Our View: Schoenfeld should be appointed

The Sweetwater County commissioners have until June 30 to decide who will replace Don Van Matre on the board. With three candidates to chose from, all of whom are well-qualified for the role, the decision won’t be easy to make.

However, we believe the future of Sweetwater County would be best represented if the commissioners chose Lauren Schoenfeld to take Van Matre’s vacated seat on the board.

While we can’t argue that John Kolb wouldn’t be a good choice because of his prior experience as a county commissioner, Republican voters made their voice heard during the 2018 primary election. Voters decided they wanted to see the county taken in a new direction, and voted accordingly.

With Island Richards, we believe he would be a good choice because of his experience as a member of the Sweetwater County Planning and Zoning Commission, especially as we see the potential for increased development west of Green River. However, what concerns us is Richards’ hard conservative bent towards county decisions. This is because a hardline stance might not always be the best decision for the county, its employees or its residents.

Moreso than either Kolb or Richards, Schoenfeld represents the future of Sweetwater County and has a background and experience completely different from the individuals presently making up the board of county commissioners. She’s closer in age to the average age of residents within the county, which we believe make her more attuned to the concerns facing Sweetwater County’s younger residents than the other two. Her work serving on both the state’s broadband advisory council and the Joint Powers Telecommunications Board also shows an eye to the future.

Schoenfeld, simply by applying for this open position, shows she’s interested in the future of Sweetwater County and being an active voice in that future. Younger residents need to become more active in the decisions impacting our community and add their opinions to the discussion.

While we don’t think either Richards or Kolb represent bad choices for the county and we certainly don’t envy the decision facing the commissioners, we believe Lauren Schoenfeld would represent a fresh set of eyes on the issues Sweetwater County faces.

 

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