The council form of government did not grant authority to staff agencies to change what laws mean. This is important for local rural communities. At some point, elected officials must justify their actions and answer to their constituents. But anonymous members of non-elected agency staff are able to make policy decisions that have massive financial and personal impacts on families and people's lives.
This is all being done without the public having any direct way to hold them accountable for their actions.
For this reason, the charter must be overhauled.
By giving agency staff deference and power to decide the meaning of laws, staff is able to make the laws, instead of the legislative elected officials. This creates misaligned critical policies.
If unelected agency staff, serving the public, have the power to interpret the language of laws, who is available to regulate the regulators? Who is available when there is a revolving door of continuously evolving elected officials coming and going? We need regulatory accountability.
When agency staff clash with landowners, staff deference is the default, and it tilts the legal battle in staff's favor, before any litigation in the courts ever begins.
Most landowners don't have the resources to go through the court process that is already tilted in the staff’s favor, and they have a difficult and very expensive time prevailing.
Clark County must correct mistakes throughout the Charter that have burdened the people for too long.
For this reason, Clark County Citizens United, Inc. recommends Brad Benton for Charter Review Commissioner District 5, Position 1, Duncan Hoss for Commissioner District 5, Position 2, and Peter Silliman for Commissioner District 5, Position 3.
With their help, it might be possible to make critical corrections to the Clark County Charter.
Sincerely,
Susan Rasmussen
President Clark County Citizens United, Inc.
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