By Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief

If any elected official deserves a strong primary challenge in 2022, it has to be Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner.

Tanner, a Republican who has led the Potter County Commissioners’ Court since 2015, has been anything but fiscally conservative during her time on the Commission. Tanner has overseen numerous financial blunders and an overall disregard for the taxpayers while she has been in office. If you want an example of Tanner’s disregard for the taxpayers, consider that in 2019, she told local media that she supported issuing taxpayer-funded debt without voter approval for a new courts building because, “If we do a bond election, it could fail.”

Isn’t that the whole point of letting taxpayers have a say? Since they are the ones ultimately paying the bill, wouldn’t you think they should have at least some input on whether the money should be spent?

Apparently, Judge Tanner thinks not.

Tanner’s tenure on the Potter County Commission has been marked by fiscal irresponsibility and a disregard for the citizens that needs to be addressed. And, next year, voters will have the opportunity to address her record at the ballot box.

In 2022, Tanner will be up for re-election as Potter County’s top elected official. While she has not stated publicly whether she will be seeking a third term in office, the 2022 election will undoubtedly be a referendum on her terrible tenure in office, regardless of whether she is on the ballot. Voters will have to decide whether they want to continue the Tanner policy of big tax bad government or if they will choose a better, more fiscally responsible leader for our county.

The only thing to remember, however, is that we cannot decide this referendum on Tanner’s tenure unless somebody files to run for county judge aside from the incumbent.

For those who want to run for county judge, the good news is there are no specific education or experience requirements necessary to run for the office. Although the office is called county judge, the person in this role functions more as the mayor of their county rather than as a judicial official. This means that anyone with enough common sense not to tax Potter County residents into oblivion would be more than qualified to run for this office.

My hope is that next year, Potter County voters will be given a credible challenger for Tanner who can lead the choice for taxpayers as to whether we will continue Tanner’s bad policies or choose a new path forward. I’m hoping that taxpayers can give Tanner a run for her money next year and have the option of electing a strong new representative for our community.

Nancy Tanner needs to go, but it’s up to Potter County voters to make it happen. Consider filing to run for office, or if you can’t run for office, please consider supporting whoever runs as a challenger.

The 2022 election cycle will be a big one for many reasons. I hope one of these reasons is that, after eight years of bad government, we might finally get a responsible, fiscally conservative representative elected as Potter County judge.