Some big political changes are underway for our area. Iíve got a few thoughts on some of the local ones.
We have a new sheriff, which is a political position, but not in the traditional sense. They donít set policy or control budgets ñ the county board does that. But a sheriff does set the tone of a department, he gives it direction and leadership. He is the face of it too, and needs to communicate well with the public.
The sheriff is important, but the real strength of the sheriffís department, like any department, are the workers. Houston Countyís Sheriff Department seems to have a good staff. Because of that, the average citizens might not see many changes with the new leadership that Doug Ely will provide. But that doesnít mean there wonít be any.
One of my beats at The Argus is to cover the police and sheriff departments. I have enjoyed good communication with the department, and I expect that will continue. Itís one of those beats where bad news is generally the focus of my coverage. Itís not fun to write about accidents and crimes, but itís important, and itís important that the county let its citizens know what is happening.
Thatís true at the county board level too, which is another of my beats. Most county board news is not very exciting, and I donít blame people if they donít read all the stories. But I encourage people to do so just the same, because those nuts and bolts are what keep things running smoothly, and we are paying for it. (Boy, are we ever!)
County commissioner Kevin Kelleher is done now. Larry Connery has replaced him. I donít know how Connery will do. Kelleher was a leader, plain and simple. I know he was a lightning rod, and some people are glad to see him go. I didnít agree with some of his decisions, like only allowing questions in writing at some of the meetings on the proposed criminal justice center. Let people speak; thatís always the best approach in my book. But I did admire Kelleherís courage. He was never intimidated, never afraid to speak his mind, and thatís not always easy to do.
Kelleher talked in an interview this week about the professionalism of the county, what a change that has been. Iíve only covered Houston County government for three years, so I didnít see that change. But I do agree the county is well run, with very competent and diligent people, and an excellent personnel director, which is a key position. Kelleher deserves credit for being a part of that.
There are two changes on the school board too, with Michelle Werner and Matt Hendel replacing Mary Frank and Chuck Schulte. School boards get even less notice than county boards, in my opinion ñ as long as things are going well. And that is the case right now. The district has a good staff, good principals, and an eight percent budget reserve, which is the gold standard for a school district. What a change from the statutory operating debt that dominated school news just a few years ago.
Frank and Schulte deserve some credit for that. They both took their jobs seriously, and were not afraid to ask tough questions. School boards can sometimes get too chummy with their superintendent. Iíve seen it. Everything is fine as long as things are going well. But when that changes, as it always seems to do, a board has to be objective and not let personal feelings get in the way. So far so good in that department with the Caledonia school board. I enjoy covering school board meetings. Quite often Iím the only person from the public there, which is another reflection that things are going well.
Weíve had three other big changes in our local political landscape: a new representative, Ken Tschumper; a new senator, Sharon Ropes; and a new congressman, Tim Walz. I wonít go into those positions here. The Argus has a political reporter, Tim Budig, who covers the state legislature. He writes for us and the 19 other papers that ECM Publishing, Inc. owns.
Budig works very hard at his job, and tries to localize issues when he can. I hope people take time to read his articles. Itís a feature that not every weekly newspaper can offer, and one that we value.

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Caledonia Argus
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