This isn?t the first time we?ve asked: In these challenging times, with complicated issues regarding budgeting, personnel and facility needs on the front burner of public attention, is the county-commission model of administration the best model for Marion County?s future? Is it time to consider a more professional model where elected officials set policy and the day-to-day machinery of government is overseen by a full-time manager equipped to understand the complexities of conducting public business in today?s sophisticated world?
This is not a criticism of the three men who currently serve as commissioners. Rather, we wonder about a system that expects dedicated but untrained, part-time overseers to manage the full-time challenges of county government in today?s environment.
Maybe we should stop asking the question because it doesn?t seem to gain much traction in the public imagination. But we wonder if some of the ongoing debates at the county level might have been managed more effectively, perhaps even avoided, with a full-time professional manager in place. ?DR
