Regarding the waste of money and the raising (again!) of our property taxes by the ELECTED officials of the County, please remember that just as we voted them in, WE CAN VOTE THEM OUT. We cannot change their behaviors or their policies – written and unwritten – but we can speak with our ballots when we are fed up with the misuse of our limited resources, the doublespeak and waste and the complete disregard for the citizens of the county. If they raise our taxes, freeze our wages and then turn around and create new positions and give preferential treatment and wage increases to those they deem “worthy”, hand out cell phones and county vehicles like Halloween candy, and refuse to consider any other way of cutting expenses than putting the costs on our backs, then lets vote for someone who WILL be fiscally responsible, open and honest, and who will honor their word. The Supervisors who won’t listen should be voted out and replaced with those who will! The Department Heads who waste money and feel entitled to spend recklessly should be fired and replaced by responsible, hard working people who will do a good job and do it within a reasonable budget. There are many good people working for the county, who work within their budgets and don’t have the attitude of entitlement shown in other departments, handing out cars and Blackberries as if it were some inalienable right. The Treasurer, Recorder and Assessor’s offices are examples of people who are trying to work within a budget, and they don’t abuse the car and phone “perks”. If they need to send someone to Payson to pick up or deliver materials, they check with the other departments to see if they have anything that needs to go or be brought back. Only the department heads and their deputies have County paid-for phones, they don’t use their cars for personal use. Gary Goettleman and the Clerk of Courts office is another good example of government working FOR the people and not using them as a cash cow.

Pay attention to the job your elected officials are doing, read the meeting minutes – they are published in the paper after every meeting. Be aware of how your money is being spent, and by whom. Ask the tough question, and insist on honest and complete answers. And most of all – VOTE. We get the government that we tolerate…. Why tolerate abuses, why keep paying ever increasing taxes, why complain to each other and not to the people responsible? Your vote matters, and VOTE AGAINST WASTE!

#36: - VOTE THEM OUT