Letter to the Editor: Citizen-Recommended Charter Refinements Lead to Accountable Gov’t

I urge all to vote “YES” and APPROVE the changes to the County Charter as recommended by the citizen-elected Charter Review Commission. I speak from experience.

I have been personally involved with San Juan County government over the past twenty years as a county committee volunteer and as an elected official. Between 2005 and 2011, I served both as a County Commissioner and a County Council Member. I was the first chair of the six-member County Council in 2007. I know both the commissioner and charter forms of our government and have first hand knowledge as to what works best for San Juan County.

Under the current charter provisions, our County Council is fragmented and not directly accountable to all voters. Our government has been more expensive. And it has been subject to the separate and independent actions of a county administrator and staff who need not take direction from our elected Council. An option to hold county meetings behind closed doors may continue, because all meetings are not required to be open to the public.

The recommended changes (they do not repeal the Charter) refine our county government structure so it will work better for all of us. These provisions will:

. Make all of our County Council Members elected by and responsible to all the voters in the county
. Keep a county manager position and provide that the manager be fully accountable to our elected Council members
. Reduce costs of government
. Assure that all Council committee meetings are open to our citizens

Please Vote to Approve Propositions 1, 2, and 3. Approve our citizen-recommended refinements to the Charter.

Bob Myhr
Former San Juan County Commissioner/Council Member