Quorum Court - What an Eye Opener!
6/28/21: It's June of 2021, and because a friend has committed me, I tune in to the Washington County Quorum Court for the first time. Expecting to be bored, no stirring of emotion one way or another, I immediately feel a knot in my stomach - there's a HUGE red flag. To my dismay, there are no COVID-19 safety precautions at the courthouse. I have seen first-hand what this virus is capable of and, because of it, I've chosen to participate from home.
I live-streamed the meeting on YouTube. As an aside, the comments were turned off (red flag #2). This particular meeting isn't allowing participation from citizens. So, *sigh*, I must passively observe my government in action. Note, I'm keenly aware of the coughing in the background during the entire 2 1/2 hour meeting.
No time is wasted... citizen voyeurs' like myself are horrified as we learn that our County Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) is shutting down due to lack of funding. Buildings are in serious disarray. The annex building lacks heat and air; there is an ongoing roof-leak in the Public Defender's Office, which has even caused damage to case files. There is even dangerous mold growing! A client in a wheelchair was forced to crawl up the stairs to meet with their attorney because of an inoperable elevator. WHAT?!?
I'm sick to my stomach - I'm hearing a barrage of excuses about these problems not being priority. What should I do?
Images of inside the Public Defender's Office courtesy of a public Facebook post.
Many other topics follow, all equally confusing and some outright appalling. I will spare you the details, but I'm thinking to myself, "Who in the world is going to step up and bring facts and reason to this circus?" View the videos to see what I see and decide for yourself:
Video courtesy of public Facebook post. A local pastor is removed from the audience. Those with opposing viewpoints who are unruly are not removed. I later learned there is now a pending lawsuit for violating his first amendment rights.
Violation of County Ordinance.
A JP states he will make a motion to extend public comment...
...Then does not second the motion.
A JP makes a motion to add language to a resolution that shows support of evidence-based measures that reduce abortion and improve quality of life. There is no second. The very next speaker then states he wants to support life throughout the lifespan.
Is "Say one thing; Do another" acceptable to me? No.
I turn off the meeting. I'm incredibly disheartened. What am I going to do? What do I do about the extreme hyper-partisanship, misogyny, blatant violation of rights, and flagrant disregard for rule of law present in my local government?
This is what I'm doing. I'm running for Justice of the Peace District 15. I will bring reason to the table. I will use facts to make decisions with you and to support you. I will advocate using logic. Culture war will not deter me. I am tasked to amplify your voice.
I am your fiercest advocate.
Komentarze