CANDIDATE: Not good signs so far

I read Marc Eberlein's announcement for county commissioner in The Press with some concern. I do not know Marc at all but I find some of his comments troubling. 

His quote: "We need moral folks in office who fear God." Does it imply that our elected officials are immoral or Godless? I too am concerned with the direction of county government but do not question the morals or beliefs of those we elected. What does that accomplish?

Mr. Eberlein said he believes a liberal agenda regarding land use and zoning is conflicting with private property rights. This is an interesting charge with no supporting evidence. He should give us the facts and spare us the inflammatory language.

Mr. Eberlein opposes the restructuring of county government and hiring an administrator. That's fine, but don't presume to tell us that a change would diminish accountability to the voters without backing it up. Restructuring has been endorsed by Kootenai Perspectives and other groups in the past. The truth is that the restructuring proposed is nearly identical to the governance of the cities within Kootenai County.

I agree we need a slim, trim government. Let's work toward that objective without charges and labels put out without substance or truth. We get enough of that at the federal level.

COLLIN COLES

Kootenai County