Harry Sanders is good at pointing the finger.
Tuesday, he turned it toward one of his favorite targets, the city of Columbus.
During a Rotary Club meeting, he said many of the city’s board appointments are politically motivated. And some of the appointees, he said, “can’t even tie their shoes.”
Columbus and Lowndes County spend hundreds of dollars advertising for applicants to fill seats on more than two dozen boards; the councilmen put upcoming appointments on meeting agendas, the county supervisors announce vacancies at their meetings, and The Dispatch tries to report that news in advance.
Too often, though, the same person gets reappointed, or the person who called the most public officials or knows somebody who knows somebody, gets the job. Friends, political allies, next-door neighbors and business associates of elected officials have wound up on boards. Sometimes these appointees are qualified; too often they’re not.
Supervisor Sanders’ assertions notwithstanding, it happens in the county and the city.
In the city and county’s defense, it’s tough to get people involved in these mostly volunteer boards.
Each month, the five Utilities Commission members are paid $300 and receive about $450 for health insurance from Columbus Light and Water. Municipal election commissioners are paid $84 a month. And each member of the Columbus school board gets a $200-a-month stipend from the school district. By the way, the budget those school board members oversee tops $40 million. Does it not stand to reason that these appointees should have deep experience in business or education?
Aside from those boards, in Columbus and Lowndes County, there’s not much material incentive to serve on a city- or county-appointed board. It’s a time-consuming and, at times, a controversial endeavor.
The Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors board is a prime example. It’s a volunteer board that, for the past year, has been embroiled in a cascading stream of dramas and suffered much criticism as a result. We’re certain this is more than any one of these well-meaning volunteers signed on for.
But we need qualified candidates for these posts. Some of the boards handle millions in taxpayer dollars. The city and county should make more of an effort to reach out, widen the pool of applicants and take the politics out of these appointments.
And to make Sanders feel better, we can even make the ability to tie your shoes a prerequisite.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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