(Saturday’s Press Talk column set the backdrop for the commissioners’ decision on a proposed ordinance to weaken the newly passed charter. This is the second part — and conclusion — of Saturday’s column.)
The room was jammed with residents. An overflow crowd.
Normally, a 10 a.m. county commissioners meeting might attract a dozen folks. But this one was different. Very different.
My good buddy Commissioner Tom Mielke had hatched a plan to weaken the just-passed county charter. Mielke was proposing an ordinance that would prevent the county manager from merging county departments. Merging departments could save taxpayers close to $1 million, but there would be unintended consequences.
For example, state Sen. Don Benton is also the county’s environmental services director. If his county department was eliminated, he’d be gone. And remember, it was Mielke and his buddy Commissioner David Madore who snuck Benton into that $100,000-a-year county job when no one was looking.
Mielke denies the Benton reasoning, but there’s no denying that if his ordinance passes, it would save Benton’s job.
o o o
I arrived right as the meeting began and wondered if I’d even get a seat. The joint was packed and rockin’. A secondary room had already been opened for the overflow crowd.
A high-ranking elected county official saw me rummaging around in the back. “Your seat is still empty in the front row,” he said. I grabbed it.
I had brought along one of my Don’t Do Stupid Stuff mugs as a reminder to commissioners to do the right thing. As luck would have it, I happened to be sitting in the seat where the CVTV cameras caught my legs and my mug.
Sweet!
o o o
There was a bunch of stuff on the agenda before commissioners would get to Mielke’s proposed ordinance.
That was too bad, because a number of citizens who wanted to speak had to leave.
Many of those who recognized me came up to say hello. They offered encouragement and thanked me for the job The Columbian was doing.
One gentleman wrote out a note and handed it to me:
“Thank you for the important function you serve in the system.”
Reporters and media types get beat up plenty, so it’s invaluable to get this kind of feedback.
o o o
The time had finally arrived.
Most everyone who spoke was against Mielke’s proposal. Many were disgusted with him and angry. I’d guess about 90 percent of those who were in the room were against it. That mirrored the results of an unscientific poll posted on our website, columbian.com.
When the public comment was over, it was the commissioners’ turn to talk.
Madore — as expected — would not vote for Mielke’s ordinance because he rightly felt it would be a vote against the people. Plus, even though he helped hire Benton, he now realizes it was a huge mistake. If he could deep-six this character under the guise of a departmental merge, he would be thrilled.
Mielke — as expected — strongly favored the ordinance. I often feel sorry for this guy because he’s mostly a lost soul with little ability to intellectually support his positions. His simple defense this time? Hey, why let the county manager putz with stuff? Everything seems OK to me.
Anyone following this drama already knew Madore and Mielke — our favorite M&M boys — were against each other here.
That left it up to newly elected county Commissioner Jeanne Stewart. A few days earlier, I had written an open letter in my column to Stewart outlining why she had to oppose Mielke here. I also told readers I couldn’t imagine Stewart doing anything other than opposing Mielke.
And she didn’t disappoint.
She wavered at the beginning, saying something about her interpretation of the charter vote had to do with residents wanting balance. She was wrong, of course. The vote wasn’t about balance, it was about weakening the commissioners’ power. And if this ordinance passed, it would strengthen the commissioners’ power. At one point as she was speaking, I was sure she was going to vote with Mielke. But at the last second, she turned and did the right thing.
It was a good day. A very good day for Clark County.
Power to the people. Power to the people.
o o o
As the meeting was breaking up, I turned to reporter Stephanie Rice. “That was strangely exciting,” I said. “Maybe even fun.” Rice wasn’t buying the fun part and rolled her eyes.
OK, OK, I took the fun part back. Who knows, maybe when the new charter kicks in next month, it will be fun. We’ll see.
