Our county’s elected, appointed, and shadow governments are almost entirely progressive—in the entitled and coercive form of the doctrine. Reforms that are badly needed (job creation, zoning, school choice, voting reform, taxation, etc.) are blocked in favor of imbecilic laws to protect us from unnecessarily paying an extra $68/year at the gas pump.
Activists in the opposition do their best to work for the reforms and constrain the oppression, and we don’t always have much to show for it. Locked out of decision making, advisory groups, and county-funded non-profits, the opposition is hard pressed to pave a way forward for all of us, not just for some of us.
When it does get lonely, though, we can look to Reardon “Sully” Sullivan for encouragement. The highlights of his achievements include owning a successful engineering firm, serving as chair of the county’s GOP chapter, and running for county executive in 2022.
His most recent accomplishment is almost single-handedly pushing through Question A, a referendum to limit the county executive to two terms. “Pushing through Question A” means taking the time to gather petition signatures, attending meeting after meeting, gathering volunteers, and keeping up the effort even in the face of unsure success. Sully overcame all of that, including a morally corrupt teachers’ union that begged its members to vote against this reform.
Term limits aren’t always necessary. Were the elected, appointed, and shadow governments doing what they are supposed to be doing—serving the residents, not themselves—then another two decades of Marc Elrich wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
However Elrich hasn’t managed to (or cared to) address the county’s longstanding problems. Sully’s referendum wasn’t just about term limits; it was a vote of no-confidence in Elrich’s three decades of leadership that has lead to our current stagnation and population decline. With 67% of votes cast in favor of this reform, that vote of no-confidence is unambiguous.
There is another aspect to Sully and his successful referendum; he has dealt us a challenge to always recover from defeat and continue working for reforms. We have no choice but to accept that challenge.
