Opinion - Embarassment at the court house

The county is trying to work itself out of a mess. The implosion of the finance department after years of fighting ill-conceived computer software purchases and endless implementation problems has brought the courthouse to the edge of dysfunction.

Employees, former employees, county commissioners and significant others are embroiled in a conflict that is distracting attention from the real matter of getting the county books up to standards.

If it were not for conflicting personalities, the matter might have been resolved long before it hit the crisis stage.

A serious repair job is needed, both on the finance department and county credibility.

That job sits directly in the laps of the three county commissioners. It is in the commissioners chambers where this situation is centered. It is there where questions of procedure, decision-making and personality conflicts started. In many respects, the problems in the finance department brought these other serious problems to light.

One thing is in the county’s favor. The public is not truly engaged in the problems, except for their soap opera aspects. The problems are too arcane and too convoluted to bring people en masse to meetings, as is happening in Colfax over city hall matters.

In fact, the county has been left pretty much to its own devices. With most county offices up for election this year, including one commissioner seat, only one candidate has filed a challenge to an incumbent.

One long-term courthouse official who is not directly involved called the entire soap opera an embarassment.

This may be the first clear and accurate assessment of the situation to date.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher