Opinion and Commentary by Samuel Strait

Another County Board of Supervisor’s Meeting and it is safe to say that
nothing of real importance was accomplished.  The supervisors are like
robots with preprogramed actions and responses for any and all
situations that come to their attention.  Occasionally some sort of
animation peeps through the screen that surrounds them, when the
unexpected or unusual slaps them up beside their otherwise indifferent
continences.   It becomes a scene from the fantasy of a movie when the
Board recognizes that they are being addressed by someone they do not
wish to hear from.  Aside from the inability for the Board to have any
form of meaningful interchange with the petitioner in front of them,
they most likely will only address the unorthodox mechanisms that appear
before them if the message massages their collective egos.  Heaven Help
the petitioner if they were to complain about something that was with in
the power of the Board to address and the Board hadn’t.

Their have been a number of comments found in the pages of the CCTimes
recently excoriating both Linda Sutter and Brandon Bieber’s appearance
at that April 26th Meeting of the County BOS. Neither have been asked by
the public to invest their time in calling attention to issues that have
beset County government, not just recently, but for decades.  The County
used the power of elections to receive a 1% sales tax increase closing
on two years ago promising to address issues particularly at the
Sheriff’s Department and with other vital services.  The County has
received the additional funding for over a year now, and the age old
problems continue to exist, if not escalate.  The County, including
three supervisors who are up for election beginning in June, insist that
the continued sales tax receipts are essential to fund the solutions for
the many issues that plagued the County in the past and with the new
funding continue to plague the County in the present.  One might ask,
just how with a straight face, is it that the sales tax increase has had
anything to do with correcting issues that it was promised it would.

For years no complaint was made of Eileen Cooper’s spittle drenching
rants before the BOS as she preached her evironazi religion that made
development of almost any sort in the County a path ladended with
mines.  The summer of 2020 saw urban centers the scene of looting, fire
bombs, and criminal behavior in abundance.  All in the name of efforts
to be recognized as advocates for change.  Quite often advocacy does not
take conventional paths in order to be recognized.  Sometime it takes
screeching or the appearance of being the “fool” to force recognition on
the intransigent in power.  Clearly the Del Norte County Board Of
Supervisor’s have been put on notice no matter what is made of Ms.
Sutter’s appeal to the Board that something beyond throwing money at the
Sheriff’s Department has to be done immediately.  This, however;  does
not appear in the make up of the Board.  Excuses, continue to be the
main source for explaining away the ugliness.   The monstrosity hasn’t
left the room, nor will it if the current Board has anything to say
about it.

Supervisor Howard, in two consecutive forums, doesn’t appear to
understand that simply listing all the “barriers” for solving the issue,
is no longer acceptable.  There are similar issues at Health and Human
Services where Measure “R” funding has freed up money in the County’s
general fund to expand services in HHS with no apparent effect.   Mr.
Bieber has made it his mission to expose the fact that neither HHS or
Public Health have been much of a benefit to the County’s residents for
some time now yet consume an inordinate amount of the County’s budget.

Mr. Bieber and Ms. Sutter’s reward for calling attention to the County’s
continued failure to take corrective action has been derision and
labeling as malcontents.  Yet the question remains, the County has a new
slush fund, how long will it take for any measure of improvement to
correct issues that have plagued the County for decades?  What will it
take for the Board to understand that a bigger government will not fix
the problems?  When will the Board realize that beggaring the community
with more tax demands doesn’t solve problems as much as it creates new
ones and adds to long standing and existing problems.

More and more local residents have begun to recognize the
ineffectiveness of local government in its present form.  Over the
course of my residency in Del Norte County the local governing powers
have grown to be almost unrecognizable in size and cost yet the problems
I would like to say remain the same.  Unfortunately that is not the
case.  Not only do problems that existed when I first became a permanent
County resident continue to persist, other pressing issues have surfaced
in increasing numbers with no relief in sight.  Much of that has to do
with the explosion of the reach of government within the County.  Add
that to the expansion of government at the State and Federal Levels, the
Country has become a foreign nation compared to that of my youth.  I
wish that I could say that it was a “good” thing, but clearly no matter
how well you dress it up it isn’t.  I continue to hope that those in
County and City government will “hear” the pleadings of those that
foolishly continue to appear before you at public meetings and say very
clearly that what the current governing Boards have to offer, DOES NOT
WORK!  Not only does it not work now, but it has never been the path to
success throughout human history.  It is well past time to reduce,
shrink, condense, diminish, and decrease local government.  The local
population who do not depend for every breath they take on the approval
of local authority will thank you, otherwise many of us are looking for
representatives that do understand this imperative.

I as a voter am looking for candidates to represent me that understand
few in the local population have need of the constant attention given to
them by their government.  I am looking for a representative that
understands the effect of increasing cost of government on the people
they represent.  I am looking for a representative that understands the
difference of what is a benefit to the local community and what is
another burden.  I am looking for a representative that will be
motivated to actively work to be that benefit to the community and not
simply another member of the 5-0 club that currently occupies seats
behind the dais…