Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way

It is time that the people in Jefferson County make it clear that we do not expect and will not accept anything but professional behavior from those that represent us. Be it an elected official or a department head or a part time water boy, if they are representing the citizenship of Jefferson County they had better have their act together. Frankly, we, as a citizenship, should not and do not care about the gears and cogs that make the wheels turn in this County. That is what why we have elections and that is why we employ people to do the county’s business.

If preforming the county’s business, the business of the people, without malice or defiance or public spectacle, is too much then it is time to find new people to do the business of the people. I understand that all is not well in this county. We are in the mist of a civil war and some expect, even demand, that sides be chosen. What must be remembered is that the wants and causes of the few cannot overshadow the needs of the many. We need a government that functions with sanity and reason, for the good of the people. Sometimes that requires setting differences aside, even when feeling pulled to fight.

I really thought that we had reached a low in politics in Jefferson County before the last election. I guess that will teach me to think. I am looking for leadership in this political cow pie and, thus far, have been coming up short. The votes are in and decisions have been made. It is time, no, it is past time to get over it. Who will lead Jefferson County off of the edge of the cliff? It is not enough to influence one or two or a few. It is time to lead and leadership is a totally different animal than having influence. Who will it be and which way will they go? One thing is sure, with one foot over the edge and one on a slippery slope, time is not on our side. It is a really, really good thing that there are no scheduled meetings of the County Commission in August, because a political time-out may be all that keeps us from crossing a line that we just might not ever come back from.