Letter to the Editor - We should expect more from our elected officials

Editor,

Politicians are only as good as the words they speak. Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson should take that to heart.

Thursday, Peterson and fellow Commissioner Diane McLean voted to reject an all-mail ballot despite the pandemic and despite the strong recommendation of county election officials.

The third commissioner, Mike Wendland, cast the only yes vote.

Friday I called Peterson to ask what it would take for him to change his vote. He told me he would strongly consider changing his vote if a majority of people who contact him about the issue support a mail ballot. I told him that I was going to work on a petition so that he would know that Hill County supports an all-mail ballot election, and he said he welcomed it.

Since then, I have worked nonstop to collect signatures for the petition. I scheduled a meeting with the commissioners for Tuesday to present the petition.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Peterson changed his tune and said he’s not inclined to take petitions as seriously as people who personally contact him.

McLean often went off on bizarre tangents. She also said COVID-19 is not a legitimate threat, and that voting by mail undermines democracy when she, in fact, has voted by mail herself.

After the meeting, I emailed my network in Hill County, told them what Peterson had said, and asked them to call and email Peterson to express their support for the mail-in ballot. I also wrote: “As frustrating as the situation is, I encourage you to be polite and respectful in your contact with him. Getting mad will only turn him off.”

Peterson, who is on my email list, immediately called me. He said he was so offended that I asked people to be nice to him that he decided he will not change his vote on mailed ballots no matter what county residents say.

It seems to me that Peterson never intended to change his vote and was looking for an excuse not to do so. Saying I offended him is a pretty poor one.

We should expect more than this from our elected officials. The Hill County Commission is scheduled to discuss the mail ballot question again Thursday. Let’s hope that all of them will listen to the people of Hill County and enable people to cast their vote without endangering their own health and the health of county election workers.

Jacob Bachmeier

Havre