The Beat has received a complaint about the [Editor's Notes:] that appear occasionally inside articles about the Grant County Commission and that they seem to single out a particular commissioner. More frequently, I hear from people that they appreciate the editor's notes because they explain things that might not have been part of the narrative of the meeting.

We believe that when someone signs up to run for and potentially be elected to a position, such as the county commissioner, that the individual must be willing to do homework, study the agendas and the items that are part of the agenda, learn about the position, what it demands and keep up with the continuously moving parts of a county government. Over the many years of observing these commissioners and the more than two years of this commissioner, it has become obvious that this particular individual is basically derelict in his duties.

He uses the meetings as his pontificating bully pulpit and sometimes, he is a bully, expecting everything to fall into his lap without his having to do any work to get it. He asks frequently that the manager "please resend" information. If he checked his emails regularly, or ever, he would know that he had received it AND should have read and studied it.

The other commissioners, once in a while, confess that they haven't had a chance to review everything on the agendas or missed an email from the county manager or county staff. They have jobs and other commitments as does most everyone in the room. This commissioner is retired. He never says that he hadn't had a chance to review, but often asks questions that had already been answered comprehensively in a previous regular meeting or work session that he missed.

Also, other commissioners, who take their jobs seriously, let their peers know publicly or tell the county manager when they are going to miss a meeting. The public never knows whether this individual will be there or not, and allegedly, neither does the county manager.

Perhaps every meeting he misses, which have been plentiful, is an emergency. If so, that may take precedence over a meeting. BUT, the meetings ARE recorded, and he could spend time looking at them and learning what he missed. If he faces that many emergencies in his life, he should gracefully resign and say he can no longer do his job, instead of sitting up there on the dais and asking repetitive questions and wasting not only staff time, but other commissioners' time and that of the public in attendance.

This individual seemingly rarely to NEVER reviews the agendas and this editor wonders if he ever reads his emails and suspects he doesn't. He always seems surprised that he didn't see some information or another tidbit, such as the preliminary budget that was sent to him, when all the other commissioners had it in front of them during the budget discussion. He had to have it pointed out to him. Does he ever use his iPad? Does he know how to use it? Makes one wonder. Granted, not everyone of his retirement age is technologically adept, but couldn't he ask for help?

A conscientious commissioner would realize that he is failing in his duties. At least one commissioner realized early on in his term that he couldn't do the job of commissioner plus his regular job, so he resigned from his regular job, so that he could spend the necessary time doing his job of commissioner.

Other commissioners arrange appointments and vacations, where possible, to avoid missing meetings. Those who have jobs sometimes do not have the choice to change a work commitment. But they learn about what they missed.

The editor's notes do reflect the interpretations of this editor. If they pick on a single commissioner, which they don't, because others have been commented on also, it is because observations make it blatantly obvious that this individual does not prepare for meetings, as he should. Perhaps he should be recalled or at least reminded that he has taken on an important job for the county, that he is paid for and receives benefits for and that this job has duties and responsibilities that go along with it. He is not fulfilling them.

Clue: His term is up in 2022 and he "represents" District 2.

—Mary Alice Murphy