To the Editor:

Grant County has a propensity for stirring up controversy. It doesn’t need to be this way. Consider the latest recall effort on a member of a public board. Fortunately it was defeated. The issue of concern should have been addressed with the public body that has the ultimate responsibility.

These kinds of actions would, and do, make people apprehensive about applying to be a member of any board. We know mistakes are made. And yet without these volunteers our county would not have the fully functioning government that it has. Is there room for improvement? Of course. But not this way. This is not the way to bring people together to work for the betterment of our community and we all suffer the consequences.

Oregon’s recall law is very loose. You can file a recall petition for someone’s egregious misconduct or for breaking the law. But others are using it if they don’t like what a public body is doing and they attack one member. Sometimes they just don’t like that person. And sometimes they simply want that person’s job. These efforts can cause long-lasting harm to a person’s reputation, especially when they are unjustified. We can do better. We can work in a positive way to bring the community together. And we must.

Eva Harris

Canyon City