Remember, we elect our officials

It?s all your fault. Next time you?re down on how things are run, before you point your finger at others, point the finger at yourself.

It?s the people of Warren County who elect their officials, so, in a roundabout way, the government of Warren County is a reflection of the people it serves. If the government isn?t doing a good job, perhaps it?s time you considered what role you had in empowering those in the county commission and other key areas of government.

This rant comes as the election nears for numerous county offices, including the 24 county commission seats. I?ve had several people call, saying they intend to vote against the commissioners who refused to vote for a measure which would have cut the size of the commission from 24 to 12. However, the next question out of their mouths is who are my county commissioners and what district am I in?

This is a scary scenario. For years we?ve had people voting on two county commissioners per district with no idea who is serving them or what actions they have taken in office. It would seem to me people would at least want to know who to complain to when things aren?t going right. If you don?t know what district you?re in or who your commissions are, how will you be able to chew anyone?s ear with your concerns?

I?m presently in the middle of conducting a poll asking people here if they know their district and commissioners. If things do not change, only three in 10 respondents know their district and commissioners. This is in no way an informed constituency. By the way, in the case of school board members, the folks who shape the future of our children here in Warren County, only about one in 10 knows the name of their school board representative. And, chances are, the numbers will stay constant when I reach my sample goal and publish the results in the newspaper.

This, at least in part, explains why some districts have less-than-stellar representatives on the commission. It appears the voters sometimes just pick a name out of the field they recognize, never mind the fact they are electing someone who has no idea of how to run government.

I was recently talking with a commissioner who voted against cutting the commission in half. While I don?t agree with him, his reason did have some relevance. He said he would be worried the people of Warren County would fill the 12 seats with popularity-contest choices instead of folks who could really lead the county. He pointed out that many districts elect one good administrator and one popularity-contest winner. He said he feared by just having one choice in a district, uninformed voters would pull the switch for the popular person and not the one who has leadership skills.

Although I?m still firmly for cutting the commission in half, he does have a point. It?s as much a responsibility to us voters as it is to the commission to mold our government. If you?re not informed and vote based on signs or who helped you get your hay in last year, you?re failing your county. Instead of solving the problem, you?ve become part of the problem.

So, the next time you want to criticize the way the county is being run, just stop and think whether you were responsible for sending a less-than-qualified person to the commission, that is, if you even remember who you voted for. Before you blame others for bad government, make sure you?re not to blame.

Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].