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Issues

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Thank You to the

LaFollette Press

&

Linn Hudson - Editor

&

Susan Sharp - Reporter

for allowing the use of this Article

Vote, don't abstain, it's why you were elected


    When a public official abstains from a vote, it is generally because they have a conflict of interest.

    This leads me to wonder why two county commissioners abstained from a vote last week during a
    budget workshop.

    Robert's Rules says no one sitting on a board can vote on a question if they have a financial
    interest in the topic on the floor.

    It also says all voting members have a duty to express any thoughts on a matter before the
    governing body.

    If their opinion is not expressed during the discussion phase of the issue, their silence can speak
    for them at the time of the vote, the handbook states.

    The board members, who remain silent and abstain "know the effect is the same as if they had
    voted on the prevailing side," Robert's Rules says.

    In the meetings I have attended, I have never seen anyone being denied the right to speak. Too
    often, the officials choose to remain silent instead of voicing an opinion or asking a question.

    Some board members apparently want to reserve the right to say "I didn't vote for it" if a
    constituent questions them about an issue after the official abstained from a vote. Of course, the
    flip side of that is the official also can say "I didn't vote against it."

    Ladies and gentlemen of the county and municipal boards, you have been voted into those
    positions to be heard and to make decisions. You are the voices of the community.

    By abstaining from a vote, your silence is not golden. It is irritating.

    While the Sunshine Law prohibits elected officials from meeting together outside of a public forum
    to discuss issues, it does not prevent members from meeting with non-elected government
    employees and others to become familiar with the issues.

    Board members have a duty to educate themselves on matters that are slated for a vote. The
    voters expect elected officials to know the issues and to have an opinion.

    Abstention from a vote, especially without a reason being entered into the record, is a disservice
    to the people who placed you in office.




    Article used with permission from the LaFollette Press, Linn Hudson-Editor, and Susan
    Sharp-Reporter. Any copying of this page or it's contents will be considered illegal and
    punishable in a court of law for Copyright infringement violations, without the express
    written permission from the LaFollette Press.