To the editor,
I’m going to vote “yes” on Nov. 7 for the $10 million bond issue to build a new Greene County jail, and I encourage others to join me.
I view this mostly as a growth measure, for three reasons: 1) The current jail is from another era, worn out, undersized and inadequately equipped. 2) We in Greene County Development Corporation are pushing the most ambitious population & workforce growth effort in county history, and we will need a new, larger, humane jail, just like we need more housing.of all kinds. 3) I think we all know we’ll see more of those occasional, mis-guided proposals from the state level to consolidate Iowa’s counties, especially the rural ones. When that happens again, we better have courthouse facilities and services that are future-ready (ours mostly are), as well as a good jail that is future-ready, or we’ll risk losing both.
Yes, $10 million is a lot of money. We’re worth it.
I’ve thought this through after hearing an excellent presentation by Greene County Sheriff Jack Williams, Jefferson Police Chief Mark Clouse and County Attorney Thomas Laehn recently at one of those “Community Conversations” at Trinity Lutheran Church. Side note: Lois Brant announced that this was the last of 10 years of such conversations she’s organized and hosted. What a good citizen Lois is, a model for us all!
Can I tell one fun story that came up that night?
In a good Q & A session, one person told the sheriff that she recalled Greene County for years had a reputation for granting probation to many law breakers. She asked if that was still the case. Sheriff Williams said indeed that reputation has changed dramatically in the tenure of County Attorney Laehn and Assistant County Attorney Laura Snider.
“Thomas and Laura are doing a really good job,” the sheriff added. “In fact, I just got a copy of a text message the other day, written by a woman from outside our county who has often broken laws around the whole area. She wrote to a friend of hers, ‘Don’t try anything in Greene County now. That new county attorney is an asshole!’ ”
It was something I didn’t expect to hear in the hall of a Missouri Synod Lutheran church, but it was a nice testimonial, even if a little rough. Best of all, Thomas Laehn, with his boyish face, chuckled and then blushed bright red!
I’m voting yes.
Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson
