Why I'll vote for Rock Finch

If Jay Purcell is re-elected as county commissioner, I look forward to his following through on his campaign theme of fair, open and transparent government. As he stated in the candidate forum with Rock Finch on Thursday night, "The basis of everything good or bad in government" is transparency and openness. It is a worthy theme, and I wish Jay well if re-elected.

But the truth is that Purcell doesn't recognize that the personal integrity of elected officials is also central to good government. Secretly taping private conversations is simply wrong. Secretly taping, then sharing selected portions of tapes to influence others, crosses the line into manipulation and corruption.

In addition, he taped a closed governmental meeting, which is illegal in Missouri. Suing the county commission in hopes of finding a legal loophole out of the corner he painted himself into compounded the error and has cost county taxpayers unnecessarily.

But Purcell's flaws are bigger than the secret tapes. His flaws originate with a paranoia that finds fault with the motives of most who disagree with him, and then extends into shadowy attempts to drag down others while propping himself up. Until he confronts and admits his own mistakes -- and stares down this inner demon of self-fulfilling paranoia -- he will always be limited as a leader.

At last week's forum, Purcell highlighted a bit of this paranoia by suggesting that the public would know who doesn't have their interests in mind by looking at "the people supporting my opponent." That's a broad and ridiculous attack, and it underlines the deficiency of Purcell's abilities.

Thankfully, Cape Girardeau County voters have a choice for District 2 commissioner. And at the forum Rock Finch proved himself an excellent candidate. I don't know Rock well. He has always been likable. But what shown through Thursday night is how perfectly positioned he is for what the county needs. Underlining the importance of communication, collaboration and cooperation in leadership, Finch also raised the banner of transparent government. But he did so without baggage.

More importantly, Finch pointed to how important cooperative spirit is to the types of regional economic development projects that Purcell cited as being goals for him the past two years -- without success.

Finch further impressed with his military and business background, including a six-year stint working with an asphalt company. It was clear that he knew what he was talking about when discussing county road paving.

Questions at the forum covered a broad range of topics. Both candidates supported broadcasting county commission meetings -- and establishing new ways to make county government more accessible. They agreed that there were ways to extend taxpayer money to pave roads through financial mechanisms. Finch was clear in his opposition to gambling, Purcell said he didn't know if the county commission had any say in the matter, but that he would support it as a representative of the city that had previously approved it.

In talking about experience, Purcell highlighted his 11 years in two elected offices. Finch praised Purcell's sacrifices to work in city and county government, and admitted he wasn't a politician -- but someone who was prepared and ready to serve through his experiences in business, the community and the military.

Finch constantly emphasized the theme of Cape Girardeau County needing to be a gem, a spotlight for good government, and a leader in regional economic development and public-government collaboration. Purcell stressed that controversy is sometimes necessary to move the world forward -- and he held up his tactics to date as being effective. Both men are articulate.

It's time to end the self-made controversy, though. Voting for Finch not only represents a vote for transparency and fairness without all the baggage, but it represents a vote for the person better qualified to serve the citizens of Cape Girardeau County.

Jon K. Rust is publisher of the Southeast Missourian and co-president of Rust Communications. E-mail: jrust@semissourian.com.