I voted by absentee ballot this election, since I’m living in East Lansing and am registered in Metro Detroit. While making my votes I was reminded that there are some positions where I have no idea what this person does. One example is the local drain commisioner. I don’t think he/she/it was up for re-election this year, but I voted for the position in the previous election. I can only guess at what a drain commisioner is or what qualifications are required for the job. I presume that the person might be a civil engineer, but that’s about it. There are other such questionable positions (county clerk comes to mind). Why do we need to elect these people? Can’t we just have the mayor or county executive or someone appoint these positions?
Probably because the alternative, as you observe, is for it to be a political appointment, spelled “plum”. It’s a matter of whether you prefer an uninformed choice or a corrupt one.
Write to your local congressman, s/he/it will introduce it to the legislature.
In general, if you do not know about the position, try to learn about it first, and then decide, what’s better: to elect or to appoint.
I’m from Michigan also. My understanding is that here, the Drain Comissioner is actually a very powerful position. I’m not sure what they do, though. I think it has to do with approving development.
What about County Coroner? That is on the ballot in my area.
I imagine that even if it were an appointed position, at the very least the appointee would still have to have a medical degree.
How do I as a voter decide which coroner is better? Can I ask to inspect their work?
How does one run a campaign for coroner?
“Vote for me! I only cut 'em after they’re dead!”
“Don’t vote for him! He makes the corpses wear funny hats!”
Drain commissioners have lots to do in MI. for example, our local (Ingham Co, where you currently reside ** Diceman**) had the authority to close Lake Lansing for several days due to dangerous bacteria counts. Also, wetlands issues, new construction issues, waterflow etc.
As to qualifications, funny you should mention. our current guy’s background includes: Running a (now defunct) meat market - had been a family business for many years til he ran it into the ground), and a prior elective history on the Lansing City Council (IIRC, he was voted out due to a controversial early out retirement plan). His opponent actually has some degree and experience in civil engineering. what a concept.
County Coronors are another interesting position. Many jurisdictions have them, but don’t require any particular background (as opposed to say a Medical Examiner which usually is an employee vs. an elected position).
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!. Do not assume, folks, that the whole world follows you tiny county pattern: identically named positions may be elected ones or appointed ones, it differs from county to county.
2. Be humble. Do not assume that you are born knowing the difference between the coroner and the medical examiner. Consult dictionaries. Go to libraries. Use your PCs. And, above all, use your heads.
When I vote, I often choose one of these lesser known offices (usually if someone is running unopposed) and vote for myself as a write-in for that office. Stupid, yes but one of my little personal pleasures in voting.
In many counties, Coroner is a purely administrative job, and is better given to an experienced manager than to someone with a medical background. However, it doesn’t hurt if they have medical and law enforcement knowledge.
Coroner is also an important office from a checks-and-balances standpoint. Every county I’ve lived in has had it in their charter that the Coroner is the one person in the county administration with the power to conduct an investigation of the Sheriff, and the only person who can arrest the Sheriff for a crime.
Of course, State and Federal officials may have the same powers, but the Coroner is the only county official who can do these things. So, it behooves you to elect a Coroner that can be trusted to show integrity in the face of a major county scandal.
Of course, your county may have different duties assigned to your Coroner.
–My county contains a large midwestern city.
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2. Be humble. Do not assume that you are born knowing the difference between the coroner and the medical examiner. Consult dictionaries. Go to libraries. Use your PCs. And, above all, use your heads. **
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The definition of my county coroner’s duties:
"Coroner
Who: The County Coroner is a constitutional officer elected to a four-year term, with a limit of four terms.
What: The coroner is responsible for determining the manner of death in cases involving violence or casualty, or when someone is found dead under unexplained circumstances. The coroner may also act as a peace officer and perform the duties of the sheriff."
From this definition I am assuming that the person must have some kind of medical degree. I could be wrong.
I don’t believe county coroners have to have an MD to hold their positions. They didn’t in the past. I had an uncle who was coroner of a small county in Illinois about 50 years ago and he was just a veteranarian.
The coroner can hire MDs to perform autopsies and other such work.
Los Angeles County has an appointed coroner and the job has been divided between an administrator and an MD because previous ones hadn’t been able to pull off both task before.
Tevya, in all my respect, you’re wrong twice
- A large midwestern city is big only because it is in Midwest. Its laws could still be different from other places, big and small.
- “Manner of death”, i.e., natural, homicide, suicide, accident, undetermined (in most jurisdictions) is a legal/administrative category. “Cause of death” is a medical category and is written on a death certificate by a physician, who may or may not be a medical examiner.
In most jurisdictions, the coroner may start inquest into the cause of death. In some s/he determines the manner of death, in some it’s the medical examiner, in some…, etc.
I do not dispute that the laws can be and most likely are different. I was disputing the word “tiny.” I hardly think the counties containing Chicago and Cincinnatin (2 different counties and cities) qualify as “tiny” even though they are in the Midwest. Of course, your definition of ‘tiny’ may be different than mine.
I did admit that I may be wrong here. I was inferring that it was required in my county because of the definition and because the current office holder has a medical degree.
My original post was an attempt at humour.
Your original response seemed a little harsh.
- I did not attempt to assume anything about the rest of the country.
- I never implied that I was born knowing the difference between a medical examiner and a coroner.
–Perhaps you can take your own advice to be humble and not assume to know the motives of other people.
In the end, I will take the course of your user name…peace.
Dear Sir/Madam,
my apologies. I was harsh. Sorry. I also live in a biiiiiig city. Perhaps, it shows. I know about coroners and medical examiners. But I do not know about many other things. So, perhaps, one day you will lecture stupid me.