I am tired of watching our two Republican county commissioners bully our Democratic commissioner, Jim Eckstein.

County residents who watch the commissioners’ meetings on Channel 10 will see what I mean. Commissioners Dale Pinkerton and William McCarrier often belittle and are rude to Eckstein.

What Eckstein says is what he believes. I don’t always agree with him, but I know what he is saying he believes to be true.

He ran for county commissioner to try to expose and blunt the abuses of the long-running Republican machine that views county government as its plaything.

He fought to keep the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center from being privatized. He highlighted the huge cost overruns in the construction of the new prison. He wanted to find out why the extra costs connected to the prison project were necessary.

Eckstein’s election put the fear of God in the Republican establishment. From day one, they needed to ridicule and demean him in order to marginalize him.

So far, the Republican plan has been working, because few people care about county government.

I encourage everyone to watch the commissioners’ meetings on Channel 10. If enough people do, perhaps Pinkerton and McCarrier will work with Eckstein, not against him.