Letter: County Administrator position removes accountability

Please understand what our county commissioners are about to do.

They are preparing to create a county administrator position that will not answer directly to the people of Dubois County, but instead will serve at the pleasure of the very commissioners who appoint the position.

Think about that.

One individual, given significant influence over county operations, hired by politicians, serving politicians, and ultimately dependent on politicians to keep the job.

Supporters insist we should simply trust that this power will always be exercised fairly. History teaches us otherwise.

This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats. Every voter should ask the same question: What happens when the other party controls those appointments? Would you still support giving politicians this much influence over a position with such broad authority?

Power has a way of expanding, and positions created with good intentions have a habit of becoming political tools. An appointed administrator doesn’t have to answer to the voters every four years. Instead, that person answers to the handful of elected officials who decide whether they stay employed.

That is not accountability. That is dependency.

Our county has already endured enough political division. Creating another position whose success depends on pleasing the commissioners instead of serving the public is a recipe for more of the same.

If this position is truly essential to the future of Dubois County, then let the people choose who fills it. An elected official answers to every citizen. An appointed official answers first to the people who gave them the job.

Government works best when power flows from the people—not when it becomes concentrated in the hands of a few.

Allen Hartman
Jasper