News-Record.com

In a little more than three months, Trudy Wade would have been in her contested commissioner's seat for a full year.

With no end to the dispute in sight.

Enter Mike Barber,the erstwhile county commissioner who now is a City Council candidate, and who still doesn't lack for ideas.

His latest: Resolve the impasse between at-large commissioner candidates Wade and John Parks with a special election this fall ... or let Wade serve out a full two years and have the seat contested again in the next countywide elections in 2006.

Then from that point on stagger the at-large elections so that two seats (still with four-year terms) are up for for re-election every two years instead of having all four at-large seats come up for for re-election every four years.

"I think there are good arguments for it," he said

Barber says such an arrangement offers more accountability and allows the community to react more quickly to change the makeup of the commissioners.

"We are an ADD society," Barber said, referring to what he sees as the public's inability to remember indiscretions that occurred two or three years ago when elections roll around.

I still say give 'em all two-year terms and don't stagger any of them. That way we can clean the whole house if the need arises. And it already has.