Just two weeks after electing the City Commissioners’ mayor in a non-publized or broadcasted meeting, the Commissioners make it illegal for a citizen of Marshall to be on a City Board when running for a position on the City Commission.

Yes, that is right: You cannot continue your public service on a City Board if you run for City Commissioner. The City Commissioners have decided that your just reward for challenging an incumbent City Commissioner is you must give up your public service work on all City Boards.

Here is why I do not understand this new rule: I volunteer to be on a City Board, Parks, Planning and Zoning, Marshall Image, etc. I do this out of the goodness of my heart or civic pride or whatever. The City Commissioners believe that I will add to this Board and add me to it.

Six months later I decide to do something crazy like run against an incumbent City Commissioner. Again, I do this out of the goodness of my heart or civic pride, or whatever. However before I can run I must give up my Board position -- not because I am doing a bad job but because I have upset the apple cart by running against an incumbent City Commissioner.

So to run for City Commissioner -- a public service job in Marshall, I have to give up another public service job -- my City Commissioners’ appointed City Board position. Yet, the incumbent City Commissioner does not have to give up his public service job of City Commissioner to run for re-election. As a matter-of-fact, the incumbent City Commissioner or any other Commissioner gets to take credit for appointing another “new and outstanding” Marshall citizen to the Board position I had to resign from. Who knows, maybe the local papers will even print a picture of the new Board member shaking hands with the City Commissioners.