The dirty political game is not okay

As the saga of filling the vacant coroner’s position has played out over the past two weeks my feelings and thoughts have been all over the place. I have been shocked, frustrated and just at a complete loss for words sometimes.
This was a shining example of politics gone wrong.
One thought that keeps coming back though, is the question of why it happened this way. Was it just a complete lapse of judgment on behalf of the Chairman of the Republican Committee or was there something more to it. And if, as I have heard and it has been suggested, it was purposely done in order to get a certain person in office, why was that.
Was it because Nickie was not affiliated with a political party until recently? If that is the case that is a complete load of crap.
To try and purposely keep the most qualified person out of office for political reasons is the type of thing that makes many of us not trust politicians. When one plays that game it becomes quite obvious that the politicians involved are about themselves and not about their communities or their constituents.
In the way this played out the County Commissioners were forced to choose between two men who were not qualified for the position at all. Not only did they end up left with having to put someone in the office with absolutely no experience they were also left scrambling to handle the logistics and finances of it.
Rost Funeral Home was a big help in trying to get Peterson up to speed and did not leave the county hanging because they are members of this community too.
Campbell stepped in and filled a huge void when no one could have expected her too. Her dedication is a testament to her character and to the legacy that Rost is leaving behind at his business.
Thankfully most of the members of the Elmore County Republican Committee agree with the rest of us that what happened during the original appointment process was a load of garbage and they took action and made changes.
Though I wish it had never gotten to the point of him being sworn into the position, I commend Barry Peterson for resigning from the office of County Coroner. Though I can’t be positive of his reasons, I hope it was because he realized that he was not qualified and needed to do it for the people of the county. But no matter why he did it, I’m glad it was done. Now the committee has the chance to go in and nominate anyone in the county who is actually qualified for the job. Not just Republicans who are qualified, but ANYONE in the county who has experience that would be helpful in the position and has the desire to serve the community.
As Jerry said in my interview with him, it’s a 24 hour a day job, its demanding and it is draining. Anyone who does it has to be in it for the right reasons. Let’s hope the right people are nominated for appointment this time.