Since some of the regular readers of this blog are in California and Belgium, let me give you some background. In Carbon County, two Democrats and two Republicans run for County Commissioner. Voters can vote for two positions, but the top three are elected. This guarantees that neither party will control all three seats. (Other parties, such as the Greens and Libertarians, are frozen out under this system.)
In the November election Republicans Wayne Nothstein and Tom Gerhard received the most votes, with Democrat Charles Getz coming in third. Bill O’Gurek, the other Democratic candidate, was about 150 votes behind Getz.
Mr. Getz, disgusted with what he regarded as a smear campaign against Mr. O’Gurek and unwilling to serve as Commissioner with Mr. Nothstein and Mr. Gerhard, decided to bow out. I heard Mr. Getz say, with some passion, that he could not bear to be in the same room with two people that he regarded as dishonest and dishonorable.
His departure left a vacancy, to be filled by appointment by senior Carbon County Judge Nanovic. Last week the Carbon County Executive Board met to recommend a replacement to Judge Nanovic. I am a member of that Board and part of the unanimous vote to recommend Mr. O’Gurek. Mr. Nanovic, following the party’s recommendation, appointed Mr. O’Gurek to fill the vacancy.
My personal belief is that Mr. O’Gurek knows the issues concerning Carbon County and was supported by thousands of voters. The system was set up to ensure that a minority voice would be heard, and that the County government would not be dominated by a single party. Judge Nanovic made the right choice.
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