What has Obie Done as County Commissioner? What would I do?

The ebola virus. Obie had nothing to do with this, either.

At the last candidate forum, Obie said this about the Taylor Bridge Fire animal rescue operation at the fairgrounds: "All of the work was done by volunteers, but as a politician I get to take credit for it." He was serious, not making a joke.¹

It was part of his introductory remarks, a chance for him to talk about what he did during four years as a commissioner. He also talked about the county's compliance with the Growth Management Act, and resolution of water problems.

Those things happened, but he couldn't mention a single example of his own leadership. 

Such a low threshold for claiming credit makes it difficult for those of us who are more modest, which is just about all of us.

Here is what I hope to say after four years as county commissioner: "I helped bring a new level of trust, transparency, and accountability to county government.

"I made sure our economic development efforts were as effective as possible, and ensured that we got value for the money we spent on economic development. I made the county more welcoming to new businesses. I helped the county respond effectively to changing economic conditions. I kept taxes as low as possible, but no lower.

"I helped citizens find effective ways to communicate with their county government, and I communicated effectively with them. Sometimes people got upset, but I helped them understand the reasons for my actions, even if we couldn't agree. 

"Lots of other good things happened that I wasn't directly responsible for, including continued progress on the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Plan. Important work was done by volunteers, and it made our communities stronger and safer."

That's what I hope to say, about things that I really did do and that needed doing. I won't need to take credit for what others did, because I will have actually accomplished things.

---

¹It wasn't the first time he's said this kind of thing. It would be different if he was joking, but he wasn't. Here is a video of his opening remarks that night.