EDITORIAL: Manager is no magic bullet

It may be that Barrow should change its government. But if the experience in other counties is any indication, such a move will be no panacea for Barrow’s numerous problems.

In neighboring Jackson County, for example, the county has gone through four managers since the system was put into place in 2002.

One manager pushed through his desire to build a $35 million courthouse over the objections of 80 percent of the population. Another manager was incapable of making decisions and left department heads frustrated. And the county had to pay one manager a settlement of over $400,000 because of comments made by one county commissioner.

In addition, the relationship between the hired manager and the board of commissioners is often tense. Individual commissioners often meddle in the day-to-day operations of the county, stepping on the county manager’s toes. And shrewd managers learn how to play commissioners against each other to get what they want from the board.

And then there’s this: Since Jackson switched to a county manager government, county spending has exploded. “Professional” governments are invariably expensive governments. County managers are essentially bureaucrats who like to surround themselves with multiple layers of people who report to them. There is no such thing as a “conservative” county manager; spending money is what they do and the more the better — it enhances their prestige and power.

In short, while Barrow’s current system may be flawed and dominated by personality conflicts, moving to a manager system won’t fix all those problems. Conflicts, unwise spending and tense relationships will continue to exist.

But the biggest problem with Barrow moving toward a manager government is that it won’t solve the immediate and immense financial problems the county faces. First, a change in government would have to go through the legislature in the winter, then be voted on by Barrow citizens next year. If approved, the earliest a manager could be seated would be in 2011.

That does nothing to stop the financial bleeding or the personality conflicts that are currently draining the life out of the Barrow County government. It’s simply too far into the future to make any difference to today’s problems.

It might be a good idea for Rep. Terry England to assemble a group of citizens and community leaders to explore the pros and cons of a county manager government to see if such a system would work in Barrow County.

But it’s no magic bullet for the problems Barrow is confronting today.