To the editor:

In the 10 years I have lived in Polk County, I have watched local politics disintegrate into partisan party politics.  It rivals what we are witnessing in Washington, D.C. and is doing more damage to Polk County’s future than the issues the parties are in disagreement about.

The grandstanding about the 3-minute limit on Citizen Comments at Board of Commissioner Meetings is a perfect example.  When the Democrats had the majority, they instituted a 3-minute limit.  When the Republicans gained the majority, they removed it.  When the Republican majority decided to reinstate the 3-minute limit, the Democrats went on the attack and objected with unbridled passion.  That’s the definition of a hypocrite, and an example of putting politics ahead of integrity.

There are a small number of people on both sides of the political aisle, you know who you are, who use the Citizen Comments section of Commissioner Meetings to drone on about their personal points of view, meeting after meeting.  I have seen this when both parties held the majority.  The comments have disintegrated from debating the issues to attacking the other party.  What they fail to realize is that, over time, they stop being heard and are greeted by the audience with “there she/he goes again.”

Here’s my suggestion.  If you feel passionately about your position, run for office.  If you don’t want to run for office, though your desire to speak so passionately for your beliefs suggests you should be willing to, then vote for the candidate who best represents your point of view.  If you win, you’ve got your platform for change.  If you don’t win, recognize that the majority of people do not agree with you and accept their decision.  If it proves to be the wrong decision, it will be corrected in the next election.

And to the residents of Polk County, we have no more important civic duty than to vote.  That’s the time to determine the people and philosophy that best represents your beliefs.  That’s when we determine how the majority of Polk County residents want our county government to be run.  Election Day is the best and most important time to speak up, so get out and vote so that the desires of the majority are represented in our county government.

 

Don Hofmann

Mill Spring