After the 2008 county board election, life seemed to calm down. There were rumblings of disagreement in the past 14 months, but few packed-house meetings outside hunting rules, hardly any harsh words spoken publicly between the members, no raw personalities. One might have even gotten the idea that we were coming to a congenial general consensus about the future of Polk County.But now, with primary elections May 4, it is clear that those out of power such as it is at this level of government dont think the ship is on course. We are not likely to get specifics out of candidates, but lets assume the comprehensive plan raises issues in many minds with regards to the age old dispute over private rights and public good. Water and tax issues are also being discussed.This is all as it should be. Citizens need to be riled up a bit or some will only take in reality TV and miss the reality of our community life together. Still, it is a shame that reasonable issues at times get thrown into the mix as entirely black or white, for politics. Can we just leave that kind of behavior to Congress for the time being?Take the extension of water to the Green Creek Community Center. Should the county bear the entire cost, as its June, 2009 water extension policy reserves for it the right to do, or should the center pay 40%, as is the general rule?On the one hand, rules should be applied equally. But on the other, the Green Creek Community Center, bought, repaired and donated back to the community by Green Creek churches and individuals, is a provider of critical public services – a senior adult center, a base for Meals on Wheels, Red Cross, voting, farmers market, community gatherings, festivals and recreation. It needs a reliable water system.Soon the old Mill Spring School will be an Ag Development Center, another non-profit facility providing public services and needing water. Will we also politicize that extension question when it arises, as it surely will? JB