The LGSC (Local Study Commission) has prepared ballot form and language that would franchise Ravalli Residents to vote in the Primary Election of June 7, 2016 for OR against 2018 Ballot language electing only three County Commissioners!
By law, on the 2016 ballot, Commissioner candidates must reside in either District 2, or District 3! Up for election are two, special two-year County Commissioner Terms, starting January 2017, running through the 2018 Election cycle, and until three County Commissioners would take office 1/2/2019.
Voters looking for a Commissioner candidate from, say, the Hamilton business community, are again effectively disenfranchised. And whom all from Stevensville-Victor (District 2) might run for County Commissioner depends a lot on whom all might run from District 3 (Corvallis-Pinesdale)!
Think it through like others have months before now! The District 3 seat now held by J.R. Iman, is up for Election in 2016. J. R. works as a moderating citizen, also as a moderating Republican!
Works with a five Commissioner system, apparently operating with a 3/2 balance. About three moderate Republicans and two conservative Republicans. In partisan terms: five Republicans, 0 Democrats, 0 Independents! In partisan terms, Ravalli County sends six Republicans, 0 Democrats, 0 Independents to Helena! In partisan terms, the LGSC is four Republicans, one Democrat, 0 Independent.
The General Election of 2016 may well elect a third conservative Republican County Commissioner, of the current five Commissioner form/plan of government.
In or after 2018, we might see a truly representative theocracy elected by partisan ballot. A Catholic. An LDS. A Protestant. Probably two, maybe three, Commissioners of the same political party, functioning somewhat like a board of directors, but of partisan nature.
Do think again about the present opportunity to change “the plan of government” = “the form of government,” and proceed to vote for a non-partisan ballot for County Commissioners to hire and fire heads of County Departments.
Check out suggested ballot language by going to the Ravalli County homepage, then scrolling down to Local Government Study Commission. Go there and search and share information important to your interests and concerns!
When Ravalli County returns to a form of government with three Commissioners there still would be plenty of funded Republican and Democrat road signs, newspaper ads, and mailers. Then when it comes time to vote, the names of filed Commissioner candidates would be listed, but not names of political parties!
Time to look at the bigger pictures, thinking again about the lopsided partisan system that functioned as a one party governance system during the wrongful firing of David Ohnstad. (Non-partisan elected Commissioners would not have fired the successful grant writing head of Road and Bridge!) During the appointment of an incompetent Treasurer by partisan Commissioners incompetent to check out her past job experience.
Also during the one party governance system relying upon incompetence to illegally approve the ill named Legacy Ranch Subdivision.
The lop sided partisan, one party governance system that refused to respond to what people from Lonepine had to say about harmful effects on groundwater, schools, traffic, and wildlife, that would result from the deficient proposal for the largest ever subdivision in Ravalli County.
Partisan one party governance has been the driver from wrongful payouts obtained by real estate developers, to big airport bias, to wrongful stealth process for awarding building permits upon the floodplain of the Bitterroot River.
One way to sustain one party governance suggests that on ballots, the name of the Republican, OR the Democrat, OR another, political party, must appear proximate to the names of candidates for County Commissioner. Best way to prop up that one party governance system is to compel Commissioner candidates to on the ballot, state what political party accepts/endorses/finances their affiliation.
However, at present, potential Commissioner candidates may not be affiliated with either Party and have no desire to identify and/or affiliate as Democrat OR as Republican! Worse yet, the local Republican and/or the Democrat Party may have sparse interest in Commissioner candidates who are truly independent of the current Ravalli “two party power system = 1 and 1/6 party,” partisan system!
Commissioner candidates know that the Ravalli Republican Party is very well organized. That the Ravalli Democratic Party is barely organized, underfunded, and has not been capable of turning out the vote. Ravalli Republicans are already pointing out they could sweep the Primary Election, and two or more Republican candidates for the two County Commissioner positions will be on the high turnout November 2016 ballot.
Consider the June 7, 2016 vote for County Commissioner! Within a District, if two well positioned Republicans win more primary votes than does a third place finishing Democrat, imo, those two Republicans would advance to the November General Election ballot. If that happened in District 2, also in District 3, as I see it, there would be no Democrat Commissioner names on the State and Federal ballot only a year away from now.
Looks to be plenty of reason to ‘protect the Republican franchise’ might be the majority opinion. Plenty of reasons to let some brave souls campaign and appear on the June 7, 2016 ballot as Democrats. Plenty of reasons to compel filed Commissioner candidates to state on the ballot what political party is supporting them. Say, the Patriot Political Party.
In my opinion, a non-partisan ballot does not equal a non-partisan election process. A non-partisan ballot does not equal a non-partisan “nature of government.” The Ravalli partisan election process, also voters, would benefit from a non-partisan ballot for County Commissioners.
In my view, a partisan ballot disenfranchises voters away from Commissioner candidates who are not affiliated/advanced/supported by the Ravalli County partisan system. A non-partisan ballot enfranchises all Ravalli County residents.
Voters who have become disillusioned by partisan politics in Ravalli County.
Voters who have grown up already disillusioned by partisan politics.
Voters turned off by, and turned away from, the current two party partisan franchise system.
A partisan Commissioner ballot disenfranchises perhaps a quarter or more of Ravalli County residents!
Time to hear from people preferring a plan of government involving non-partisan ballots for County Commissioner, until the next opportunity for a Local Government Study Commission.
Oh! The Patriot Party! Why, of course, that would be followers of Thomas Payne. Thomas Jefferson. James Madison in the widely referenced Federalist Papers #10.
Do search and there read about “factions of government”:
Government exists to resist the nature of holders of wealth and power.
Do consider how partisan ballots sustain holders of wealth and power while also considering the legality and practicality of a non-partisan ballot for Ravalli County Commissioners.
Bob Williams
Stevensville