Clint the Accomplished?

Here we are. Three days until the biggest election of our lifetime (or more likely, three days until the next election, and then there will be another, then another, and so on). All signs point to a Republican takeover of the US House and a coin toss in the US Senate. Perhaps a "Red Wave" is on the horizon, but what does that mean locally where we have multiple R vs R races? In several, there is a preferred son anointed by the local Republican parties which have Republican opponents. Does that make the challenger basically a Democrat? Or a moderate Republican, which (if you ask our local parties) is basically a Democrat? Or perhaps, are the local parties not the best arbiters of what is a Republican or Democrat, conservative or progressive, or anything at all. 

One race of interest is in Franklin County, where incumbent Clint Didier is challenged by Rick Miller. This race is unique as it is a rematch from 2018, where Didier topped then-incumbent Miller in the primary and eventually defeated Democrat Zahra Roach. This was significant if for no other reason than perennial candidate Clint Didier finally won an election. He had previously run and lost races for US Senate, Commissioner of Public Lands, and twice for US Congress. With an obvious thirst for elected office, Didier felt compelled to run for Franklin County Commissioner. Had he failed, we may have eventually had Chief Dog Catcher Clint Didier.

After four years, what is Clint's list of accomplishments? Well, luckily, we don't have to guess because we have his campaign mailer:

Ok, Clint, let's have a look:

Stopped the Needle Exchange: The needle exchange was a six-month pilot program recommended by the Benton-Franklin Health Department that was approved by then-Franklin County Commissioners Rick Miller, Brad Peck, and Bob Koch in 2018. Drug paraphernalia such as hypodermic needles is a public health risk. Obviously, having dirty needles littering parks, yards, streets, or anywhere, is not only unsightly but dangerous as well (especially to children). As someone who once found one in his yard, it's not a comfortable feeling. Further, this is a major health risk for those who suffer from drug addiction and are users of needles. Sharing needles is a known major contributor to the transmission of HIV. Once a homeless person or otherwise person on the dole transmits HIV, who do you think pays for that person's treatment? That's right -- the government (also known as you and me, the taxpayer). As you might suspect, HIV treatment is not cheap. Thus, a needle exchange, while perhaps unsettling, could have positive public health benefits while actively trying to encourage treatment for those who use the service. However, in this case, it appears the exchange was not  "one dirty needle for one clean needle," but was giving out 10 clean needles for one dirty needle. That doesn't take a mathematician to calculate that there could be nine dirty needles floating around out there for each transaction, which doesn't really alleviate the above concerns with dirty needles. Thus, after six months the then Franklin County Commissioners (Clint Didier, Brad Peck, and Bob Koch) voted to terminate the program. Clint wants to claim credit for this, but it's worth noting that his vote was not a deciding factor here as the other commissioners voted to terminate the program as well. Also, it is worth noting that Rick Miller publicly stated he would have voted to terminate the program as well had he remained in office. In the same interview, he also points out, importantly, that just because the program was terminated does not mean the problems of addiction and public health were solved. Far from it in fact, but Clint acts as if the problem was the needle exchange and not addiction, thus when the exchange was terminated Clint can claim victory and move on, but addiction issues persist, and work is needed on a drug treatment facility among other ideas. The needle exchange in particular is an icky issue and makes people uncomfortable. Is giving needles out placating drug addicts and promoting usage as some hardliners will say, or is it an attempt to try something outside the box to improve public health and help those in need? Either way, Didier's claim that he stopped it rings hollow.

Deafeated (sic) Redistricting Lawsuit. Oh boy. To rehash all of this will be tough. Let's do the abridged version. Franklin County was sued by a voting rights project over how county commissioners are elected. The Franklin County Prosecutor, Shawn Sant, agreed with the charges and sought to settle the matter. Commissioners Clint Didier and Rocky Mullen disagreed and wanted to "fight." They voted to withdraw the settlement and fight it in court. The county and plaintiffs racked up attorney fees for months. Finally, Franklin County again agreed to settle at the last minute. A new election process, new commissioner maps were installed, and Franklin County was slapped with $375,000 in attorneys fees for the plaintiffs (not to mention whatever they paid themselves to fight it). Yet, somehow Didier claims this was a win and takes credit for it. Baffling. Are people buying this nonsense?

Transparency in Government. This is really a repeat grab bag that encompasses the next three items, so let's just focus on those. 

Added Audit Transparency. Clint Didier supported a move to unseal records of a county employee embezzlement that happened years ago. No complaints there, but how this impacts the immediate county business is anyone's guess. If anything, it was done for political purposes.

Started Night Meetings. Most county commissioner meetings everywhere take place during the day. Naturally, most people work during the day so this makes attending or observing those meetings difficult. The reasoning for day meetings is that keeping the courthouse open at night adds additional cost compared to normal business hours when staff would already be present. Not exactly scandalous, it's just efficient. Does adding the occasional night meeting help or hurt anything? I'm not going to claim it's a bad idea, but it's not exactly earth-shattering work when real county issues require attention. Is this really a major accomplishment?

Video and Audio on Youtube. This is another toothless accomplishment. Yes, public meetings should be available on Youtube or otherwise online, but it's not exactly an accomplishment in and of itself. What happens in the meetings is more important than me being able to watch them if they show nothing. 

That's it. That's the record he is running on after four years. The hilarious thing is that this endorsement of Didier by the Franklin County Connection appears to have just taken the above mailer and turned it into an endorsement as if this was a list of real accomplishments and action.

Clint's campaign is interesting. Notably, he personally signed for radio ads supporting his campaign via three entities: his own campaign, his own PAC, and the Franklin County GOP where he is chairman. This is sketchy at best. 

Rick Miller is running to "Return Rick" as Didier's tenure has been unquestionably fraught with turmoil and toxicity. Rick Miller previously served as a county commissioner for 12 years. Clint's Covid-19 grandstanding made headlines during a chaotic time. The local paper has thoroughly documented the mass resignations at the county level, so that won't be rehashed here. Clint's bullying behavior is the obvious culprit. He certainly has his fan club as do many who engage in politics as an entertainment sport. If you like the professional wrestling version of politics, Clint is your man. If you think county politics should be appropriately boring and productive, it should be Miller Time.

This race will be telling. Is the Republican Party lost to the extremists who make headlines for sport or can we elect conservatives who will focus on the issues at hand? I won't hold my breath...