I believe people are basically good and they engage with the world via good intentions. Sometimes, however, people find themselves working within systems that make good intentions untenable.
This, I believe, is the situation in which the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors find themselves. They are basically good people, with good intentions, working in an untenable situation.
While the election next week gives many of us significant options— and let me be very clear about this, everyone should vote— continuing to place our hopes on elections, hoping that if our candidate gets in, that alone will solve the many very complicated problems facing us, is naïve.
Does it really matter who gets elected if the system is broken? As long as we think we are going to solve the problems through elections, nothing will change. What, if anything, can the citizens of Humboldt County do to fix an essentially broken system besides voting?
Volunteer to serve on the Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury!
There is a dedicated group of county citizens, a group that has devoted a year of their lives to help make our lives better: the 2019-2020 Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury. Their year-long term will soon come to an end and we need county residents to step up and consider serving on next year’s grand jury.
Make no mistake, this is an immense commitment, with meetings twice a week, countless interviews, researching various aspects of county government and writing detailed reports that make viable suggestions on how to fix what does not work and highlights what does work, all with 18 other people, and for one entire year.
Who would agree to such an undertaking?
Humboldt County citizens who want to make a difference, citizens who take their civic responsibilities seriously, that’s who. They are people who understand that voting matters, but to rely solely on your vote to fix what needs fixing is naïve.
On the county website it states: “Civil Grand Jury service calls for diligence, impartiality, courage and responsibility.”
If you are one of those people, go to humboldtgov.org/518/Civil-Grand-Jury-Forms and fill out an application. Better yet, go by the courthouse Grand Jury Office and pick one up. While you are there, if you run into one of the current civil grand jury members, thank them for their service. They are engaged in the serious work of making life in Humboldt County better for all of us!
John Heckel authored this monthly column on behalf of the Humboldt County Grand Jurors’ Association. For information on the Association, email hcccgja@gmail.com.
February 29, 2020
Eureka Times-Standard
By John Heckel
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