After putting so much faith in him April 6 — an amazing amount of faith if ballot totals are any measure — Pratt voters may be wondering how well newly elected Commissioner Gary Skaggs did in his first round of public business Monday night at City Hall.
Of course, chances are when a community as small as Pratt gives such a large nod to one of its native sons, even when he’s untested in elected office, the greater majority already know how he did. They have firsthand experience. Although Skaggs is retired from the stewardship of the downtown hardware store that bears his name, most of the population of voting age have had occasion to walk through the doors at First and Main and do business there, often with Skaggs himself. If you are one of those and you know how he did, you can stop reading now.
But if you were not one of the 1,243 people who voted for Gary Skaggs, you should be pleased to hear he did well.
For many new commissioners, their inexperience is plain. They ask the wrong questions or fumble for the right questions or ask none at all. Almost all seem to take at least a little while to find their feet.
For Skaggs it was apparent Monday night that he was as comfortable with the nuts and bolts of city business as he was the nuts and bolts of a hardware store.
During the first half of the meeting, he asked more questions than any other commissioner without being overeager. And more, he asked relevant, concise and to-the-point questions. More than that, he asked questions that could be answered, which sounds easy but is suprisingly difficult for many, even those in public office.
Skaggs was satisfied with most of the answers he received from city staff and the people who had business with the Commission. Asking good questions will usually get you good answers.
So stop wondering, if you were, how well Gary Skaggs did in his first meeting. And if you were not wondering, be assured you were right and the vote you cast was not wasted.
