New County Board Is Hurt Early On By Inexperience

TRUE 46 its word,ihè new I Democratie majority on the CounI ty Board of Commissioners has I set out to reorganize the county. I But one wishes they had learned I the art of making haste slowly. Some changes are needed, unquestionably. And some, if not a lot, of county reorganization is going to be done on a partisan basis. The new board is about evenly split, Democrats to Republicans, and conflict is unavoidable. AU in one swoop earlier this week, the board cut loose Administrator Ross Childs, abolished the Board of Auditors and created a county controller. In addition, commissioners approved setting up an office of corporation counsel. IN THEIR HASTE to write a suitable budget, commissioners tentatively cut jobs and effected cuts in township road patrols. Department heads apparently were not warned in advance of the cuts in their personnel. Township officials likewise were not consulted on the projected cuts in road patrols. The Republican commissioners complained that the reorganization proposal was sprung on them before they had a chance to study the plan. But if the Democratie majority showed a lack of sensitivity in the early goings, these members also made errors in judgment. The Board of Auditors system, for example, last year responded to criticism by m o ving to discharge raorr of ïts official responsibilities. Now is it to be "rewarded" for this by being abolished? Under the reorganized county, a controlling dfficer and fiscal manager of the county would be appointed at a salary of $23,479. That may be a bit on the low side, but it is positively the wealth of Croesus ompared to the executive assistant to the board of commissipners who would be paid $17,660 a year. Who is the board going to find at that salary? ' Even more questionable is the salary proposed for corporation counsel, who would be paid $23,479 a year. Counties the size of Washtenaw i which have corporation counsels naturally allot money for staff . Is Washtenaw's proposed corporation counsel to have no assistance, no staff, no office budget? ONE WONDERS at the motivation of commissioners in establishing such an office. These duties now are capably performed by County Prosecutor Williara Delhey. To our knowledge, Washtenaw County has not lost a major civil case since Delhey has I served the county as civil counsel. For this kind of performance, the commissioners should teil him I thanks and goodbye? Or is it I cause Delhey is too Republican I for the new board? The new board has not made I the best of all possible beginnings. I Inexperience has hurt the board I early.