A shining example

Forget Vegas. You can see all the drama of heroes and villains, of fortunes being secured or squandered, by attending a county commission meeting.

We won’t try to deal with everything here but will say that this week’s hero to emerge out of our a commissioners’ meeting is Jo Ottensmeier.

While others seem mainly concerned with lining their pockets at taxpayer expense, our retired register of deeds has come forward, with seemingly no thought for what’s in it for her, to help manage the county lake while a search for a new superintendent continues.

We obviously don’t know what was discussed behind closed doors when commissioners interviewed her about becoming a temporary aide in the lake office for up to 60 days.

But the fact that salary didn’t seem to be discussed until afterward, and that she was willing to do the work on whatever schedule is needed for what amounts to the county’s minimum wage, speaks volumes about her civic mindedness.

Her only goal appears to be to help — in whatever way she can — protect the crown jewel of the county’s economic and quality-of-life assets.

Jo is a nice person doing a nice thing for nice reasons. It’s nice to be able to point that out as an example of the type of leadership our community could use more of.

— ERIC MEYER