5 member Commission continued

Time to go back and recap what I have heard over the last week or so regarding a 3 member versus a 5 member County Commission.

I have spent at least part of every day in the last week talking to people in the county about the County Commission. This includes Republicans, Democrats, a couple of “decline to state” and a few who are not registered voters. I did not approach any of these people in a manner that indicated what my thinking was on a 5 member Commission, just asking their thoughts on it. I wanted their honest opinion, not what they thought I wanted to hear.

Not one single person I talked to felt that staying with a 3 member commission was in the best interest of Otero County!

Now my reasoning behind supporting a 5 member commission is rather simple. Having 5 members on the Commission gives a more diverse view of the county. Currently the residents in the mountain area have no voice on the Commission. Not one single Commissioner lives in the mountain area!
Having differing views on issues is imperative to ensuring that all the citizens of Otero County are heard and are represented.

Commissioner Rardin has stated in the past that he opposes a 5 member Commission because it might cause a “split vote” on issues and that he does not like to bring items to the agenda that he is not positive he has a unanimous vote on. While it’s nice to have everyone on the same page and always voting the same, it does not allow for open discussion on items and outside views and thoughts. If the entire Commission is going to be in agreement all of the time then why not just have one Commissioner?

But, it does beg the question of how does Commissioner Rardin know how the other 2 Commissioners will vote prior to an open meeting!