A good question asked a little too late (07/28/03)

The question's a good one, but the timing is off.

A number of Redkey citizens have been pointing out the inherent conflicts of interest now faced by some members of the town council.

Trouble is, those conflicts were right out in the open and the voters said they were no big deal.

To bring you up to speed in case Redkey town politics isn't high on your priority list, two current town council members are also town department heads. Violet Erlenbush runs Redkey's sewage treatment facility, and Brenda Collett is the town's police chief. Both are council members as well.

In fact, both Erlenbush and Collett get pretty high marks not only as town employees but also as town council members.

But, just the same, it's tough — if not impossible — to do both jobs at the same time.

Think about it. How can anyone effectively administer a local governmental department and impartially sit on the board that governs their operation of the department?

It's next to impossible to do.

Already this summer and spring, some of the inevitable problems have surfaced.

When the town's citizens come to a council meeting to complain about how the police department is being run, which hat does Brenda Collett wear?

Is she police chief? Or is she a town council member? So far, she's tried very hard to be both at the same time, and it's been a difficult juggling act.

And then there's the question of what happens the next time the political pendulum swings.

Both Erlenbush and Collett have had a reputation as solid town employees. Erlenbush, in particular, has brought real professionalism to the town's wastewater treatment plant.

But how comfortable are they going to be serving under a different town council in the future? It would be a shame to lose competent town employees simply because the politics became too complicated.

The crazy thing, of course, is that all of this was out in the open before the last election. Erlenbush and Collett played straight with the voters; that's their nature. But the majority of voters were blind to the potential conflict, and only now is it surfacing as a headache.

So, given that reality, what's the best course of action?

These folks were legitimately elected, and they've shown dedication toward their jobs. Resignation makes no sense.

But distancing themselves from decisions affecting their departments does make sense. And deciding on one or the other in the future — town department head or town council member, not both — makes sense.

Our guess is that a decision by Collett or Erlenbush not to seek re-election could go a long way toward sorting the situation out.

Does it matter?

You bet it does.

Redkey's made huge strides in the past several years, thanks to a number of talented town council members and civic volunteers. The town's getting its act together. Violet Erlenbush and Brenda Collett have been a part of that progress; their concern about the future of Redkey led them to run for town council in the first place.

Today, they have the chance to help Redkey one more time by opting out of future elected politics as long as they're town employees. Their hearts are in the right place. Their affection and concern about their community is clear.

Now they need to put the conflict of interest questions behind them. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]