OPINION: Clarify veto power, or strip it from chairman

There’s no doubt that Barrow’s charter gives the BOC chairman a lot of power. He is the person designated by law to run the county on a day-to-day basis. He can veto any part of the county budget. And he can veto any “resolution” the full BOC adopts.

The issue here is whether or not the appointment of someone to one of the county’s many agencies, in this case the airport authority, is a “resolution.”

The county attorney and Yearwood say the chairman has veto power over such appointments; others, including some influential local political leaders, say authority appointments are not the same as board resolutions.

This is a legal question that needs to be resolved so there will be some clarity in where the chairman’s power begins and ends. If the veto power extends to authority appointments, then that gives the chairman virtual total control over who is appointed by the BOC.

Frankly, we don’t like language that allows the chairman to veto any action by the board. While Barrow’s chairman is something of a hybrid position — it exists both as an executive and legislative position — that shouldn’t also include veto power over other members of the BOC.

There are two options here: First, get a Georgia Attorney General’s opinion on the issue, or second, for Rep. Terry England to amend the Barrow County charter in this legislative session to either clarify the language, or strip it out completely.

No chairman should have so much power that he can alone overrule the will of the entire elected board of commissioners on every issue, including authority appointments.