County Commissioner Jeff Burrows failed to distinguish himself before Ravalli County’s legislative delegation when they met on Dec. 9. In fact, Commissioner Burrows confirmed the public’s worst suspicions about politicians generally.
The meeting between the board of county commissioners and Ravalli County legislators was billed as a “Meeting with Legislators and Legislators Elect to discuss legislative priorities as they affect Ravalli County and its citizens.”
Each commissioner and legislator had a list of legislative priorities running the gamut from weeds to roads to mental health treatment.
Everyone, that is, but Commissioner Burrows, whose sole issue of concern was about the Public Employee Retirement System and how it affected him, personally. Specifically, as an initial appointee to the county commission he opted out of PERS, but now, as an elected member, he finds he cannot opt back in. He thought this glitch in PERS needed a legislative fix, and so he misused some valuable face time with our legislators to ask for one – apparently just for him, since it doesn’t appear to be an issue of burning concern to anyone else.
A private word with his legislative representative about the issue would have been more seemly than 10 minutes of public whining about Me the People.
Also tellingly, there was no mention in the legislative priority discussion about reinstating Title X funds for women’s health, a “legislative priority” that affects hundreds of women in Ravalli County, and which Commissioner Burrows voted to reject, prompting many volunteers in this community to rebuild and replace a valuable service that was working very well for more than 40 years and needed neither rebuilding nor replacing.
Hopefully, by the time the Legislature convenes, Commissioner Burrows will have had time to reflect on his humiliating and very public benefit-grab before the Legislature gets underway, and will rethink his “legislative priorities” and how they affect everyone in Ravalli County, not just Jeff Burrows.
Carlotta Grandstaff
Hamilton