Media Editorial:

Work begins here

Before every election, we all get the fliers in our mailboxes and on our doorsteps making all those great promises only to find them broken later on. They look good on the surface but in reality they lack substance.

Remember these campaign promises: “I will control growth,” “It’s for the children” and “real economic development.” They sounded great but let’s be honest, have these promises really been kept?

Our government not only needs to start listening, it needs to start acting on what we’re saying instead of just talking about it at election time.
In my experience with government and in my campaigns of listening to our residents and actively standing up to protect their rights, it has become very evident that government is on the wrong track and we must restore the trust and transparency that our residents are demanding. It is time we overcome the resistance to what our community's future holds. It’s time we turn Osceola County around.

Starting down this path may not be easy or convenient, but we must be bold and take the first step. Our first step should be to once again establish a faith in our elected officials to not only do what is right for our residents but to also be willing to do something that is not usually synonymous with politics: We must pass ethics reforms. Trust in government must be restored.

There is an old saying: “There are no traffic jams on the extra mile.”
I believe it’s high time elected officials take the road less traveled — the high road. There are many areas of ethical reform that should be considered. Among these should be higher standards in the public disclosure of campaign contributions by special interests as well as the disclosure of contributions made by special interests to other boards that commissioners may sit on. Although we must not allow government intrusion in the local private market, the technicalities of these reforms must be discussed and decided by our elected officials. Merely handing open-ended generalities to a committee of un-elected appointees for a quick chat is not just avoiding the accountability of government-it is government avoiding its responsibility to the people.

We must work quickly and embrace stronger ethics reforms instead of running away from them. Reforming our government’s ethical standards is the foundation to addressing all other issues that are facing our county. If we are to really begin fixing the problems that now face our county, whether it be actually controlling growth and stabilizing our local economy or protecting our drinking water and natural resources, we must be willing to demonstrate to our residents beyond a shadow of a doubt that their government is working for them. The muddy waters of whom our government truly represents must be made clear. How can we honestly expect the people to trust and believe that their interests and rights are being protected first and foremost if we don’t draw a line in the sand with higher ethical standards?

My name is Jonathan Harrell and as your county commissioner for district 5, I would not only fight for higher ethical standards in government, I would work to get our government back on the right track of working for the people. Thank you for your continued support.

Jonathan Harrell
St. Cloud
Democratic Candidate for County Commissioner, District 5

As Printed in the Osceola News-Gazette May 8, 2008