For those of you who haven't read about it, Supervisors Jenkins, Brandt, and Symicek have together asked that the Washington County Board of Supervisors reconsider the resolution that failed a few weeks ago, to switch to a County Executive. They have indicated their intent to have this resolution considered by a committee. Chairman Kriefall, in anticipation of the motion passing, is forming an ad hoc committee composed of Supervisors Jenkins, Brandt, Merry, Bulawa, and Symicek to review this issue and return a recommendation by August 9. You can read more about it here: Washington County Insider
A few thoughts I have:
1. I commend Supervisors Jenkins, Brandt, and Symicek for proposing reconsideration of this important issue, and recognizing the uncertainty that comes with a tie vote. I also commend Chairman Kriefall for setting an August 9 deadline. For various reasons, it does no good to leave this issue lingering in question for months or years.
2. I recognize that sometimes efforts like this take multiple tries before succeeding. In 2016, Supervisor Kelling and I teamed up to bring the idea moving County Board meetings to the evening, so that the public could attend. While our effort fell 2 votes short, the strength of that vote led to an effort in 2017 that ultimately succeeded. It was not the first time evening meetings had been discussed, but it was the first time that a vote was held on this issue from a full meeting of the County Board, and that vote paved the way for ultimate success.
Likewise, this is not the first time that the topic of switching to a County Executive has been raised, but it was the first time that the full County Board voted on it. The support for it was so strong that the vote was tied. In my view there is a strong probability that, once all the information is reviewed, this ad hoc committee will return a recommendation that we switch to a County Executive, and that the County Board will follow through with that recommendation.
3. A few members of the community have suggested that the County Board is foolish for willingly turning over some of its power to a County Executive. Since I don't think of it as our power, but instead think of it as "power" that the voters have chosen to loan to us, I don't fear turning over some of our power.
In fact, I am not even sure that power is the right word. Perhaps instead it is a responsibility that the voters have loaned to us, and given us stewardship over. Does being going stewards of that responsibility mean that we let the voters chose a County Executive? I think it may.
While we could stay with the status quo, I don't think that is in the best interests of our community. In our current system, our County Administrator only needs to keep 1 resident of our County happy (the County Board Chairman). As long as he keeps that 1 resident happy, there is virtually no way for any of the County's other residents to hold him accountable. On the other hand, being elected would mean that our County Executive would need to go back to all of the residents of our County every 4 years, regardless of whether they live in the cities, villages, or townships in our County.
For that reason, I think the County Board should, as stewards of the responsibility the voters have loaned to us and entrusted to us, chose to switch to a County Executive. Ultimately, I was elected to be a visionary for our County's future, and no to be a guardian of the status quo.
