When it comes to getting things done in government, having a good idea isn't enough.
Government, because its work is done in the name of and through the authority granted by The People, is at least as much about process as it is about outcomes. Anyone who prefers fast and efficient action should probably stick to the private sector.
What’s the point?
A public process is a necessity when a proposed business arrangement involves family of a government employee.
Matters of public policy take time, occasionally too much of it. Some would say more than occasionally.
But because government involves great power, process is a necessary constraint. Show us a nation without process, and we'll show you a dictatorship.
Process, however, can be frustrating. The folks at the Washington County Road Department undoubtedly know this.
Leaders of the road department knew the county needed a source for red dirt in south Washington County. It's an important ingredient for building and maintaining rural county roads, and it's their responsibility to figure out how to acquire the resources needed to do that. In case anyone missed it, county residents and other drivers know the value of a well-maintained road, and they're not hesitant to expect that out of county judges and their road departments.
So leaders of Washington County's department went knocking on doors to ask landowners if they'd be interested in selling dirt to the county for use in maintain. They say the answer was no, time after time. Until someone said yes. Convinced the dirt pit on the property near Winslow would serve the county's needs, county employees started building a road on the private property that would facilitate their trucks getting in and out.
The property is owned by relatives of Travis Reed, and that's were this road gets rough. Reed is the county bridge superintendent. The ride got even rougher once George Butler, County Judge Marilyn Edwards' chief of staff, learned of the project. Because it involves land owned by a relative of a county employee, the project needed the approval of the 15-member, elected Quorum Court. Butler, who has referred to the oversight as an "honest mistake," put a halt to all prep work until the required county process could be followed.
That naturally led to scrutiny of the proposal and the failure to follow procedure, and well it should.
"There's a perception that [the dirt mine] is being done as a favor for somebody," Fayetteville Justice of the Peace Eva Madison, a Democrat, said. "Are we sure we aren't just doing a favor for somebody's family member?"
Tom Lundstrum, a Republican from northwestern Washington County, said county employees and officials need to be concerned with how the public perceives such arrangements.
"I still have a problem with doing business with family members of Washington County employers," Lundstrum said. "People look at this type of thing and they aren't happy about it. The only red dirt we can find belongs to the family of one of our supervisors?"
The situation raised questions about nepotism and whether the county should permit such arrangements.
Of course, it should, when necessary.
Scrutiny is exactly the reason Quorum Court review is required when it comes to county employees or their families doing business with the county. It doesn't imply anyone is doing anything wrong. To the contrary, too many people in Washington County and across the state are related to each other to entirely avoid such complications. Having a relative who works for the government should not exclude anyone from doing business with that government, particularly if the deal is good for the public need.
But process matters.
Getting approval from the Quorum Court is exactly the kind of process that ensures these potential conflicts do not become full-blown conflicts. It reduces the chances that someone is doing favors. And, yes, it provides politically valuable cover. If everyone is on notice, and the elected representatives of the taxpayers give a proposal a thorough review then their blessing, who can cast stones?
County employees appear to need to freshen up on some of these policies. Road Department Superintendent Charles Ward has said construction of the road was a mistake, born of a misunderstanding about what was legally required. Such mistakes cause everyone headaches and slows down the all-important process.
When nobody is trying to pull a fast one on the public, a review should be a welcome process to ensure the deal makes sense for everyone, but particularly the taxpayer.
County employees need to slow down and consider their ethical obligations to the public they're hired to serve. If it's a good idea, it will survive the scrutiny of the public review process.
Commentary on 05/31/2016