| After Wednesday's BOCC, the dust has kind of settled, though the constituents are sleeping with one eye open. They're waiting for the next shoe to drop. The collateral damage is done. Gone are the top three managers and now Montrose County resembles Mike the headless chicken more than it does the American eagle. I've been asked if this was the most bizarre thing I've seen in politics. It ranks up there. In September of 2018 while in the Mat-Su Borough of Alaska and publisher of the Frontiersman newspaper I wrote a piece called, "Go ask the Governor why he's killing Alaskans." It concerned then Governor Bill Walker, a Democrat disguised as an Independent, and his use of a deadly stretch of road in Wasilla called Knik-Goose Bay Rd. as political leverage. On average, three to four people would lose their lives on that stretch of road each year. It would take a major overhaul to improve safety. The federal government was to pay 90% of the project and the state 10%. On the surface it was a no brainer.
The Mat-Su delegation consists of three state senators and six representatives, all Republican. You can't get elected in the borough with a D behind your name. Walker, who wanted to use permanent fund dividends and institute a tax, leveraged release of the road funds against the delegation in order to get their support for his agenda. The delegation wouldn't bite. Touching dividends is political suicide in the Borough, much less taxes. The governor delayed the funding even though it was approved by the previous governor. Every year the project was delayed, it added another year of delay to implementation. So, that would be two years total.
Earlier in the month of September 2018 another fatal accident occurred. The state rep who had KGB road in his district, Mark Neuman, left a gut wrenching message on my phone. He was distraught over the deaths and wanted to meet. He made me aware of the motivation behind the funding denial. At the time the state of Alaska was in a budget crisis and that was the governor's explanation. Neuman revealed and the other delegates confirmed that the governor's liaison would tell them if they wanted the funds released then they had to support the governor's revenue initiatives. So, I wrote the opinion piece which exposed the behind-the-scenes posturing. It created a stir with the governor's office and less than a week after publishing the governor was in my office for a discussion. At the time, he was in a heated general election against now-Governor Mike Dunleavy, his Republican opponent and a Wasilla resident.
When the governor arrived he sat in his vehicle in our parking lot for over half an hour on the phone. Little did I know things were going to get even stranger. When he finally made it into my office he looked haggard. I dismissed it as campaign fatigue. Our conversation was cordial, he denied the allegations at first, but the more he spoke about budget shortfalls the more I became convinced the op-ed was spot on. The conversation ended with an assertion that if he were re-elected then the next budget year the funds would be released.
But he wasn't re-elected. In fact, three days later he announced he was withdrawing from the race. That phone call he took in our parking lot was him being informed that his lieutenant governor and running mate was being accused of sexual harassment by a prominent member of the Alaska Native Federation. It was her daughter who was the alleged victim. Dunleavy would go on to be governor and then re-elected. Phase one of the road project was essentially completed in March of this year, phase two is set to start in 2027, nine years after I wrote that piece. What price do politicians put on human lives?
We have a situation in Montrose County where lives are collateral damage. Not to the extent of people losing their lives, but rather an impact on their everyday mental state or fear of losing their jobs. I've fielded calls from family members of Montrose County employees who've told me that their loved ones have loved going to work, but not anymore. They're walking on eggshells, wondering what's next. Is their supervisor safe? Are they safe?
Scott Mijares' excuse that the previous board hired the county manager knowing he'd only be in his position for three months is bunk. I spoke with Rick Dunlap on Jan 20. He told me that he was very impressed with Rodriguez. Rodriguez wasn't going anywhere, because Mijares would have been like that lone wolf that's been wandering our backyards lately — chasing something he would never catch. But then Sean Pond arrived on the scene, selected to fill Dunlap's seat after his passing. Now, Mijares has a little buddy. And as long as Mijares scratches Pond's constant resolution-itch that makes him feel more important than a typical county commissioner should, he has Pond's support.
Pond complained at the Wednesday meeting he was tired of everyone thinking he was tied to Mijares. Well, then unhook yourself. There are major hiring decisions coming forward, be an independent thinker and don't follow Mijares' lead. So far, all that's done is get rid of an experienced dynamic leader and two members of management with a wealth of knowledge. No one is going to walk through the door in the coming months who can truly replace them.
When the crowd was told Tuesday night that there would be no public comment I don't think Mijares anticipated how vocal the reaction would be as the boos rained down on him, but Pond seemed to relish the moment. He leaned in with the strangest smirk on his face, like he was the villain in a WWE cage match. I thought to myself, good lord, he loves this. But this isn't reality television, this is real life.
Sometime after the Wednesday meeting Pond disengaged his official Sean Pond county commissioner Facebook page. What will we ever do without his 'as your county commissioner' and 'let me be clear' diatribes. But now he's back on his personal page, taking a page out of Lauren Boebert's How To Be An Ineffective Blowhard Politician playbook. Railing nonsensical against everyone and no one in particular.
He posted this Wednesday night; "It's like I accidentally signed up to be the designated driver at a party I didn't want to go to, with people I don't like, in a car that's on fire… and now I'm stuck behind the wheel yelling at drunk passengers to stop pulling the damn emergency brake…" Is he referring to his county commissioner position? He can always pullover, get out and walk to where he came from, no one is forcing him to stay. Any bets he explains this one away as fabricated insight from a 'fake news liberal' publisher? Anyone willing to accept his resignation? It seems to me the one driving this car is well above the legal limit of inebriation — drunk on his own sense of self — and the passengers are the ones who want to get out of the garbage truck that's a blaze.
Don't overlook the significance of Montrose Economic Development Corporation executive director Sandy Head's public comment at the Wednesday meeting. The MEDC board allows for one slot to be filled by a county commissioner. Mijares was to fill it for 2025. The board essentially dismissed him and blocked Pond by stating the position was only available to Commissioner Sue Hansen. The MEDC board isn't a bunch of 'out of their mind' liberals. These are the who's-who of Montrose business leaders. They didn't take their decision lightly and it's my understanding that it was unanimous. When will Pond and Mijares start taking the constituents seriously? We may be way past that point. Dennis Anderson is publisher of the Montrose Daily Press and Delta County Independent. | 
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