was to hear from the board members that they would like to usher in a new era of cooperation and friendliness.  Jaw meet floor.  If that does not get you out of your seat and clapping, no matter where you reside on the political spectrum here in Elbert County, I do not know what would.  I was not just saying those things so that the administrator of the ECC would allow me to post my thoughts.  The sentiments are the same today as they were when they posted, genuine and heartfelt.

Lest you think I became a card carrying member of the Elbert County Government Fan Club, let me say that there have already been some troubling actions by a couple of our commissioners since they were sworn into office.  By now you have heard that Chris Richardson was photographed with Planning Commission members, Ron Turner and Bob Lewis, at the local coffee shop in Elizabeth.  Of course, it got out immediately that the ever defensive Mr. Richardson told anyone who would listen to him that they were doing nothing inappropriate.  They were only talking about things that were appropriate and wonderful and good!  Ironically, that is the same speech given to me when I asked developer Tim Kraft if he felt it was appropriate that he was holding meetings with a former commissioner turned water district manager, Kurt Schlegel, and Elbert County Manager Ed Ehmann when the county BOCC had not heard from the planning commission on the Independence/Bandera matter at that point.  Tim got pretty miffed that I said it looks bad.  

The County Manager should not give the appearance of any impropriety and meeting with developers and water managers gives off a certain aroma.  But Mr. Kraft assured me they would never talk about anything inappropriate. I will let the readers decide how the situation looked.  For purposes of this blog, I will give them a temporary hall pass.  Yes, I am a retired teacher.

Then we have the new appointments to the Planning Commission (PC).  Which well-informed people, who are always on top of these important growth issues in the county, did the newly elected commissioners select to be on this august group?  Which "in-the-know" denizens were chosen from those recognizable faces in the crowd at all the really juicy board meetings where all of the highly contentious growth issues had been discussed over the past few years? Uh, what's that you say?  The candidates were not people at the forefront of the issues?  They were not recognized by almost anyone in the room?  Perhaps just friends of the commissioners who might have placed them over people who are really on top of the issues?  Naw, say it ain't so.  

Okay, it is so.  It is not illegal, and certainly well within the selecting commissioners’ rights.  So again, I have to offer up yet another temporary hall pass on the matter, but I am still getting a nose full of that same aroma of which I mentioned earlier.

So at some point in time, we have to establish a metric by which we measure the newly elected Elbert County BOCC.  As I stated in the title of the blog post,  this is the time to see what happens when the proverbial rubber meets the road.  The initial courtesy was extended to the friendlier version of the Elbert County BOCC and two hall passes were issued to them for conduct that might just be attributable to rookie mistakes.  I am good with that, I suppose...at least for now.  Where the true test of whether the new commissioners wish to really change things and usher in a new era of responsible growth comes down to one word.  That word is transparency.

I am suggesting that if the newly elected BOCC really wishes to have a better relationship with the taxpayers of the county, then they have to let them actually see any records that they have a right to see.  Let's be clear here:  Nobody need information that reveals personnel matters or health issues.  Nobody needs the upper hand on competitive bid numbers that might end up costing the county a good price on a road grader.  We get it.  There are certain things that must not be made public.  But there is history that precedes this new board.  There is a path of obfuscation and denial that runs through several offices in the courthouse and the citizens have every right to ask about what is happening with their hard-earned tax dollars.  Instead of coming out with reasonable explanations for why they cannot, or in some cases, just do not wish to share information, officials have used tactics to make the public weary and disgruntled by telling us that the records do not exist.  Equally distressing trick of saying that the request was not specific enough.

The courthouse in Kiowa is not the only place where this is happening.  There is legislation in the pipeline to improve this statewide quagmire designed to keep the public and their inquisitive noses out of the business of government employees.  That would of course be fine, but government is actually designed for transparency and short of the private stuff that can bring harm to an entity as mentioned above, the people have the right to know. The following link takes you to a good article on the subject in the Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/02/open-records-changes-still-needed-for-transparency/.

So what's it going to be, Elbert County Commissioners?  Are you just putting icing on a stale loaf of old bread and calling it cake?  Or, is it really time for Elbert County to become accountable to the public and work hand in hand with them to solve the problems that are in front of us as we grow into the future?  It is in the hands of this new board.  I know they can do it if they so choose. Now get to class.