9/13/2006

Passion and politics don’t always mix
Commentary by Bob Lassahn

As the Gubernatorial primary election loomed large on the horizon the voters of Worcester County District 6, served by incumbent Commissioner Tom Cetola, were presented with a unique piece of campaign material. Former Worcester County Planning and Zoning Commission chairman Ed Ellis direct mailed a letter (he states at his own expense) delivering a serious broadside at Mr. Cetola's campaign and unabashedly endorsing Linda Busick.

Let me begin by stating I have no problem with Mr. Ellis regarding his personal position and decision to work at getting a preferred candidate elected. It is his absolute right to work for or against any candidate. Involvement in the political process is commendable and something more voters should be practicing. I also do not have a horse in the race with Tom Cetola, since he does not represent my district of residence. As an interested observer I simply find this particular piece of anti-Cetola material a bit offensive for its exaggeration and distortion of fact.

I base my judgment of the letter's content upon attendance at almost every county commissioner's meeting during the last six years. I have watched the events as described unfold and draw very different conclusions on the role of this single commissioner in deciding the issues Mr. Ellis finds objectionable. I do not necessarily agree with Mr. Cetola's position on some of these issues, but I can accept his contention that he always believed he was acting in the best interest of the people of Worcester County.

As examples of distortion, Mr. Ellis uses the terms "forced" and "ramrod" regarding Mr. Cetola's influence in some of the decisions of the commissioners. Such terms assign far too much power and authority to a single individual. Mr. Cetola represents only one of seven votes cast on any issue. He may have voted with the majority on issues Mr. Ellis finds objectionable, but it seems just a bit over the top to infer he somehow held sway over the votes of the other six commissioners to accomplish his personal agenda.

As to Mr. Cetola casting the deciding vote to defeat the proposed school impact fee the statement twists the situation to suit the moment. Mr. Cetola was one of four votes cast in opposition. Any one of the four could be considered the deciding vote. And Mr. Ellis missed the boat entirely on the impact fee when he pointed out the existing trailers behind Showell Elementary School. Since the trailers represent an existing shortfall in classroom space the impact fee would not have provided the funding necessary to alleviate the situation. The idea of an impact fee is that those responsible for growth will pay their way, so an existing shortfall must be made up by county taxpayers before any money from the impact fee could kick in to fund any additional, future needs.

It is important to realize Mr. Ellis likely has issues with most, if not all of the incumbent county commissioners dating back to his very public clash with them in 2003 over the rezoning of lands along Route 113. He was passionate over the issue then and obviously remains committed to his own vision of what should be done regarding development and growth in the area. He is now apparently on a mission to correct what he sees as a problem with the makeup of the people responsible for these important decisions. The question now is will there be further efforts on his part to unseat other incumbents in November?

If he decides to pursue this course I sincerely hope that he will stick to the facts, avoiding the propensity, driven by passion, to drift to hyperbole, distortion and exaggeration. His points can still be made successfully and the end result would likely seem more credible.

By the time our readers see this column the results of Mr. Ellis' effort will undoubtedly be known. If Tom Cetola fails to garner sufficient support to become the Republican candidate in the November general election and Linda Busick is declared the winner in the primary, then I am obviously wrong, but I see the possibility of a backlash against his chosen candidate.

The voters of Worcester County are a bit too sophisticated to engage in knee-jerk reaction to a letter such as drafted by Mr. Ellis. They know something of the history involved and will base their judgment of Mr. Cetola and Ms. Busick on knowledge of the facts, not on impassioned pleas for truth, justice and the American way.

Another danger exists in the fact that while he engages in criticism of Mr. Cetola for some of the campaign donations received during this election Mr. Ellis is himself a wealthy and powerful businessman in the area. Will the voters question Mr. Ellis's motives in supporting Ms. Busick and wonder what might be expected from her in return? Politics can be a bit tricky and often it does not mix well with passion.

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