BY RICHARD SKOLNIK

Chris Collord’s recent letter about volunteers carrying out maintenance of our trails further highlights the abysmal state of decision making about our recreational activities in Los Alamos. 

Whether we turn to the golf course, biking trails, or hiking trails, the county’s approach appears to be: 

• Hire consultants and then largely ignore them; 
• Invite public comments, and then largely ignore them; 
• Let the community voluntarily care for high return investments that should be addressed by the county government; 
• Never give the public the information they need about the public funding of our recreational activities per user, per year.

I hope others will join me in large numbers in telling the county that “enough is enough.” The above approach is the opposite of good governance. 

Rather, the County Council must hold the county staff accountable for:

• Developing investments that are cost-effective, sustainable, doable, and fair;
• Listening more carefully and taking better account of public comments on the proposed use of public funds;
• Publishing information at least yearly on the public investment and operating costs per user, per year of our recreational facilities. 

If county staff can’t be induced to perform in the above way, then they must be asked to take their talents elsewhere. If the County Council can’t improve the quality of county decision making along the lines above, they should let others take their place who will.