Elected office memories, roads and the race for commissioner

Ah ha. Election season approaches and some of the voters in Red Willow County will be choosing to reelect their Commissioner or one of the other gentlemen running for office. This former Commissioner has an opinion but that will be kept close to my heart.

It has been years since your old columnist served as County Commissioner for two terms. It still kind of hurts my pride that the public chose to not reelect me but that is the way the system works and a good ole’ boy took my place. I think that my stand on the intrusive zoning regulations that were being put in place had something to do with electability as I still think that if a person owns property he has the right to determine its use and what can be built on it rather than an unelected board but so it goes.

For me one of the joys of the Commissioner responsibilities was attending to the local “farm to market” roads in my district. I drove them often and more or less came to know who the adjacent property owners as well as residents were. All were free to call me day or night if their road was having problems that needed tending to. Actually I was farming at the time and attending to gated pipe irrigation. Irrigating farmers have a tendency to arise early in the morning, like five o’clock early. When I’d receive a phone call about some problem after my bedtime we’d have the conversation. Then next morning at my early hour I’d call the party back and mention that I’d been asleep and needed to clarify a few points. Usually the phone rang a long time before a sleepy voice picked it up and there were few repeats.

Of course, roads were an important part of the commissioner duties but preparing the County budget and overseeing its spending is the most important duty of the County Board. Typically the bureaucratic staff that makes government happen always want to spend as much as they can get their hands on while those of us who pay the taxes are on the more scrooge end of the scale. It is the Commissioners job to bring both into balance, cheerfully or not.

Come to the Biéroc tomorrow, Wednesday, at 10 a.m., and listen to the three gentlemen running for the District 2 Commissioner job explain how they are going to do it. At least you can enjoy a cup of coffee and a donut as you watch the possibly rancorous discussion.

In preparing this column I went out into the country and drove some of “my” old roads around the outskirts of McCook, north, south , east and west. Yes there have been changes like several new homes being built including the new concept called a barndominium. Also I noted that some former farmsteads are abandoned or were gone, trees and all, and now planted to crops. So it is that our home country evolves.

Our countryside is still a bit drab with the grays and brown of winter. Right now is the time to plant corn so some farmers have disced their last year’s stocks and are starting to plant their high priced (valuable) seed. We pray for a bountiful harvest. Our winter wheat is brilliant green and growing. Continuing rain will help. Roadside and pasture grasses are peaking through the winter cover. Patches of chokecherries and plumbs are proudly showing their flowers and hoping to miss a killing frost. Yes summer is on the way!

On the outskirts of our town we find a few small businesses just outside the city limits to avoid the city sales tax. A few billboard signs to advertise upcoming businesses. A nice hand lettered sign advertising the High School Rodeo just completed this last weekend. And then the City Limits with its large box store, restaurants, and the works all begging for your hard-earned dollars. Yes home at last and in my opinion a great place to live.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail