The American form of government wisely provides recourse for disgruntled citizens—voters, specifically—to call for the removal of derelict officials from elected office. For that reason, we believe the recall petition submitted by a few such local voters against county commissioners Larry Brower and Larry Engstrom and the county clerk, Cathy Sibal, to be misguided, at best.

This is not intended as a condemnation of their goal of a taxpayer-owned drag strip for Kimball County. Whether or not the county should operate a track is a separate issue. Rather, their recall effort sets a poor precedent.

Our democracy can be messy. Despite the two-party system, there are dozens of sides to each issue. Naturally some citizens will be disappointed with an elected official’s decisions while others will be supportive. Others sway somewhere in between. Every few years, an election gives voters an opportunity to replace or retain our local, state and national leaders. This is fundamental democracy.

Recall petitions (or impeachment proceedings on a national level) should never be used lightly. The process should be reserved for true negligence or illegal activity. A difference of opinion or a dispute over a decision, a political maneuver or an action by a politician, does not warrant such a drastic action.

Certainly the residents responsible for the recall petition against the officials have the right to act. We support that. Like we said, we believe the action simply misguided—particularly in the case of Sibal, who was blocked from completing her work by an exparte court order, not by willful collusion as stated in a petition supported by only a few of the recall advocates.

If there is evidence beyond generalizations these officials deliberately acted against the law or the best interests of Kimball County, bring it forward and pass the petitions. Otherwise, efforts should be turned toward the next election.