Regardless of where Walker County residents stand on the 15-year tenure of sole Commissioner Bebe Heiskell, they voted overwhelmingly in a nonbinding referendum last Tuesday that they’d prefer a different form of government.
Out of 5,983 votes cast, 4,503 residents, or 75.3 percent, say they’d prefer something new.
We endorse that thought, though nothing officially can be done toward that end until the next Georgia legislative session, which will not begin until January. And the road toward a new form of government can only occur then if a legislator proposes such a measure.
Shared government is more representative government. While we believe Heiskell made the decisions she has made for what she believes is in the best interests of Walker County, we believe some of the decisions might have been different had they been made by a more representative government.
Obviously, there are pros and cons to each type of government. Certainly, a sole commissioner can be more decisive, can move more quickly and doesn’t have to worry about factions forming to endorse or derail certain projects.