How many times have you heard this description of a candidate for local office?
"He's a good Christian man.”
After hearing this, I realize I have questions about the candidate. Why should I vote for your guy instead of the other guy?
"He's a good Christian man."
Any other qualifications?
“His mama and my mama are second cousins.”
But can he read a balance sheet? Has he ever managed a business? Does he know how to open Excel or generate reports with QuickBooks?
"He's a good Christian man."
Has he ever been in charge of a successful project or group of people?
"He's a good Christian man."
What is his vision for what the county or the state should be now and in the future?
"He's a good Christian man.”
So I give up and speak to supporters of the other guy that was nominated. Why should I vote for the man you support?
"He's a good Christian man. He’s worked in the same job for 20 years."
Any other qualifications?
"His mama and my daddy went to high school together.”
I know good, honest, Christian men who can't make a decision. I know others who can barely read and write and have no clue about the difference between a P&L and a revenue projection, much less read and understand a cost-benefit analysis.
And don’t even think about asking them to explain a section of the state code.
It takes more than a regular church attendance to qualify a person for public office.
We need people who have successfully led others. We need people in government who can communicate ideas clearly to others. I’ll go as far as to say a lack of clear, timely communication is one of the biggest impediments our county officials and school board members have faced in these past couple of years.
Our county government is a multi-million-dollar concern with more than 130 employees who do everything from enforcing laws to paving roads to making sure we get the right car tags for the right amount of money.
We need officials who understand the financial aspects of a business.
We need officials who can understand the letter of state and federal law, the reasoning and spirit behind those laws, and how those laws affect the actions of their respective agencies. We also want people who will follow those laws.
I don’t expect anyone to agree with me 100% of the time. However, I do want office holders that will listen to my opinions, explain why they agree or disagree, and answer my questions.
It's time we should expect these things from our officers.
Let us all think before we vote.
