Be careful what you ask for: charter coup fails.

Bizarre thought processes aside:

"When you have three, one person can really flip the constitution of county government," Freeholder Tracy Wilson said.

The same, of course, can be said about five commissioners: a majority is a majority.

"Just having more commissioners adds checks and balances," Freeholder Peter Silliman said.

Actually.... no, it doesn't.  Checks and balances are part of a process between bodies of government, not a result of an expansion of government.

This looks like a compromise I might be able to live with.

The usual lie about this push being caused by the Benton hiring had to be in there: certainly there was no mention of the ongoing effort quashed by Slimeball Stuart and fellow democrat Marc Boldt getting no mention... as if it didn't exist.

I'm leery of the countywide/district vote concept.  While the county-wide voted commissioner would merely hold a position like anyone else, sans veto power, by definition, that person would have the political power denied the others.

Of course, it would likely be decades before a democrat could get elected: if all the commissioners continue after this to be voted on countywide, then there is little doubt we'd have a Republican county commission for a great many years, thanks to the democrat's betrayal of this county with their insipid CRC Scam.

There is, of course, precisely zero need for more than one... if one is needed.  And let's remember: the more complex the outcome is here, for example, the less likely it is to pass.

In fact, if these people actually want a county charter, they should put a charter vote up (yes or no) and put up a county initiative clause (Yes or no) and then stop.

Expanding government, adding bells and whistles so salve the savage special interests can wait until the charter itself is established.  Complexities = "fail."  It almost always does in politics.

Further,  making this an "all or nothing" proposition will only increase the size of the "no" vote as the people are pressed into a position of opposing the entire thing because they object to a part or parts of it.

I urge the freeholders not to get too cute by half.

Killing of Greg Kimsey/Steve Stuart's plan of county domination was a nice step, though... truth be told.