Chris D. Jackson, Chairman Pro-Tempore Lawrence Co. Commission

Now that the election is over and we have a new congress and will soon have a new president, it is time that politicians on both sides of the aisle work together to finally get something accomplished for the people they represent.

Instead of constantly worrying about political gamesmanship and raising absurd amounts of money for the next election, it is time they start concentrating on our next generation and how we can responsibly fix the serious issues that face our nation. 

Moving forward in the months ahead, congressional Republicans and President-Elect Trumps' number one goal shouldn't be to make the Democrats in congress fail. And on the same token, congressional Democrats' number one goal shouldn't be to make President-elect Trump fail.

Such attitudes are not only counterproductive, but we have seen what happens when one side refuses to work with the other for the length of their term: gridlock and dysfunction. While I am sure the hunger for retribution is there for both sides, they both must resist the temptation and try and work together when and where they can.

Doing so does not mean one has to agree with or condone every statement or tweet that is made; it just means they should do the job they are elected to do and strive to make government operate efficiently for the folks they represent. In my opinion, this is where Washington could learn from our county government and other local governments like ours all across the nation.

Instead of putting on their partisan blinders as usual, both sides should strive to establish a working relationship built on trust and mutual respect and work to find common ground, just as we do here in Lawrence County.

Our County Executive T.R. Williams ran as a Republican two years ago. However, I am proud to say that since he assumed office, he has had nothing but support and encouragement from all commissioners, including from Democrats like myself who serve on the county commission.

Why? It's simple. The commission understands that in order for our county to succeed, our County Executive must succeed. And in turn, T.R. understands that in order for our county to do well, our county commission must do well. We have each other's back and put the people's interests first. It also helps that we all genuinely like each other and take time to understand each other's points of views. 

That, in my opinion, is how a responsible government interested in results should operate. That's how we have been able to lower our unemployment rate from 17% to below 6%. That's how we have been able to remain the top school system in the region for five years running.

That's how we have been able to make historic investments in our infrastructure all the while doing innovative things like putting SROs in every county school to protect our children. It's amazing what can happen when you work together and leave partisanship out of your job. 

Sure we have our differences in county government, but at the end of the day, we don't take our ball and go home, tear each other down or shut down the government if we don't get our way. We put our personal differences aside and focus on doing what's right and achieving results for the good folks we represent.

We don't approach or discuss issues in terms of Democrats and Republicans and never make a decision because it what's best for the next election. Our focus is and will remain on helping Lawrence County's families and creating a better future for our children and grandchildren 

It is probably too much to expect from Washington, but the model for making government work is there if the politicians can just look hard enough. The question is will they take notice and change or will they continue down the same destructive path they have been on for year now. Communities like ours all across our great nation need Washington to get it right this time.