Greg Goddard: Gunstock Commission appointment process is being rushed

To The Daily Sun,

For someone who touts open, transparent and accountable governance, Belknap County Delegation Chair Mike Sylvia sure does a lousy job at it. You may have seen a recent posting for a new Gunstock Area Commissioner to replace Brian Gallagher. Sylvia, aided and abetted by his cohorts Reps. Norm Silber and Ray Howard, has rigged the system in a way that he believes will give him full control of the process by not allowing the public or other delegates to have any input on potential candidates.

I participated in the Gunstock Commissioner selection process for over two decades. It generally went something like this: First, an ad was developed seeking candidates and briefly describing the position. The ad was posted in the newspaper a month or so before a term end or after a vacancy. Generally, two or three weeks were set aside for candidates to submit letters of intent. Finally, after submissions were received by the county, the candidates' resumes were distributed to the delegation and made available to the public. Only then was a meeting of the delegation scheduled, generally with 10 days or more notice. This timing allowed delegates and interested members of the public to vet the candidates, ask questions and lobby for their favorites prior to the public hearing.

Well, the "sneaky Petes" who run the delegation have decided it's not important to give their fellow delegates or the public the opportunity to evaluate candidates prior to their actual interviews. They have strategically set the submission deadline of Friday, Jan. 28, for interviews on Monday, Jan. 31. There will be no opportunity for public comment, no news coverage, just an interview and a vote.

Everybody who is paying attention in Belknap County knows that Rep. Silber has already selected his candidate. He intends to rig the vote to put another of his political cronies in the seat and forever destroy Gunstock as we know it.

I implore the other members of the Belknap County Delegation to stop this deceitful travesty of due process. All of you, and all your constituents, should have an opportunity to thoroughly evaluate all potential candidates for Gunstock Commissioner. I also implore you to select the candidate most qualified for the position, not another one of Rep. Silber's political lackeys.

Greg Goddard

Gilford