County leadership not serving voters
The Washington County Quorum Court has a track record that is contrary to serving the voters of the county. Right after the last election when the public roundly defeated the proposition to build an addition to the jail, they voted to use millions of the American Rescue Plan Act funding to construct it anyway. Then a few months later the court rug-pulled charitable organizations that had been approved for distribution of a small portion of those same funds, denying them committed contributions to keep them afloat during the pandemic. Now we discover that Washington County will return almost half a million dollars intended for rent relief to the federal government because time ran out on spending it.
This doesn't sound like leadership that's striving to serve the public's interest. County Judge Patrick Deakins will say that activists are complaining (that's true) and, once again, call us liars (that's wrong and unproductive). But November is coming. As a Democrat I know how I will be voting in my justice of the peace race. As a taxpayer I'm asking my Republican brothers and sisters to check the Quorum Court's track record of financial imprudence to see if this is really the government they intended or want to continue.
Our local issues aren't partisan. "R" or "D" doesn't matter very much when it comes to common sense. We get the government we deserve, and we certainly deserve better.
Mac Mayfield
Fayetteville
A few words about Bassett's thoughts
Woody Bassett's column on March 21 is the voice of reason.
Jim Mills
Fayetteville