Stuart: Negativity took a toll

As promised, Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart posted a detailed explanation today on his Facebook page regarding his decision not to seek re-election.

Stuart, a Democrat who has been on the board for a decade, wrote that he’s been overwhelmed by “the outpouring of support and encouragement from people asking me to run again.”

However, 10 years is a long time to serve as a commissioner in the best of circumstances, he wrote.

“It’s full-time plus, there are a wide variety of tough issues to work on, and it gets heated because those issues affect real people in real ways. But we are not in the best of circumstances,” Stuart wrote.

“When I first sought appointment to the board in 2004, it was to use my education, skills and background to creatively solve complex problems and give back to the place that’s given me so much. It wasn’t easy, and there were many who wanted me to be more confrontational, but it was good work. On diverse Boards, we struggled and fought through tough issues in tough times, making decisions based on reason, input from our citizens and staff, and ultimately seeking to serve the best interests of the County,” he wrote.

Without mentioning Republican Commissioners David Madore and Tom Mielke by name, Stuart wrote there’s “no longer room for facts, figures, input, and information, if they don’t support the ideological aims of the majority.”

Madore and Mielke didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

After a year of acrimony, the job “isn’t the one I signed up for, and it’s not one I want to re-apply for,” Stuart wrote. “It’s not who I am, and not who I want to be. I was raised to be solution-oriented, positive, to bring people together. The negativity I now have to live with has taken a toll on me, affecting my attitude, work, passion and patience. I promised when I took this job that when I didn’t wake up every morning with energy and passion to serve, that I’d step down. The job is too important, and you deserve more than just somebody sitting in the seat for a paycheck or pension,” he wrote.

Stuart, 42, currently earns $106,224 a year. When he said Thursday he won’t seek re-election, he said he doesn’t have another job lined up. In his Friday post, he wrote it’s time “for me to look for another path where I can accomplish positive goals to create healthy communities.”

A 1989 Prairie High School graduate, Stuart has a bachelor’s degree in business and sociology from Linfield College and a law degree from the University of Oregon. Before his appointment to the board, he worked for environmental groups.

Commissioners serve four-year terms. Their chief responsibilities include setting land-use policies for unincorporated areas, implementing federal and state regulations and, by law, approving a balanced budget.

Stuart was appointed in 2004 to fill a vacancy. He was elected in 2005 and re-elected in 2006 and 2010.

His term expires at the end of the year.

He ended his Friday post on a positive note.

“Whether you have agreed or disagreed with me, my work, and my decisions, I’m tremendously grateful to all of you,” he wrote. “You’ve all made me and my work better by challenging me to be the best public servant possible. For that, and for the opportunity to serve that you’ve given me, I’m forever grateful. For now, I’m still here, still serving, and still fighting for the people and place I love. So this isn’t the end of the story. It’s just the beginning of another chapter.”

Stuart’s Facebook statement

Many of you know that for the past several months I’ve been weighing whether or not to run for a 3rd full term as County Commissioner. And by now, many of you know that after a lot of soul searching I’ve decided that I’m not going to seek re-election.

I’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and encouragement from people asking me to run again. I’m incredibly grateful for that, and most of all, I’m thankful for the amazing opportunity you’ve all given me over the past 10 years to serve this community and people I love. Clark County is where I grew up, where I was inspired to seek ways to help create healthy communities, and where I will always call home.

Because so many of you have asked, and because I owe you all so much for giving me the opportunity to serve, I feel I owe you more than a couple quotes in the paper to explain why I’m not seeking re-election.

First, 10 years is a long time to serve as a County Commissioner in the best of circumstances. It’s full-time plus, there are a wide variety of tough issues to work on, and it gets heated because those issues affect real people in real ways. But we are not in the best of circumstances.

When I first sought appointment to the Board in 2004, it was to use my education, skills, and background to creatively solve complex problems and give back to the place that’s given me so much. It wasn’t easy, and there were many who wanted me to be more confrontational, but it was good work. On diverse Boards, we struggled and fought through tough issues in tough times, making decisions based on reason, input from our citizens and staff, and ultimately seeking to serve the best interests of the County.

Even last year, I continued that work, seeking to provide information and ideas, listening to input from others, and crafting solutions. It became clear to me by mid-year, however, that my work – and that of many amazing professional County managers who have since left, countless citizens, and even Republican County Electeds like Sheriff Lucas, Assessor Van Nortwick, and Auditor Kimsey – was not going to be considered. There is no longer room for facts, figures, input, and information, if they don’t support the ideological aims of the majority. So my job changed.

I realized that the most important work I could do is shine a bright light on the decisions being made by the Board. To point out inconsistencies in logic, and correct false facts when they were offered. Why is that so important? Because I’m the only one who can do it. Staff are concerned about their jobs or simply give up on continuously correcting Commissioners, and constituents don’t know all that is going on behind the scenes or have experience enough to know if facts are facts. I provide a window into what’s happening, and an opposing view to those presented by others on the Board. Then it’s up to all of you to figure out who to believe and whether our decisions are good ones.

But the job that’s necessary isn’t the one I signed up for, and it’s not one I want to re-apply for. It’s not who I am and not who I want to be. I was raised to be solution oriented, positive, to bring people together. The negativity I now have to live has taken a toll on me, affecting my attitude, work, passion and patience. I promised when I took this job that when I didn’t wake up every morning with energy and passion to serve, that I’d step down. The job is too important and you deserve more than just somebody sitting in the seat for a paycheck or pension. So it’s time, after 10 years, for me to look for another path where I can accomplish positive goals to create healthy communities.

I know many of you are disappointed in my decision. For those who worry about what will happen when I’m not there, take heart. This year’s election offers great hope. I have tremendous faith that as we saw with Freeholder elections last year, many great candidates will step up, and the voters will elect a Commissioner who will continue to fight for what’s right and reasoned. Also, I know that our great Freeholders are crafting a County Charter that, if we pass it, will assure a better system of checks and balances that will minimize potential abuses in the future. Of course, there are also those who are excited that I’m leaving and disappointed because they mistakenly believe the 4th time would be the charm in trying to beat me in an election. Unfortunately, I have disappointing news for them too. First, I’m still here. Second, see 2014 election info above. And finally, 2016 elections aren’t that far away.

But whether you have agreed or disagreed with me, my work, and my decisions, I’m tremendously grateful to all of you. You’ve all made me and my work better by challenging me to be the best public servant possible. For that, and for the opportunity to serve that you’ve given me, I’m forever grateful. For now, I’m still here, still serving, and still fighting for the people and place I love. So this isn’t the end of the story. It’s just the beginning of another chapter.