In response to comments by two Ross Commissioners that appeared in the July 21 Tribune-Review story “Ross commissioners fill vacant seat, draw ire from candidate” about their selection of a person to fill the 8th Ward commissioner vacancy, I feel compelled to set the record straight.
All the Ross commissioners had a serious conflict of interest because they are of the same party as the person they selected, and their appointee is the chairperson of their party.
Reliable sources told me I was wasting my time when I attempted to fill the position because the commissioners were going to select the chair of their party.
Despite this, I had the delusion that they would opt for the most qualified candidate.
I pledged to not stand for re-election to make certain that all my decisions were bipartisan and to put the best interests of Ross before party politics.
Because the Ross commissioners were all conflicted, they ethically needed to recuse themselves and turn the selection process over to an independent committee or the courts.
Because I subscribe to the philosophy of transparency and that the people have a right to know, I sent a formal request to each commissioner and their staff coordinator that the resumes and credentials of the candidates need to be posted in plain view on their website.
They did not honor my request and by not doing so, they not only failed to make their selection process transparent, but they disenfranchised and disrespected the people of Ross.
In addition, I was amazed that only one or two of the commissioners asked questions of the candidates during the virtual interview, and the two who were quoted in the news article asked none.
To anyone watching the interview, the lack of questions for such an important position would surely lead one to believe that they had already made up their minds.
As to the unfounded and unwelcome comments in the news article from two of the commissioners, all the candidates, including the one selected, are quality people who care about Ross.
What the Ross commissioners did, however, is a perfect example of government at its worst and what we all need to oppose.
Matt Drozd
Ross Township
