Loving News of the Week, March 28, 2021
Things are getting contentious among our Oakley County commissioners this week. Our four commissioners and County Judge Albert Stanberry are struggling to begin formal implementation of the unit road system that voters approved in November. The discord already produced the resignation of Precinct 1 Commissioner Kevin Rogers with more resignations from both precinct commissioners and county staff threatened.
The clash of “this is how we’ve always done it” and “the voters were clear that they want change” is the root of the issues with commissioners throwing wrenches into the works at every opportunity starting with the process of hiring a county engineer to oversee all road construction and repair across the county. A day-long workshop attended by the entire commissioners court produced a detailed set of qualifications for the new position that all commissioners approved. Unfortunately, only one of the five applicants for the job met those qualifications. Commissioners then refused to hire the one qualified applicant and demanded to interview more. So far, no new candidates have presented themselves. So it’s a stalemate, which is of course what the recalcitrant commissioners intended.
No one in power wants to see that power eroded, and our commissioners are no different. Historically in Oakley County each precinct commissioner controlled the road construction and repair work allowing the commissioner to decide when, where, how and by whom new county roads would be constructed and old ones would be repaired. Management of the roads has been the primary duty of the commissioners for as long as anyone can remember. Commissioners campaigned hard against the unit road system in the last election, but the voters--by a substantial majority--approved it. Those voters expect implementation, and they expect it to begin soon.
County Judge Stanberry, also elected in November, made the unit road system the keystone of his campaign. Voters chose him by an overwhelming majority. He has been working diligently to see the will of the voters come to fruition ever since. In his resignation letter, Commissioner Rogers stated that he could no longer work with Stanberry due to unstated problems with Judge Stanberry’s behavior. When I reached out to Rogers for this article, he declined to answer my questions or be more specific.
As a citizen of this county, I have one clear message for these gentlemen. Get it together, set aside your egos, and get this done! The will of the voters is clear. Make it happen.
