I was extremely disappointed when James Strohman resigned from the Story County Board of Supervisors, knowing that Republican office holders would choose his replacement. I expected more from an elected official in who the public placed its trust.

I then was insulted when Treasurer David Jamison and Auditor Mary Mosiman selected their good friend, Rick Sanders, claiming he was the most qualified person to fill the vacancy left by Strohman.

How can anyone think a guy with no experience in the public sector, is more qualified than Ted Tedesco, a moderate Republican who served 17 years as the mayor of Ames? Or how about Mosiman’s own employee, Lucy Martin, who has a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and who worked for six years in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget?

And no one has demonstrated a greater long-term commitment to the county than Paul Toot, a fifth-generation Story County resident who grew up working on the family farm. He then dedicated his life to public service by serving the people of Story County as a Deputy Sheriff for 30 years.

However, as former Story County Supervisor Johnie Hammond stated at the public meeting where the appointment was made, “the fix” was already in.

And now, I am astounded. The guy appointed to the Board of Supervisors one day, sworn into office the next, drafts a resolution to change the entire structure of Story County government the day after that — before he had actually attended his first Board meeting. His attempt failed, so this week Sanders is calling for a Citizen’s Commission to study the Board’s structure, duties, compensation and how it is elected.

Sanders wants to institute change when he has no knowledge of the position he wants to change, no experience in government and quite possibly will be gone soon when he follows his wife on to her next job.

It is ironic, the candidate who favors less government is pushing a proposal guaranteed to increase both the cost and size of county government.

Yet, the irony doesn’t end there.

Sanders is telling the people of Story County the type of government we should have, before we have had the opportunity to tell him whether he should even be on the Story County Board of Supervisors.