Members of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Commission Structure (CAC) received a smattering of first-hand advice from two commissioners of counties that have moved from sole to multi-member governments. The advice came at a Thursday forum.
Steve Gooch, former sole commissioner of Lumpkin County, and Dave Wills, former commission chairman of Webster County, spoke about their distinct experiences moving from sole-commissioner governments to multi-person boards of commissioners.
Gooch served as Lumpkin County’s sole commissioner from 2000 to 2004 and as chairman on the five-member board of commissioners formed in 2005.
When Gooch entered office in 2000, the county was in the throes of a financial crisis brought on by the previous sole commissioner’s abuse of power.
“This man ran with a one man, one rule mentality,” Gooch said, highlighting one of the biggest issues of a sole-commissioner government – lack of transparency. “[He] entered office and started aggressive paving projects…and he would take trips, but when he went he would have a good time…When I got in office we found out it was a lot worse than we thought. [The public] became complacent and everyone went to sleep at the wheel.”
Gooch said when he took office Lumpkin County was in nearly $16 million of debt.
Wills, now Government Relations Manager with the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, served two years as district commissioner of Webster County and another 12 as the county commission’s full-time chair. Webster County’s transition to a multi-person commission structure, however, was mandated by a federal court order prior to his taking office.
“Webster was ordered to change, so minorities would have representation,” he said.
Despite their own counties’ sole-commissioner governments ending in controversy, Wills and Gooch stopped short of saying a multi-person board would be in Pickens’ best interest.
While transparency is a big issue with sole-commissioner governments, Wills told the CAC, “It is the most efficient and most effective if you have a good leader…It can be either the best or worst form of government.”
Gooch added that the number of commission members are irrelevant unless citizens, “elect the right people.”
Both men did, however, emphasize the importance of a smooth transition from one form of government to another––whatever form that may be. They also seriously recommended that Pickens’ school board districts and commission districts be geographically the same.
“You don’t want someone to have to vote for their county commissioner at
district 4 and the school board member at district 3,” Wills said, predicting confusion and frustration at the polls would follow.
School board members are elected at large in Pickens County, though they are required to reside in the school district they are designated to serve. Presently Pickens school board districts fall along old militia district lines. The population of each district is not proportionate. As a result of the Thursday forum, however, CAC members are looking into having school district lines redrawn.
Gooch and Wills also pointed out pros and cons of election by-district and elections on an at-large basis.
Following voter approval of a five-member commission board in Lumpkin County, Gooch served as chairman of the five-member board for four years, a move he said facilitated the successful transition from a sole commissioner.
Wills, on the other hand, took office in 1991 in Webster without the luxury of generational experience. “[My predecessor] didn’t want any part of knowledge transference,” Gills said. “I stumbled around for days and weeks… and I wouldn’t want to see any other county go through that…I really encourage you to think about ways to have a kind of smooth transition.”
Wills recommended one full-time chair be elected at-large and the remaining commissioners be elected by district. Gills said having one member elected at-large ensures that, at the least, one commissioner has interests of the entire county in mind.
Gooch pointed out commissioners elected by district have a tendency to focus on district-specific projects that facilitate the district commissioner’s reelection.
Gooch and Wills also urged CAC members avoid three-man commissions, citing the ease in which legislation is passed.
“Three doesn’t work well because politicians count how many votes they need,” Gooch said, “And with three members they only need two votes to pass - with five you have to work a little harder. This creates more openness and dialogue,” he said.
The cost increase of multi-person commissions was also a point of discussion. While the majority of commission members will only be paid a part-time salary, it is typical to hire either a full-time chair or full-time county administrator or county manager. Gooch said the cost of government in Lumpkin increased from about $50,000 to $145,000 when they transitioned to a five-person board.
As a caveat, Wills recommended the salary of a full-time chair increase with education to attract the best qualified candidate.
While both men offered advice based on their own experiences, Gooch and Wills clearly said there is no one best answer they could offer Pickens County. “…It’s all subjective,” Wills said. “There is no objective value of where you need to go.”
The CAC is charged with creating a workable multi-person commission government based on research and input from residents of Pickens County. CAC will draft a piece of legislation that, after state approval, will appear on the November 2010 ballot as a binding referendum.
[Other stories and information about Pickens County’s potential move to multi-member government is available at www.pickensprogress.com.]
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