At its heart, Clark County’s move toward a home rule charter and the election of freeholders is grass-roots politics at the ground level. A total of 110 candidates are on the Nov. 5 ballot for 15 positions on a board that will draft a proposed new county charter, meaning the odds are fairly high that the list includes your neighbor or your friend or that person you always see at the grocery store. There are state senators and former mayors on the ballot, plus citizens who have never ventured into the political arena (for information about the candidates, go to the top of Columbian.com and visit “Must Clicks” or type in http://www.columbian.com/freeholders).
Because of that, the ballots that will be mailed Oct. 16 might appear daunting to voters. Each of the three commissioner districts has five at-large positions, meaning voters will choose a candidate in five different races. Once elected, the freeholders will consider changes to Clark County’s system of government — the number of commissioners, whether to have an elected county executive, etc. Their proposal could in the next two years find its way to voters for approval or rejection.
Clark County voters rejected home rule charter ballot items in 1982, 1997, and 2002, but there appears to be renewed interest this time around. With that in mind, rather than make recommendations for each of the 15 positions in front of the electorate, The Columbian will take a look at some of the items likely to be considered by the freeholders:
• Yes, Clark County should expand its board of commissioners from three members to five. Much of the support for a new county charter has derived out of some voters’ frustration with what they perceive as a dominant two-person coalition among the commissioners. Expanding the board would eliminate the possibility of it being controlled by a party of two.
