More in sorrow than in anger… an open letter to [County Judge] Val Beard, [County Commissioner] Kathy Killingsworth, and Tom Williams:
Whatever happened to serving out the term for which you were elected and letting the voters choose your successor?
The three of you have contributed a lot to this county and its communities. I know you are experienced and capable and truly care about Brewster County, and I think that for the most part the county government has been well run. (Though the Brewster County Tourism Council I’m not so sure about.)
But the recent ongoing and obviously well-planned series of resignations and appointments has caused me to lose a little respect for all three of you-because I think you have shown a lack of respect for the voters of Brewster County.
Kathy and Tom-oh, excuse me, the Next County Judge, Whoever She May Be and Tom; if you choose to run for your appointed positions next year, you will have to earn our votes. And the best way to do that is to show us that you understand that you are public servants in a democracy, not members of a club that get to decide who gets let in.
Making a solemn promise not to resign before the end of your term except in the case of serious health and/or family issues would be a good start. So would getting the county website updated; there have been no commissioner’s court meeting minutes posted since July. The agendas that are posted have unhelpful names like “current9” and “current10”, and the Public Records tab simply goes nowhere.
And a lot of folks work weekdays. How about an occasional evening or weekend meeting? For that matter, a lot of your constituents live 26 or 80 or 100 miles away; why not take the commissioners court meetings on the road? There are wonderful county facilities in Marathon and South County that current and past county officials can and should be proud of that could be used for that purpose.
Judge Beard, I wish you the long and happy retirement you deserve for your years of dedicated service. Kathy and Tom, I thank you for your past service and hope you will continue to serve in whatever capacity the voters choose you for. But let’s try to make sure that Brewster County politics doesn’t appear to be a game of musical chairs in which only a selected few can hear the music and the others never seem to get a seat….
Name Witheld, Terlingua
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