County government should be restored to a more appropriate form and passage of all three amendments proposed by the Charter Review Commission will accomplish this. These amendments presented as county propositions on the November ballot will: (1) reduce the six person part-time council down to a three person full-time council elected county-wide with one member from each of the three island residency districts, (2) replace the position of county administrator who works independently with limited oversight with a county manager who works for the council, therefore for us the tax payers, and (3) require all council meetings to be open except those allowed by law.

Passage of County Proposition No. 1 will  eliminate the possibility of six part-time paid council positions evolving into six full-time paid positions (with the associated retirement benefits). The current charter does not limit the council to being part-time paid positions. This could easily become reality, if not with the present council but with future ones, since council members work more than part-time now.

Also passage of Proposition No. 1 will help eliminate the divisiveness between islands that was created as a result of the six-member council elected within six separate districts. This new separatist attitude has caused political disengagement between islands since inception of the six-member council and needs to be jettisoned. These islands need to be unified and the current charter has damaged this concept. We should never forget that these islands must be inclusive and this can be accomplished by the way we govern ourselves. Our local government held our county together throughout our history and the idea that we all voted for all three candidates who represented us was an important unifying factor. Help reunite Islanders so that the common goals of the county can be achieved more efficiently while recognizing the needs and concerns of individual islands.

Please vote “YES” on County Proposition No. 1

Larry Hendel

Lopez