Letter to the Editor: Goellner understands Marion County’s workings, knows every road, hill, valley and bridge

Bill Goellner is the hottest topic of conversation in cafes and coffee shops across Marion County. Why is this so? Bill has not been plastered across our local newspapers. Let me tell you why my neighbors are talking about Bill Goellner.

It used to be that nobody could get elected in Marion County unless they filed as a Democrat. Now, the reverse is so. Many of our local political officeholders who were Democrats now claim to be committed Republicans. We have even seen a candidate switch political parties after first filing for office under the other political party banner.

Soon, we may find that we cast a ballot in the morning, only to learn that the candidate has switched parties before the newscasters announce the evening election results.

Who can we believe? The real truth is that local politics should be colorblind to party affiliation. We must finally admit that all along, people in our area are thrifty, hard-working and conservative, and we want such a person with the right experience to sit on the county commission.

This is precisely the reason, particularly on a local county level, why we should ignore the party labels. The surest method to avoid being fooled by the false-flag office seekers is to do the more difficult task of investigating the content of a man’s character, his core values and how his past work experience will benefit the public.

I understand that to run in this November’s general election, Bill had to file as a Democrat. Bill has more down-home common sense and conservative values than anyone. Moreover, at the local level, no public official’s party affiliation should play any role in the discharge of their public duty. Our founding fathers would have it no other way.

The Marion County Western District race is not some titanic struggle between good and evil or even a struggle among blue, red, purple or gray. It is simply a decision to select between a man with common sense and a vast experience in value-driven county government or an inexperienced darling of a political party.

The greatest concern of residents out in the country is the safety and condition of our roads. The qualitative difference between county roads and Hannibal roads is unfortunately significant. Marion County snowplows usually beat the Hannibal city trucks by many hours after a big show.  Therefore, pothole repair, snow removal and weed maintenance on Marion County roads are key issues that affect commerce, agriculture and even 911 response times.

For 37 years, Bill Goellner has maintained the county roads. He knows every road, hill, valley and bridge. If I call Bill about a road issue, he immediately understands the problem and how to solve it. As road and bridge “czar” in Marion County, Bill has attended nearly every county commission meeting for 37 years. He best understands the workings of Marion County, and he is ready to make a difference on day one. Bill’s opponent only started attending commission meetings after filing for office. This job is too important for on-the-job training.

Like my neighbors who live in the country, I am weary of candidates who simply put an “R” or a “D” on their lapel and expect my support for election to a governmental office for which they are not qualified by experience or training. For too long, commission seats have been a political plum for the inexperienced political darlings. It is time we stop this.

So when it comes down to it, we all need to ask ourselves: Under America’s political system, is it not better for our democracy that we have more than one political party? Is a one-party system like the nations of Turkey, Hungary or even Russia a better system than the American system? Then why do that on a local level?

Do you think Marion County voters finally shed themselves of a blue-only system only to replace it with the same old folks who did nothing except don a different colored hat?

This is why we should all vote for Bill Goellner for Marion County Western District commissioner.

Robert E. Rapp
Hannibal, Missouri