My husband and I had planned to appear in person at the Wednesday, Jan. 12 Baker County Commissioners’ meeting where members of Baker County United (BCU) were to present a proposal to change Baker County into a “constitutional county.” None of the BCU members wore masks at the previous meeting so we sent our response by email. Here are our objections to changing Baker County into a “constitutional county”:

• We oppose the concept that “constitutional sheriffs” would have more power than our state and federal governments in determining laws affecting Baker County.

• The state and federal governments provide oversight that protects counties from being politically hijacked by a minority, fringe group with one view. BCU fits that profile.

• We are opposed to the following organizations: BCU; the County Sheriffs and Police Officers Association (CSPOA); and Oath Keepers. These groups are considered far right extremists with anti-government platforms by Southern Poverty Law Center. They believe state and federal governments are subordinate to the power of local “constitutional sheriffs.”

• We believe BCU should follow the required protocol of obtaining signatures and creating a Charter before their proposal is allowed on the November ballot.

• Finally, we believe strongly in our state and federal Constitutions, the right for each person’s vote to count, the importance of opposing views, and, the necessity of the difficult process of compromise. In essence, we believe in our democracy.

Karen and David Andruss

New Bridge