Capital Editorial

Our say: Hogan should hold off on replacing Frank, Capital, February 25, 2017.

Snider Comment

“Whatever changes in the Board of Education selection process Astle and the other members of the county delegation agree to this year are unlikely to stop everyone from screaming.”

What does this statement actually express other than smug contempt for the public and a convenient abdication of leadership? The same type of statement could also be made about the public’s attitude toward any democratic institution, including public approval of legislatures and even the press itself. Polls indicate that all such institutions now have low public trust, often in the single digits. The task is always to focus on what can be improved and this type of argument short circuit’s that type of needed discussion. Unfortunately, coming up with practical solutions involves costly and controversial investigation into current problems and how they can be fixed. Alas, neither our politicians nor local press see any personal gains in bearing such costs, which helps explain both the shoddy drafting of the bill creating the School Board Nominating Commission in 2007 and the Capital’s similar anodynes sanctioning that legislation as drafted. Let’s hope those same incentives don’t play out again in 2017.