Move over Simon, we have arrived! And what an arrival, from a week fraught with calls and emails from concerned citizens to corrections by Fair Advisory Board members to an update from Amy Lathen (see page ) to personally watching the handling of ticket sales at the El Paso County Speedway, we find ourselves with more questions than answers.

Since most residents are more than happy with the status quo, we will not go into great depths, but for those who want something better for our kids and our community, here are some questions from a country girl to ponder.

Please understand, I have no law degree. I am more at home working in the dirt of a farm than the dirt of politics, but even I can see when things don’t add up. As an American citizen I have been given the first amendment right to question and to search for truth. If that is “nasty” then Benjamin Franklin was at the top of the list, as was Paul Revere and all the others who strove to create a new way of government in the European religious run market of corruption.

In her column, El Paso County Commissioner Amy Lathen noted that the RDA board consisted of two members. According to standard guidelines, a voting quorum is a representation of at least 50 percent or more of the board. In light of the two member board, a quorum would constitute one person.

Does a quorum of at least one in a non-profit organization mean that every decision is legal and valid, especially when that organization is connected to the use of tax payer facilities?

Since a liquor license is involved, were background checks run on the two members, or did the quorum of at least one decide against that?

When additional members are added to the RDA board, will the quorum of at least one again be the deciding factor? Just how much cronyism do we need?

And most importantly, exactly how do the two board members with the quorum of at least one come up with their financial figures?

Sounds like pretty good deal until we asked for a break down of what were liquor sales and what ticket sales were; and further what those ticket sales constituted. If hot potato was an Olympic event, I could name some good candidates. No answers were given, just the repeated admonition to contact RDA. The call to RDA President Vetrano has remained unanswered as has the email. Strange how such an even number, $12,800 can come out of sales that include $8 tickets and $4 bottles of beer.

Stranger still was the money collection practices I observed at the June 21 El Paso County Speedway. Working as a member of the Calhan Lions Club, I helped to sell tickets that night. Three times while I was there, Link twice and Vetrano once, stopped by to collect money. There was no counting other than what we had done, no sign off, no sheriff’s deputy overseeing the transfer, just a lifting of the cash from the box with a deposit made in a pocket.

My guess is that the RDA’s quorum of at least one has sanctioned this method of cash collection. In a perfectly honest world, it might work, but it is a method that leaves too many people at risk and vulnerable.

So the question remains, who will be the next Simon for El Paso County? Will it be Dan Vetrano, will it be the current High Plains View staff or will it be the people of this county? In a country that “idolizes” Simon for his ability to be “nasty”, maybe there are just too many contenders in this county to decide….