Commissioner Grades – District Three

Let’s evaluate how each commissioner is doing so far in their time on the Board. We will rate each commissioner on their abilities in five different criteria. The rating will be on a 3 point scale.

3 = Excellent | 2 = Very Good | 1 = Satisfactory | 0 = Not Good at all

Here are the criteria:

Reasonable/Rational. Does the Commissioner act in a manner that shows rational thought patterns, and does the Commissioner consider proposals is a reasonable manner?

Effectiveness. Does the Commissioner get things done? Do they move the Board toward accomplishment?

Political Perspective. Is the Commissioner focused on the local needs of the County? Do they avoid playing idealistic political games, and do they concentrate efforts on accomplishing county business?

Communication. How well does the Commissioner communicate with members of the public and with fellow Board members? Do they articulate their mission/vision for the County?

Entertainment. How crazy are they? Do they provide comedic content for the ARRRG blog?

Okay. Here we go.

---

District 3 Commissioner – Karen Bargy

REASONABLE / RATIONAL

Whew! What a term it has been for Karen Bargy! The Health Board nightmare, losing the vice chair to that bozo from Ellsworth, getting sued multiple times… It has been a rough ride.

Reasonable? Yes. Rational? Most of the time she embodies this to a fault. She examines every budget request and action item with a fine tooth comb. She points on mistakes, and asks clarifying questions.

Rating: 3

EFFECTIVENESS

Bargy works harder than most commissioners. She handles her committee assignments with seriousness, and she tries to mitigate some of the Board’s most serious errors. However, she is clearly on an island, and does not have many supporters on the Board.

Rating: 1

POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE

We have to remember that Ms. Bargy is a VERY conservative Republican. SHe has argued for years on behalf of a fiscally conservative approach to taxation, expenditures, and capital improvement. When you serve on a Board that features Elephant Party cartoon characters like that Bozo from Ellsworth, it can alter perspective.

Generally, Bargy avoids getting into arguments that have nothing to do with local politics or county administration. Which is exactly what should be done.

Rating: 3

COMMUNICATION

Bargy comes across as a meddling technocrat. She is a stickler for the rules, and sometimes reminds the chairman of this policy or that parliamentary rule. People don’t always like that, but generally she is right. Better communication might win her more battles.

Rating: 1

ENTERTAINMENT

Bargy does very little grandstanding or showing off for social media. She generally is at a meeting to work. So, pretty boring. However, some of the fights that she has found her self in the middle of have been wild!

Rating: 1

OVERALL RATING – NINE