Dear Editor,

First, I wish to thank you for the series of articles on County government. It’s informative to read the spectrum of events, perspectives, and opinions.

It seems to me that from the time we moved here, 2002, there frequently has been confusion about what, in most places, is a simple process, county government.

A mystery early in our experience, as I recall, was the disappearance of a quarter of a million dollars reserved for a truck of some sort, and no one had a clue about the fate of that fortune; POOF! It’s gone! Wonder where it went? Subsequently, there has been a steady stream of similar phenomena: commissioners that haven’t a clue or don’t give a hoot about the rules, no budgets, tax increases based on ignorance, insufficient money, no audits, audits so costly as to seem fraudulent themselves, government about as transparent as the strips of gumbo that serve some of us as roads.

If I didn’t lack all confidence in the Governor, I might advocate his appointing a task force to come in here, resolve the tangle, issue indictments as necessary, and bring order.

Unable personally to unravel these perhaps carefully-tied knots, I decided to adapt my tactics to the circumstances and vote against anyone previously elected to the Commission during my residency. Of course, this is potentially unfair to some and might find my voting for a person that turns out to be another dud, but it will prevent my helping elect anyone that was inept or criminal during my life in Musselshell County. Term limits are not a bad idea, anyway, are they?

Sincerely,

Larry Stanfel

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