An editorial in today’s paper seeks first to validate two reports produced by the structure and governance advisory committees and second, taking a page out of Barack Obama’s first campaign playbook, to repackage electing three candidates active in the local chamber and economic development arena as “change”. Fred Messerle, John Sweet and to a lesser degree, Melissa Cribbins can be linked directly or through their associations with the disastrous projects promoted by FONSI and SCDC and decades of irresponsible resource exploitation that benefited a handful or timber operators and devastated the local economy. The only change we can expect if these three are elected is that centralizing the power structure in Coos County through hiring an administrator and changing to five part time volunteer commissioners is that the county will find itself enmeshed in even more harebrained development schemes like the 12″ gas pipeline.
Electing candidates backed by the Coos County Alliance for Progress will result in anything but change, at least not for the better.
That is unless “Al” threatens to close down the planet “AGAIN”.
John Gunther and Rachel Finney may work overtime but that appears to be a most relaxed environment in which to be employed. Any person who has read Wim deVreind’s book knows what we witness daily is like butter being churned. The current good old boy leaves, the last good old boy returns, only to be followed by the original good old boy, all with well churned ideas, all with ways to keep the people in thier grasp, all with ways to keep the “Peter Principle” alive locally. There may be hope later today.
The paper doesn’t have a strong record for backing winners.