Franklin County’s leaders put politics over their duty. Voters need to change it up | Editorial

The slow motion train wreck that is Franklin County government shows no signs of abating. County voters should pay attention to the unfolding disaster because this year’s elections give them an opportunity to endorse the status quo or to chart a new course.

The newest revelation is that County Commissioner Stephen Bauman could be in legal trouble because he changed the locks on his office and refused to share the key with the sheriff until he was served with a warrant. Sheriff Jim Raymond’s team needs to have access in case of an emergency in the courthouse in Pasco.

Bauman has only been in office since January. Since then he’s not only become embroiled in this key fight but also has been accused of bringing a firearm in the courthouse. He’s displayed troubling paranoia, too, tearing apart his courthouse office in search of hidden recording devices that only he believes are there.

Yet even all that is but one sad tale among many. Two county employees recently resigned under troubling circumstances. One said she had been targeted by elected officials who are currently under criminal investigation. The other was County Administrator Mike Gonzalez who is a key witness in those investigations and also had allegedly been the subject of illegal pressure from the commissioners. He now has whistleblower protection and $133,000 severance pay.

Commissioner Rocky Mullen, Commissioner Clint Didier and Auditor Matt Beaton are the other officials under investigation for misconduct.

Last year, all three volunteer members of the dysfunctional civil service commission resigned.

Sheriff Raymond feuded with the Auditor Beaton over a $21 dinner bill.

A judge was accused of harassing an ex-girlfriend and abusing his ex-wife.

Shockingly, things could get even worse if Commissioner Didier gets his way. He has suggested that the county not hire a new administrator to replace Gonzalez. Instead, he says, the commissioners could split the administrator’s responsibilities. That would be a disaster.

The whole point of the administrator form of government is to hire a professional government manager because elected citizens don’t necessarily have management skills. The administrator oversees day-to-day operations and implements the commission’s vision.

Divvying up the administrators duties could quickly run afoul of state open meetings laws, too. When two of the three commissioners get together to talk business, it constitutes a quorum. Would they really advertise a meeting just to discuss what to put on the agenda for the real meeting?

In some regards, county voters are getting exactly what they deserve if they chose candidates who pledged devotion to hard-right ideological principles but lacked the temperament and skills to lead a local government effectively. The commissioners have delivered as warriors on divisive cultural issues and failed at actually running the county.

Maybe some voters are satisfied with that. Maybe they are primarily interested in sticking it to the libs. If that’s the case, they probably should vote for the incumbents this year. Bauman and Mullen are up for re-election.

We hope that more voters are interested in a well-run government with employees who aren’t dreading a workplace filled with political and personal drama.

The county commissioners manage a $50 million budget that pays for law enforcement, the jail, courts, social services and roads. They coordinate with other local governments on efforts to help homeless residents and alleviate their impact on the community.

Those are core government services that affect everyone. Franklin County residents should expect their elected leaders to deliver those services effectively and efficiently. It’s hard to do so, however, when there are so many needless distractions.

Voters should educate themselves about the candidates – incumbents and challengers – so that they can make informed decisions about whether to stay the dysfunctional course or to change things up.

Franklin County needs competent leadership to run key services that touch people’s lives every day. They aren’t getting it now.