A yes on Clay County Proposition C is a vote to change for the better

On Tuesday, voters can start a process to change Clay County’s government by voting yes on Proposition C. For too long, the county’s residents have been subjected to dysfunction and political games. The current strife among the county commissioners is frustrating, but 25 years ago, it was a prosecuting attorney against a sheriff. In between, there have been numerous other embarrassments to add. Clay County has a long history of such shenanigans, and it is high time for the people, through the legal processes available to them, to attempt to make elected officials more accountable for the laws they create and the money they spend.

Voters’ approval of Proposition C would not change Clay County’s government by itself. It would simply start a process to appoint a committee that would write a document that could change for the better how the county is governed. Once this document is completed, it would then be presented to the voters for a new vote. Voters actually would have two chances to determine if, or how county government might change. (Think of it as the voters receiving two chances to get it right. Imagine if we elected people to office and then got to vote on their job performance six months later.)

There is no guarantee of what the final document might look like at this point — but again, in the end the voters would get to decide.

However, the opponents of Proposition C don’t let facts get in their way. Many current elected officials are saying a yes vote would take away the voters’ ability to elect their officeholders. That is not the truth. I can only guess these officials are encouraging a no vote because they are scared their high-paying part-time jobs might be taken away, or they might not be able to file suit against another officeholder and have the taxpayers pay for it.

These current elected officials might not like it that under a new system, the voters could actually have a say in whether the county can issue millions of dollars in debt for no good reason, or that the voters might be able to recall bad elected officials.

These officeholders asking voters to vote no are simply saying they like the status quo. They don’t want a possible change for the better. They don’t want accountability. They are saying they don’t trust the voters to have a say in improving things.

As a member of the recent Clay County Charter Constitutional Advisory Committee, I heard overwhelmingly that the voters want change. There was disagreement on what that might look like, but change was the overriding message.

I am encouraging the voters of Clay County to vote yes on Proposition C so we have a chance at better government. There is no guarantee of what may come from the process. However, I would rather let that process occur, and then let the voters decide if it produces the difference they asked for.

This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "A yes on Clay County Proposition C is a vote to change for the better."