I am probably too late for some voters, but it is very important to vote no on this measure for two reasons. First of all I do not believe we need a new county constitution. It has worked for more than 100 years. As my Mom always said, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”
I know some will disagree with me that it isn’t working, but if you have ever had to work with our county commissioners, many people don’t know how many hours these three put in for us. Yes, sometimes they are asked to have to do too much. I think it was wise of them to choose a county manager who manages all of our county agencies, as One Lewis County asked for.
Now One Lewis County is costing us taxpayers thousands of dollars by suing them for making 15 freeholder subdistricts. I would think that would equalize the 3 commissioner districts for representative positions. It sounds to me like One Lewis County already has people they have chosen to run for the 15 positions.
Most important of all in this measure, is that if you are a property holder and tax paying citizen, it is not in our best interest to have the freeholders choose whether or not our department heads are elected or appointed, especially the assessor and treasurer. As you should know, as our constitution is now, we the people vote for our department heads. As an example, we can somewhat control our property assessments with the ballot box. If you think one isn’t doing his or her job effectively you can vote them out of office. You think of the treasurer just writing the checks for county business, but the treasurer also must have good character and knowledge to invest our reserve funds. The department heads must also have management skills.
The commissioners have been criticized for our budget, but much of it is out oftheir control. I can’t remember the exact percentage, but the majority of the budget is for law enforcement, including our sheriff’s department, the prosecutor’s office, and the court systems. Then there is the matter of unfunded federal and state laws.
So think deeply about this measure. My main point is if One Lewis County gets its way, there is a possibility that we would have no say in who runs our county agencies. I believe “we the people” is the best way to run any government agency.
Judy Breen
Chehalis
