When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.”

Proverb 29:2

Due to the strict privacy rules that government places upon itself, names and locations have purposely been omitted from this column, at least to the best of my knowledge. Most of the information comes from numerous conversations with the unnamed although they probably know who they are. Now that I have told the reader everything I could, I have to guess it’s time to correct the problem so it doesn’t happen again.

Enough of the funny stuff and get down to the so-called brass tacks. I have heard many groans and rumors about a certain office in the (can’t say it) Town Hall. For the citizens that contacted me, I told them who they should either go see or just call them. The recommendations I made were town councilors. Well, it’s a little sad to state it took quite a while, but if my information is correct, the problem has been resolved although I don’t know if that’s true for everyone involved who had problems with this particular, maybe even peculiar, town office. I heard it was one person within this office that might have been causing problems, which may or may not be true.

However, what worries me the most if this problem has, in fact, been cured, are there any policies being put in place that keeps it from happening again? I seriously doubt it because with four town council seats up for grabs in the unnamed town there could be serious changes in the direction that the (can’t say it) town has made to change what was accomplished under the direction of present town councilors. I am not stating I agree with everything they have done,  but at least they dug in their heels and did the best they could, perhaps the best I have seen from any town councilors from someplace that I cannot mention. You see, the funny thing I have learned studying government in action, especially in this town with no name, is that they set the rules and when we want to know what they are doing wrong, they clam up. The only way either to get information or get something done to correct a problem is to put some serious amount of pressure on them to do something. In this unknown town, most of the problems don’t come from the town council itself, but rather from within the halls of the town hall itself.

I can make some recommendations how to begin to fix the problems, but when the private citizens attempt to correct a problem in government or its operations, don’t they squeal like greased pigs at a pig-catching contest (not that I have ever been to one)? Since we can’t tar and feather any more, maybe we could grease up … forget that one. If anyone in this unnamed town suggests changes, every government official will scream that it has a town charter. Oh yes, that’s true, but the point I’ll make here is that the town charter of this shadowy town protects the town government a whole lot better than it protects the very citizens that live within its borders.

If the local government I have mentioned doesn’t do a better job when it comes to citizen complaints in the future, then I have this suggestion. My suggestion for this unnamed town is to have a position hired by the town councilors and reports directly and only to the town councilors as a whole. The person holding this position would be like an ombudsman, an official appointed to investigate individuals’ complaints against something wrong being done by public authorities. I know, as the British would say, that it will twist the knickers of government officials in this unknown town but that’s tough, period. At the same time, by opening the town charter we could change it so we can recall elected officials when it’s needed. Better put on some serious hearing protection if this happens.

Lane Hiltunen of the town with no name is willing to bet it will be impossible to implement what he has suggested.