From: Merrilene Ramsey
Columbus
This last couple of years has tested the mettle of the members of Bartholomew County Commissioners and the Bartholomew County Council. Confined feeding operations, the IT staff defection, property and building management challenges, the inability to respond in a timely manner to emergency calls into 911, diminishing revenues and other challenges have caused a great deal of friction between the two bodies that represent us, the residents of Bartholomew County. Both bodies are locked in a stare-down to see who will blink first and address the obvious need to increase revenue just to maintain existing services let alone improve such things as public safety and police protection.
It’s pretty obvious that increasing county revenue is not an option to the all-Republican county commissioners and the all-Republican county council. But what seems to also be true is there is no collaboration or cooperation between the two government branches to develop a solution to what is already reaching a crisis stage for the county.
It seems clear that the challenges our county faces exceed the ability of the current office holders to effectively address them and assure the long-term security of our communities. This is why I intend to cast my votes for county council at-large candidates Pam Clark, Lynne Fleming and Diane Hawes, and county commissioner candidate Brad Woodcock. All have worked in careers where they resolved challenges, planned for the future and were dedicated to the people they served. The county’s current challenges demand fresh eyes and new insights. This group can do that for all of us.
