Tuesday, April 21, 1998 | 10:04 a.m.
County commissioners govern many aspects of daily life that pervade the entire community, and such government really has no boundary among unincorporated vs. incorporated areas. Flood control, transportation, water, tourism, aviation, environmental controls, public health, growth, roads and highways, zoning, utility concerns and many more are controlled in essence by many of those elected as a county commissioner.
Even criminal justice, incarceration and prosecution of all sorts of criminals (including graffiti vandals who paint on people's driveways, Theresa), as well as law-enforcement criteria and budget parameters, fall within the scope of the "lowly" county commissioner.
Because this lowly lot has so much to do with the entire scope of local industry and constituent well-being, why on Earth is the commission divided into districts? We shouldn't elect county commissioners by district; real ethics dictate disbanding all districts and electing commissioners at large. But then, personal and moral ethics aren't something that most of the county commissioners are noted for.
Aaron Lester
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