“It is both breath-taking and disheartening to witness the speed with which this has all happened. I refer to the near-total hijacking of Elbert County government by the Democrat party over a relatively short period of time.
This takeover is reflected in several ways but the most evident is the ongoing deliberations by the committees and commissions assembling the new oil and gas regulations, and the county’s new venture into regulating water use. I have listened to several of these meetings and one can easily conclude that the main objective of the groups is to craft the new regulations in a way that their complexity will discourage petroleum exploration firms from ever developing the county’s oil and gas resources.
The Democrat dominance of Elbert County politics was clinched I believe, by last November’s election campaign when, notwithstanding the revelation that the two new county commissioners had only recently changed their affiliations to the Republican party, they were elected. It appeared to many that this move would help to validate their run for election in normally Republican Elbert County, and sure enough, it did.
It seemed preordained that the outcome of the election would not make that much difference no matter the makeup of the two slates of candidates. This became apparent when among other events, one of the county activists prior to the election effectively stated in writing that the Democrat party had a win-win situation whichever slate won.
True to form, after winning under the Republican mantle the new Commissioners recently appointed at least two prominent Democrats to positions in the Planning Commission, the new Water Committee and possibly more by now thereby injecting even further, Democrat policies into county decisions
The roots of the political coup appear to go back over several election cycles. During those years the county commissioners were usually Republicans, and time after time they would be accused of gross misconduct, have their personal integrity challenged, and face the threat of recalls. These threats were believed to have originated from both Democrats and a few vociferous nominal county Republicans. After suffering these largely unjustified vendettas, it becomes apparent that any bona fide Republican who might decide in the future to run for county commissioner will have to be terribly courageous and possessing a thick skin.
Today, the political situation in Elbert County should remind us that it mirrors our national political dilemma. If as the U.S. Democrats hope, their party will take control of the U.S. House of Representatives following the midterm elections next year. Then for the remainder of President Obama’s second term his party will own the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and probably the Judicial Branch as well, since Obama will likely have the opportunity to select (and have confirmed) two new Supreme Court justices, molded in his image. It will be hard to accept the reality that our beloved United States of America may be governed under a Democrat-led totalitarian authority for decades to come.
Whether at the federal ,state or even at the Elbert county level it is way past time for genuine Republicans to step up , become more visible in the county’s governmental landscape, and reinstate our party’s principles into the functions of Elbert County.
Sincerely,
Marvin O. Maul
Colorado Springs