Weasel Words

I'm trying to decide whom to vote for for County Commissioner. I have one major issue: the local library. I was one of those involved back when when several communities cooperated in a joint powers agreement to get new and/or updated libraries for our county. There was a lot of joy in the fight, but there was a lot of uphill in the fight as well. The problem was maintaining a majority of commissioners, then and subsequently, who were willing to fully support the libraries financially, not just in the bonding but in the operations.

Green is our current commissioner, after the last one, Rick Olseen, left for a successful campaign for the state senate. Having taken a hiatus from local politics for most of the last 4 years, I had no clue whether his position was/is full support for the libraries. I recently asked him, and what I got instead was a history lesson.

Yes, I know the history. I was there. Mine is one of the signatures on those joint powers agreements. I know all about ECRL - East Central Regional Library - that is the coordinating and administrative head for our multi-county system. I know they decide what the budget needs to be and then submit it to each county for budgeting and payment. I also know that if we, or any county, cuts corners on the budget, it directly affects just that county's library in terms of staffing hours and other services. I was there back when, during a time when some commissioners pulled that stunt. So what I wanted to know was, would he vote to fully fund the library system?

He just couldn't manage a "yes" or a "no". All I heard was him starting in on the explanation of how the system works, again. I heard it the first time, as if I needed any of it. And all I heard from him were weasel words.

I think it's time to check out his opposition.