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Editorial: Cass County accomplished much despite weak economy
Published 12:09pm Monday, December 21, 2009Monday, Dec. 21, 2009
Despite all the hand-wringing and economic anxiety from grassroots government to Lansing, Washington and Wall Street, Cass County quietly chugged along, accomplishing a number of projects in addition to routine services provided to citizens.
There was nothing remarkable about 2009 beyond marking the elapse of the first decade of the 21st century, although departing County Administrator Terry Proctor and the Board of Commissioners clearly made the best of a bad economy and brought some measure of progress on a number of fronts.
The county acquired 40 acres to add to its largest park, Dr. T.K. Lawless Park southeast of Vandalia; funded the Land Bank Authority for $100,000; issued bonds for the Lakes Area Sewer Project, a Cass-Van Buren counties, multi-township and village project for the Marcellus area financed by Cass County; funded Fourth District Court hearing room video arraignment equipment; placed a successful millage issue for E-911 Central Dispatch before voters; replaced phone systems at the Sheriff’s Office and E-911 Central Dispatch; replaced pickups in the maintenance department, the parks and recreation department and the animal control department.
Cass County communicates better than many other governments because it’s well networked through such things as the March 24 Intergovernmental Forum at Southwestern Michigan College’s Mathews Conference Center.
Topics presented to 80 county, city, village and township officials included blight enforcement, employment research, how to run an effective meeting and the role of municipalities in emergency management.
The county also turned strategic planning inward Nov. 10, 17 and 24 when it met with its elected officials, department heads and agency directors on how to cope with difficult times.
Commissioners strategized among themselves at retreat-style workshops Feb. 28 and Nov. 7 at the Edward Lowe Foundation.
Proctor is not alone in passing from the scene, although 20 years in a position as politically volatile as county administrator is remarkable. His career spans 34 years.
The county in 2009 wished District Judge Paul Deats of Edwardsburg, his judicial secretary Nancy Pallas of Dowagiac and Veterans Officer and former county commissioner Fred Leet of Howard Township well in retirement.
The passing of Animal Control Director Pat Fetherston was mourned.
He was succeeded by a former director, Michael Grice.
We wish the board well in searching for someone of Proctor’s caliber as successor.
The low-key, eternal optimist Proctor might prove the adage you don’t know what you’ve got ’til he’s gone.
