This is why we can’t have nice things

Last month the Clark County commissioners hit a turning point. It appeared the bickering, the snide comments, the filibustering and the yelling had come to an end. It appeared they were just going to do the county’s work free of grandstanding and politicking.

Keyword there being “appeared.”

Because hey, after having three weeks of pretty successful meetings, why wouldn’t Commissioner David Madore post this on Facebook?

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Ah, the sweet, sweet memories of passive aggressive Facebook posts. You remember this nonsense right? It isn’t new.

Now this post is just rich since Madore is stirring up the drama pot by linking to a letter printed in The Reflector saying he is not the one stirring up the drama pot. So let’s go down this drama hole with him! Because this surely isn’t getting old, or tired, or desperate in any way, right?

The letter says Stuart is rude to Madore. You know what, that’s true, and I’ve reported it. Remember the cursing? Ah, good times.

But this letter claims this is some one-sided drama perpetrated only by Stuart. And that’s about as accurate as saying the commissioners meet on the moon because it’s technically in our solar system.

Let’s look back to one of the commissioners’ least effective board time meetings, on Aug. 14. Just three weeks ago. Here we have Madore filibustering the room, Stuart begging him to stop, Madore threatening Stuart and then Stuart taunting him to continue.

All of this comes with a heaping helping of “let me finish” that Madore dishes out over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Now, being fair to Madore, he only introduced this new tact many months after Stuart continued to prod at him. I suppose it was bound to happen.

But the idea that Stuart is the only one causing problems, or stalling meetings, or acting childish is make-believe. It just isn’t true. Madore and Stuart both have red hands on this one and they’ve been about as subtle as sledgehammers in telegraphing their dislike for one another.

Still, it seemed since that Aug. 14 meeting that progress being made. It really did appear that maybe, just maybe, these guys were going to get along. Or, you know, act like adults.

But nope. We’re back to crummy Facebook posts.

It’s fitting that school is back in session this week, because I honestly imagine this is how high school works now that the Internet exists.

The funny thing is, this kind of behavior would probably be frowned upon at a high school. But at Clark County? Well, this is just what we should expect.

Erik Hidle

Erik Hidle

Erik Hidle covers Clark County government for The Columbian. He can be followed on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ehidle, on Twitter at @col_clarkgov or contacted by email at erik.hidle@columbian.com

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