Commentary By Samuel Strait – July 30, 2023 We were treated with two separate versions of our local representatives, both not particularly memorable in terms of just exactly who is supposed to be "calling the shots". In one instance, the regular Board of Supervisors Meeting, July 25, 2023, not at all, in the second such meeting of the BOS to be discussed in a future article, at least two of the members may have remembered that they "Represent" the citizens of their respective districts and were not chosen to "think they can do some good". Granted, no one was assured that even that was the case. Briefly, the July 25th session of the BOS began and ended in a brief one hour and twenty minutes. Nothing of note in the opening ceremonies other than Chair Darren Short desperately needs to figure out how to enunciate his words, such that he may clearly be understood. Board reports consisted of the usual recitation of Supervisors attending an infinite array of meetings and group think. Silent as per usual was Supervisor Borges, clearly keeping his own counsel. Only Supervisor Howard's pandering to the dubious value of the Tri Agency was of any interest. Clearly, he has become one of the strongest advocates for a growing County government along side "More Government is the only solution", Supervisor Starkey. The Consent Agenda, a minuscule eleven items, loaded with grift for Health and Human Services. No interest in the facts revealed by members of the Public to the Board as to whether or not there was any value what so ever to the community. More fluff on the "crisis" for Washington Blvd's impending culvert failure that went unnoticed for who knows how long. The purchase of a $220,000 new truck for Community Development. Followed by the approval of yet another of the County's growing train of administrators by virtue of a slight of hand change in employee classification. And, finally to conclude the bulk of the County's actual business constructed by the County's unelected, a resolution to terminate an emergency response to a four month old "storm event", likely because the County could no longer keep up the pretense of catastrophic harm and the "emergency money" was at an end. No sense flogging a dead horse that wasn't an "emergency" in the first place. As expected the vote was 5-0, the act of representation dismissed. Scheduled items consisted of a largely by the board dismissal of public concerns and a report by the County's elected Treasurer. Seems that the County has a nice pile of cash socked away for what use, no one bothered to inform the public, but likely to bail out various government slip ups that seem to plague the County's "valued" department heads on a regular basis. Or perhaps send Supervisor Howard on one of his many County funded "vacations". Regular items consisted of a dip into Measure "R" funding, giving the existing circus called euphemistically an "Oversight Committee" the "powers" of an Advisory Committee. Of course no one is certain that is even legal, yet the current "Oversight Committee's" recent report to the BOS covered a wide range of "recommendations" that could hardly be considered "vital to the community's welfare". How utterly surprising when you consider the County's contribution to vital concerns of the community, repave the Veteran's Hall parking lot, repave the Sheriff's parking lot, and the most vital of all, new fencing for the recreation department's baseball field. A perfect record of 5-0 votes. But not to forget, the report by the County's Probation head. Juvenile Hall's transformation to be delayed until sometime in September. Seems like negotiations with the employees union are not proceeding with dispatch. No surprise there. Budget transfers of $14,000 for culvert material to be used in the Washington Blvd culvert repair, then on to Budget issues. Two more administrators in the hopper, one for Public Health which actually means two new administrative positions are to be created, and another position created for that once in a decade or so, hugely overworked Office of Emergency Services, that desperately needs an Administrative Analyst/Fiscal Manager to spend thousands of dollars of Measure "R" funding for another "make work" condition of growing County Government. Mustn't hire anyone other than high dollar employees after all. 5-0 for the above with the exception of a bit of nepotism revealed, a 4-0-1 vote then a paltry $10,000 grift for the Chamber of Commerce got tabled, no doubt to appear on a future Consent Agenda. Not that the already $100,000 plus the Chamber already receives would ever be enough to count the web sight hits they receive. Yet, the Board and the City seem convinced that tourism will carry the day for an economically blighted area all year around. Guess winter weather will just have to stop happening, Oregon will have to start collecting 8.25% sales tax, and a city in California with in a half day drive of Crescent City will have a population explosion. As was said at the beginning, meeting adjourned in one hour and twenty minutes and not a representative of the people in sight.