While the county talks about enforcing ballot measure 5-190, why would the county decide to re-write certain parts of the legal and binding ballot measure? The voters passed the ballot measure as it was presented to them. Long before the election, the county commissioners were hoping that the ballot measure would not pass, because they did not want to deal with enforcing the measure. If it did pass, they would take action against the legal ballot measure ignoring the voice of the populace.
Knowing our commissioners and their past procedures, it was no surprise to many of us, that the county was trying to figure out a way to circumvent the vote of the people once again, which happens to be the customary track record of Columbia County Commissioners. They have pulled the same blatant disregard of the voters vote since 1996 on the depletion fee ordinance. The only difference between 5-190 and the depletion fee ordinance is that they have never tried to re-write the depletion fee ordinance, they simply choose not to implement certain portions of the ordinance, where as 5-190 will be tweaked to their satisfaction and opinions rather than being implemented as the voters so wished.
The blatant disregard of the out come of the vote should cause every voter in the county to be out raged. It is not whether you supported 5-190 or not, the issue and principle is whether you agree that elected officials have the right to manipulate ballot measure's, coinciding with personal opinions or preference. To the people who voted against Wayne's measure if you support the commissioners decision to alter the ballot measure would you support their actions if the out come of the election had went the other way? I surely hope not!
We have been the product of elections being manipulated in the last 8 years and the majority of us were and have been out raged and disgusted at the crooked antics at the national level and we should be as out raged at the crooked antics at the local level as well, if we do not stand up for the institution of honest elections and every vote counted even on issues that we may not agree with, then we deserve the policies and the second rate government that we are getting.
If any one of us sits by quietly and consents to the commissioner's tyrannical actions then we deserve to be governed by a totalitarian commission, and we should relinquish the right to vote on any and all issues and candidates, because we deserve nothing better.
To those people opposed to Wayne's measure, go collect signatures and get something on the ballot to your liking, go through the process like Wayne did, have people vote on it, that is how democracy works, that is if you are not afraid the commissioners might want to tweak your ballot measure as well,
While our commissioners seem to thwart democracy at every turn, Marcy and her followers should be up in arms fighting against the commissioners manipulating the out come of the election. If we allow manipulating one time, it will be common at every election, until it is the rule not the exception.
We need to stand and defend every single vote that is cast, whether we agree with that one vote or not. The very foundation of our democracy depends on it.