Here’s a reason you’ll miss me someday. 

The following came from Peggy Noonan’s column in the Wall Street Journal last weekend calling for the removal of George Santos from Congress.

“The only entity that smoked out a fake was a small local newspaper, the North Shore Leader, which brought a certain skepticism to his [Santos} financial disclosures. He’d taken to telling people he had a mansion in the Hamptons and a mansion in Oyster Bay. Why then did certain campaign records show he lived with his husband in a rental in Queens? The Leader’s Publisher, Grant Lally, told the Washington Post he’d had lunch with Mr. Santos a few years before and remembered him talking about his family from Belgium. In 2022 he saw Mr. Santos on the stump talking about his grandparents who’d fled Ukraine during the Holocaust. 

In an editorial before the election, the Leader said it wanted to endorse a Republican … but Mr. Santos was too much. His views were incoherent … He seemed bizarre, unprincipled and sketchy … The Leader endorsed Democrat Robert Zimmerman, who at least had experience and – touchingly – is a gentleman.

All this should have been picked up nationally, but wasn’t. In a competitive local newspaper environment it would have made waves, but the Leader was small, with students and retirees on its staff. If you think the decline in newspapers is only an abstract story, or that Facebook posts can make up for local investigations, ladies and gentlemen, we give you New York’s Third Congressional District.”

But then, I think to myself, if he’d been smoked out earlier, that would have robbed late-night talk show hosts and and MSNBC and Saturday Night Live and columnists like Peggy Noonan of a whole lot of material. 

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Inyo County Supervisor Jeff Griffiths has become part of the four-member management team at CSAC (California State Association of Counties), an organization he was appointed to in 2012 after first being elected. 

The progression goes something like this. 

He is the 2nd Vice-President this year. Becomes Vice-President next year. President in his third year, and then immediate past-president in his final year. 

When/if he becomes president (this would be predicated upon Mr. Griffiths reelection in 2024), Griffiths would become the first CSAC president from Inyo/Mono County in its 140-year existence. 

CSAC differs from RCRC (Rural County Representatives of California) in that it is a statewide organization, as opposed to a group lobbying on behalf of rural counties only. 

Griffiths said CSAC lobbies for local control of regulatory agencies, advocates for legislation and lobbies for local input and control over state funding. 

As an example, he cited his work on CSAC’s homeless action team. Counties, he said, are taking the lead on the issue because they deliver most of the services. 

The state, he notes, has put $9 billion towards combating homelessness over the past few years, but is there a coordinated plan as to how to deploy that money? 

Griffiths will be in a more favorable position over the next few years to help shape and implement policy. 

“It’s easy for Sacramento to ignore rural areas,” says Griffiths. “At least I’ll be in the room.” 

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A few weeks back, Northern Inyo Hospital’s Interim CEO Lional “Chad” Chadwick made a presentation before the Inyo County Board of Supervisors. 

He reminded me of my sweet, kind father … in the latter stages, after my sister and I had assumed power of attorney. 

On a positive note, I imagine the current NIH Board loves him as he’ll make them feel youthful and vibrant by comparison. 

He’s no Kelli Davis. 

He is, however, younger than former Bishop City Manager Ron Phillips. 

Why the predilection for aging, imported placeholders? Yes, they can claim experience but at a certain point experience can cut both ways. You have to overpay them to keep a seat warm, and honestly, they are never gonna get up to speed, while the problems the organization faces are unrelenting.

You can’t tell me that NIH doesn’t have some capable administrative talent in the queue. The City of Bishop had Deston Dishion under its roof. And NIH has got Patty Dickson. Just sayin’ …