Congratulations, Dr. Thelen
We want to take this opportunity to wish Dr. Judie Thelen the best of luck as she continues her work on the Allegany County Board of Education. Dr. Thelen has proven her dedication to the students and employees within our system in the tough decisions she has made as a member of our School Board. Her re-election tells us the people of Allegany County approve of the decisions she has made, and of the direction in which she is helping to send our system. Keep up the good work - much needs to be done.
 

Don DeArmon - a test case for campaign finance reform
As we congratulate Dr. Thelen, we also want to send our condolences to Don DeArmon, the Democratic candidate defeated so resoundingly by Roscoe Bartlett in the Sixth District Congressional race. While Mr. DeArmon gave it a good run, he had nowhere near the financial resources it typically takes to defeat an incumbent. Mr. Bartlett himself is a millionaire, and he enjoys the support of special interests as most incumbents do. The money - his own and that of special interest groups - made all the difference. Mr. DeArmon - who is not a millionaire and could tap no special interest group - failed to reach his potential supporters simply because he could not afford to. Letıs hope Senator John McCain does not give up his crusade to fix our system by legislating campaign finance reform. The Sixth District illustrates just how uneven our playing field really is.
 

Five County Commissioners instead of three - great idea!
Ok, so this isn't exactly a candidate endorsement. But we really like the idea, so here we are.

The concept of five commissioners instead of the current three is one of the best ideas the current commisioners have had. Their thinking is right on target - five people looking at county issues on a regular basis will most likely result in an expansion of ideas to improve our county, livelier discussions of what need to be done, a more thorough examination of the status quo.

The only idea connected with an expanded commission that we question is Dale Lewis' suggestion the the five seats be elected by district, as opposed to countywide. We don't like that idea; that will just set up turf wars. Five commissioners elected by everyone in the county means they will answer to everyone in the county. And that's good.

So kudos to the County Commissioners - they're on the right track.


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