L&T Publisher Earl Watt

Not so long ago Steve Helm was a school board member who believed educators who went out of town for training sessions were spending too much money on food, and he set out to curb this excessive spending by creating a per diem system instead.

The result was the district spent more money on out-of-town meals, not less. It was one of the many nitpicking efforts made by Helm that did not achieve the results he claimed he would as an elected member of a board.

Helm was not re-elected to the school board.

Less than a year ago, Helm was complaining about the expenditures of Seward County as a commissioner on that board, and he voted against the massive tax increase along with fellow Commissioner Todd Stanton.

He seemed committed to making changes to help the county turn a corner that would restore public trust when two previous commissioners resigned after having recall petitions approved by Seward County Attorney Russell Hassenbank.

He appeared to support the public calls to restore faith and trust in county leadership.

Stanton and new commissioners Jairo Vazquez, Clay Louderback and John Mettlen named Helm the chair of the new commission in January.

And then something changed.

Helm abandoned his position to restore public confidence in Seward County leadership and became a defender of actions taken that were a continuation of the misinformation that was being distributed prior to his becoming chair.

He supported, and continues to support, actions of the county that have been questioned, including whether or not the way the assistant county manager is being paid, or even if the position should exist.

He has become another in a long list that believes he can single handedly rehabilitate county leadership since the common mantra has been “We haven’t been given direction” over several versions of county commissions.

Helm, and perhaps others, have bought into that worn-out refrain.

Many in the public have been able to put two and two together have realized that the only mistake previous commissions have made is to believe they can rehabilitate leadership by believing the public is just too ignorant to understand how the county operates when the exact opposite is true — the public has become keenly aware of what and where the problems lie. Instead, they have chosen to blindly follow administration and discount the public’s concerns.

When I suggested one commissioner seek more sources of information, his response was akin to “ you wanting change is making me less inclined to provide it.”

That is the attitude of elected/appointed leadership with the current commission.

You may disagree.

You may believe the county has followed the law to the letter, that the proposed mill increase was simply a clerical error, or that paying staff from restricted funds collected for the landfill’s environmental needs rather than general county management was just a paperwork glitch.

It’s ok to disagree and then let the facts be presented.

Calling those who disagree “naysayers and pot stirrers” during commissioner’s comments brings no facts or truth to the discussion.

I’m sure the colonists were called naysayers and pot stirrers for standing up for their rights as well.

The way to dissuade naysayers is with facts. The way to silence pot stirrers is with facts.

What  public concerns are not based in fact? What references to Kansas statutes are not accurate?

When Mr. Helm accused those who are expecting him and county administration to be open and truthful of being naysayers, he offered nothing in evidence, only derogatory references of the public who question his leadership.

He has yet to make a public statement as to why he wanted the names of every person who filed their taxes under protest.

It could just as easily be said in some county offices that Helm is stirring the pot by asking for such information that was unnecessary since the tax refunds were already provided by the treasurer’s office, and the claim made by county counsel needing them for small claims court was debunked by counsel for the treasurer’s office.

When it appeared Helm was stirring the pot, he wasn’t called names. Instead, facts were presented. Laws were referenced.

Telling the truth is never stirring the pot, and I would hope our chairman and other commissioners would seek truth from any source and treat the public with respect for sharing data and facts. They should also require staff to provide facts and data, not hyperbole and claims that the general public is just too ignorant to understand how county government operates.

If we are going to restore faith in county government, it has to start with showing respect and making facts publicly available. It starts with asking county counsel if using restricted funds for administrative salaries is legal and then making that information public. Name-calling without facts won’t solve the crisis in confidence.