Beyond civility and professionalism, Butler County Commissioner Jim Eckstein should work on keeping things in perspective. Monitoring county spending is a good thing, but focusing on larger budget items would be a better use of his time.

At the May 16 commissioners meeting, Eckstein blasted county Treasurer Diane Marburger for travel expenses, hitting her for the expected $200-a-day costs at a June meeting of the County Treasurers Association of Pennsylvania.

As president of the state association, Marburger is required to stay at the host hotel for the meeting. She also noted that $200-a-day figure includes meals and the use of meeting rooms.

Her explanations sound reasonable, but Eckstein did not bother to call her prior to Wednesday's meeting so she could provide him with details.

Eckstein, in his first few months as a commissioner, has made a habit of publicly criticizing county officials for travel expenses, usually amounting to a few hundred dollars. If Eckstein's motivation is to save the county money, he might be more effective by dealing with these issues in private, with other county leaders and department heads. But, by grandstanding at public meetings, he appears more interested in presenting an image of a crusader watching out for county pennies.

At the same meeting that Eckstein hammered away at travel expenses of a few hundred dollars, he proposed giving the city of Butler $10,000 for a police dog. The final amount agreed to was $5,000, an amount that Eckstein described as “embarrassing.”

The city effort to buy one or two canine officers has attracted solid support across the community. Given that, the county could have waited for the outcome of the city's fundraising efforts before contributing. If the city came up short of funds for even one dog, then maybe the county could have helped close the shortfall.

Eckstein seems to lack perspective when it comes to spending. While he makes a good point that all county employees should try to hold down expenses during tough budget times, Eckstein could make that point without personal attacks and without letting a few hundred dollars of travel expenses dominate nearly every public meeting. Surely there are more important, more consequential, issues — and expenditures — to be debating.

Travel expenses represent a tiny fraction of county expenses. It's time to shift to other topics at public meetings — and do it respectfully and professionally.

The effort to bring back Glade Run Lake remains a long way from achieving its desired outcome.However, Wednesday evening's Middlesex Township supervisors meeting made clear that a serious effort is under way on the lake's behalf. And, if the current enthusiasm and commitment to success can be maintained, it's possible that the lake bed might again be filled with water in under 10 years.The 52-acre lake was drained last June after the state Department of Environmental Protection determined that Glade Run Dam was structurally unsound and already was seeping.At Wednesday's meeting, the township supervisors not only voiced their support for the efforts under way on behalf of the lake, but committed the township to a $10,000 contribution to the lake effort each year for three years.The cost to restore the lake has been estimated at $4.2 million — a challenging amount — but if efforts continue to try to obtain grants for the work, in addition to the local funds that can be obtained, it's possible that someday the lake will return.Meanwhile, it's the Glade Run Lake Conservancy, bolstered by more than 300 new members, that is spearheading the lake effort.Those who enjoyed the lake over the years had grounds for pessimism when it was drained. Now there's justification for cautious optimism if the current enthusiasm is sustained.

Most Butler residents are clearly aware that cooperation from the public is essential in fighting illegal drugs in and around the city.That is why the Butler Eagle, on a number of days each month, publishes the toll-free telephone number to report illegal drug activity in Butler County: 1-866-363-3784. The number is operated by the district attorney's drug task force.That said, the willingness of a city businessman to provide valuable information to police on Tuesday led to the arrest of a man and woman who engaged in a suspected drug deal on North Jackson Street.For those who might have missed the article in Thursday's Butler Eagle, the businessman alerted police about drug dealing that has been common on North Jackson. The police had gone to a suspected drug house in the 100 block of West Jefferson Street armed with warrants for a pair of alleged dealers who weren't at the residence when police arrived.But while the police were at the scene, the business owner in question told them about the North Jackson drug deals, and Detective Sgt. John Johnson decided to conduct some impromptu surveillance using the second floor of the business owner's store. Johnson had to wait only about five minutes before witnessing the alleged drug deal that led to the two arrests.The business owner deserves praise for his willingness to provide the information, and Johnson merits praise for acting immediately on the information he received at the scene.As this case shows, public involvement by right-thinking, law-abiding people of the community can make a positive difference.