Clay County Voters Say Yes to New Constitution

For over two years, Clay County citizens have been railing against the County Commission for several different reasons, but one of the main reasons is the 2-1 stonewall that has afflicted the Commission. For years, Commissioners Ridgeway and Owen have been out-voting Presiding Commissioner Jerry Nolte on things like shutting down citizen comment at meetings, the state audit, and a $52,000,000 C.O.P. package to construct a brand new annex, new astronomy and nature center, and other items that could have been purchased through the budget.

Clay County voters passed the constitution measure with 81% voting yes

The answer to this ongoing problem was to expand the commission through a new Constitutional form of government. The idea seemed to have enough support to put it on the primary ballot, form a committee to write it and let people carry it in the general election. Clay County citizens overwhelmingly supported the measure on Tuesday.

While the proposed constitution has several good ideas, a few things emerged that turned some people against it, chiefly the fact that elected positions like the Clerk, Collector, Treasurer, Public Administrator and Recorder of Deeds would no longer be elected by Clay County voters. Those positions would instead be hired by the expanded 7-member County Commission, effectively removing independent citizen oversight of those positions.

Lydia McEvoy, a recent guest on Kearney Live and candidate for Clay County Western Commissioner, shared her thoughts on the issue: “The big concern about consolidating the offices is oversight. You don’t want the same person who writes the check being the one who purchased the item in the first place, and the one who negotiated the price, and the one who audits the books. You want those things separate for good reason. I cannot imagine what this (current) commission would have gotten away with over the last 5 or 6 years if (these positions) were all consolidated in appointed departments.”

However, voters didn’t believe that appointments of these positions by an expanded commission were enough reason to sink the measure. Clay County voters passed the measure with an uncertified count of 81.34% for and 18.66% against.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story