Reflecting on her first five months in office, Geauga County Commissioner Carolyn Brakey recently took an inventory of her actions thus far compared to the campaign promises she ran on.
Reflecting on her first five months in office, Geauga County Commissioner Carolyn Brakey recently took an inventory of her actions thus far compared to the campaign promises she ran on.
Brakey came into her new role at the tail-end of some controversial interactions between the Geauga County Commissioners and Geauga County Dog Warden’s Office, making for a tense beginning.
“The meeting right before I took office was the one where there were 300-some community members,” she said, noting in her two years of attending meetings, a busy audience usually constituted around 15 people.
While she is new to the commissioners’ office, Brakey is not new to local government, having previously served on the Geauga County Board of Health, an experience she believes helped her settle into her new position.
“It was invaluable,” she said. “You couldn’t have taught a lesson better.”
The board and Geauga Public Health Administrator Adam Litke taught her both about Robert’s Rules of Order — the standard procedures used by local government — and sunshine laws, as well as how to control a contentious meeting, she said.
“I didn’t run (for commissioner) to keep with the status quo. And when your whole purpose is to be an agent of change, there’s just going to be inherent conflict there,” she said, referring to resistance or tension she has encountered with certain groups or individuals when she has suggested taking a new approach.
Despite receiving some pushback from people either benefitting from or being used to the status quo, Brakey believes she has been effective and made positive changes.
One of her first actions in office involved rejecting Geauga County Juvenile/Probate Court Judge Tim Grendell’s request that the county pay his outstanding legal fees from a disciplinary case.
Her no vote encapsulated her campaign goals of protecting taxpayer money, increasing transparency and holding government accountable, she said.
“(Grendell’s request) was an issue I knew the community was very upset about, almost universally,” she said. “I got the sense that was an issue that was going to die behind the scenes, so I specifically asked for it to be put on the agenda because I thought it was important to have a discussion about it, to publicly vote no on it and say why.”
Brakey has also made some decisions that, while needed, have created waves, she said, pointing to her vote to oust former County Administrator Gerry Morgan.
“Just being down basically the CEO of the county — I’m not a victim in that. I was one of two votes to cause that change and I think it was a necessary change,” she said. “But, it does kind of bring the office into a state of chaos.”
In her campaign, Brakey emphasized a need to “defeat dysfunction” within county government and foster better relations between various boards and officials.
While decisions like ousting the former administrator may have proved controversial, Brakey does not believe they have hindered that goal.
“The relationship between the commissioners’ office and other county departments has remarkably improved since I’ve been in office,” she said. “I think we’re able to get ahead of things before they become an issue on the agenda.”
There’s been a hunger for better intra-county relations, Brakey said, also noting a number of small changes she believes have improved the overall professionalism of the commissioners’ office.
She listed the fact their meetings now regularly begin at 9:30 a.m., rather than several minutes late, and minutes are getting approved in a more timely fashion as examples.
Brakey’s campaign hinged on “protecting Geauga’s freedoms and paychecks,” which runs alongside her theme of government transparency and accountability, she said.
“I went to a lot of commissioners meetings and there was a lot of money that was spent with very little discussion about why the money was being spent,” she said. “My general thought was, ‘If we’re spending taxpayer dollars, we should be able to justify this money and have discussion and there should be pushback.’”
Questions and no votes are important, she said.
When considering approval for funds, Brakey looks at how they relate to statutory functions of government and how they serve the public.
“The first thing I think about is does this relate to a statutory function of government, yes or no? If the answer is no, then is this a service the county relies on?” she said. “A lot of it is does this seem like a reasonable expenditure for government to make?”
A recent clash between commissioners and the Geauga County Airport Authority resulted in Brakey taking a firm stance against transferring $800,000 to the airport without an agreement with safeguards for taxpayers in place.
“That discussion set a standard for anyone that is asking for money from the commissioners. Because I’m not going to be a simple yes every time,” she said. “I am not going to just go along. I’m not afraid to vote no and I’m not afraid to say why.”
Brakey has also made a major push for government transparency and accessibility in her first months, spearheading the livestreaming of commissioners meetings, posting agendas online and setting a formal public comment policy.
“I’ve knocked out the big things I was hoping to,” she said in regards to improving transparency.
Improving government efficiency is a long-term goal, she said.
“I thought I’d maybe be DOGE-ing it up a bit,” she said, referencing the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency.
“But, I think that’s more of a long-term goal of mine,” she said, adding a short-term goal is for her to better understand how county government is currently working.
She wants to prioritize making sure county departments are doing a good job with the services they already offer, Brakey said.
“Something like giving employees raises, that costs taxpayers more money,” she said. “But, when you have employees who are doing a good job, you need to retain those employees and compensate them fairly and make sure they’re appreciated and valued.”
Employee turnover is expensive, she added.
The county has a sizable surplus and one thing to look at is how to best utilize those funds, she said, listing paying off debt or returning money to taxpayers as examples.
“In general, I hope I’ve brought an increased level of professionalism to the commissioners’ office, as well as the transparency measures,” Brakey said.
