This Tuesday’s meeting of the Decatur County Board of Commissioners was the first for new commissioners Jan Godwin (District 1) and Dennis Brinson (District 3). Brinson was elected by the voters last November, while Godwin was appointed by the board Monday to fill the seat recently vacated by Dr. Earl Perry, who resigned effective Dec. 31, 2012.

We hope that both of the new commissioners bring the spirit of cooperation and harmony to the board. In previous years, commissioners have not always gotten along with each other personally, and those personal vendettas and grudges have spilled over and affected the government of the county.

We understand that six people will not always agree on every single issue. However, we hope that the new commission will be able to find a way to “agree to disagree” and not let contentious votes harm the effectiveness of the commission’s government. It’s a new year, and a new commission, and we hope they will prove to be a county government that we can be proud to have represent us.