11/22/2005: "Guest Editorial"

Public Interest and Participation in our local Government. I believe that we need more concerned citizens taking an interest in what our County Government is doing or in some cases not doing.

My hat is off to Piet Visser for the time and energy that he is spending digging into the inner workings of our County Government and keeping them open and above board. If it were not for people with a genuine concern for how our government is being run we could have problems that one could not imagine.

We MUST have a government that is transparent and open to the public. These behind closed door meetings and secret dealings and deals can not be allowed if we are to have a true democratic government. All concerned citizens need to get involved and support those that already are.

I hope that Piet will continue to pursue his efforts for an open and transparent government and continue to present the facts to the citizens of San Juan County. It takes time, effort and in some cases money to keep up this work and I would encourage anyone that wants an open government to give Piet a call and offer their support. I know I have and encourage others to do so too.

Ray Bigler
San Juan