NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — The Benton County Election Commission is scheduled to meet this morning, its first meeting with new commissioner Mike Sevak. First on the agenda should be deciding who will be the commission’s next chairman.
Two of the three commissioners already have had turns as chairman. Neither one’s performance wasinspiring.
E.J. Miller was chairman for about eight months last year.
Although the commission oversaw a successful primary election during that time, there also was controversy surrounding Miller’s unilateral and arbitrary increaseof election fees charged to certain small towns. In September, commissioners Bill Williams and Bob Balfe voted to remove Miller as chairman and replace him with Williams.
Williams, in his second stint as chairman, proceeded to make news in all the wrong ways. His decision to charter a plane to Omaha, Neb., to pick up materials for the November election was wasteful. The election itself, while not disastrous, showed evidence of poor planning and bad judgments.
There are obvious philosophical disagreements between Williams and Miller. Both have said that they don’t think the other one should be chairman. They’re both right.
Sevak, the chairman of the Benton County Republican Party Committee, is joining the commission as its Republican representative, replacing Balfe. As chairman, Sevak could serve as a referee of sorts between Williams and Miller. It’s the best shot the commission has at neutralizing the turmoil that has developed there.
This commission, which oversees voting in the state’s second most populous county, deserves a good, strong leader. We’re willing to bet that Sevak is a good fit for the job. If given the opportunity, he should take it.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 02/23/2011