I am burdened by the consistent failure of our county council to deliver tangible, positive results for the very citizens they are sworn to serve.
While good intentions may exist, the reality of the results paints a stark picture of unfulfilled promises and mounting frustrations.
Health care and emergency services are stretched thin, with a continued lack of sufficient EMS and fire staff.
Law enforcement resources, too, remain stretched thin. Safety issues are not this council’s number one priority. Houses burn to the ground before the fire department can show up. A sense of insecurity over public safety in this county casts a long shadow over our daily lives, eroding trust and confidence in our elected representatives.
The council operates with an air of opacity, its decision-making processes shrouded in secrecy. The council chair and interim administrator say the “decision has been made” – by whom? The council did not vote.
Public engagement is often lip service. Removal of the second public comment time from the agenda was done illegally. Is the chair that fearful of what the public thinks?
This lack of accountability breeds resentment and fuels a sense of powerlessness amongst the very people the council is supposed to represent. Our council should be transparent, accountable, and responsive to the needs of its citizens. Why else were you elected?
Terry Schaffer
Lake Monticello
