Board members need to show up

If Woody Allen was right, what does that say about the Jay County Regional Sewer District board?
Allen’s been quoted for years as saying that “80 percent of life is showing up.”
The comedian and film director has also said that represents his greatest life lesson.
His point was that if you say you want to be a great novelist or composer or whatever, you first have to “do the thing.” You can’t be a great novelist if you’ve never written a novel. You can’t be a great composer if you’ve never composed anything.
And you can’t be the board governing a regional sewer district if you can’t put together a quorum to take basic action.
Once again this week, the board came up short.
Three members — Don Denney, Ralph Frazee, and Joe Sommers — were present. And a prospective board member — Phil Ford, who was appointed by Dunkirk Mayor Dan Watson — was also on hand.
But board members Dwane Ford and Roy Bunch were absent, and there’s another seat on the board that needs to be filled. The board’s attorney, John Brooke, was also absent.
Public service is, admittedly, time consuming and headache inducing.
And the regional sewer district is venturing out into controversial territory that’s relatively new to local government. Bringing rural homes into local sewer systems is complicated and fraught with tough issues.
Those whose properties are affected can feel disenfranchised and resentful since they haven’t had much voice in the process. And a case can be made that the rate structures established so far need thorough study and — probably — revision.
But this isn’t rocket science. It’s wastewater treatment, environmental protection and rate fairness.
It’s particularly frustrating that the can’t-get-a-quorum problem has surfaced since Phil Ford’s appointment by Mayor Watson.
As a homeowner directly affected by the sewer district, Phil Ford brings an important perspective to the discussion. He has a distinct point of view, and it’s one that deserves to be heard.
But to do that, the board needs to have a quorum, get its act together, and fill the other remaining vacancy.
That shouldn’t be too hard.
As Woody Allen would point out, it’s only a matter of showing up. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]