We would have been dumbfounded regardless of the timing, but that it was asked first certainly didn’t diminish its shock value.

“If appointed, would you support providing independent legal counsel for the Weld County Council?”

That was the very first question asked by the Weld County Council this past Monday night to the five finalists that council members were interviewing to fill the vacancy on the Board of Weld County Commissioners left by the resignation of Sean Conway.

For anyone who needs a refresher, the question stems from a 2018 request made to the Weld County Commissioners from the council – whose job it is to provide oversight for the county’s elected officials – seeking to more than double the council’s annual budget so, among other things, it could hire independent legal counsel.

It’s certainly worth noting the request was part of an effort by council members to avoid any conflict of interest that could arise if voters were to recall an elected official. Then, the council would have authority to temporarily remove that official from office, and having the same attorney – the county attorney – represent both the council as well as the official being removed wouldn’t really work.

However, it’s also worth noting the commissioners rejected that request – one that caused much contention between council members as it was made – in part based on language in the county charter that seems to bar anyone but the commissioners from hiring an attorney. Some commissioners also didn’t think it was worth keeping an attorney on retainer for the council just for the unlikely occurrence of a recall.

Yet, for some reason, almost a year and a half later, council members felt compelled to make that ordeal a visible part of their process for filling a vacant commission seat.

Before we go further, we should make one thing clear: Our frustration with the council’s choice of question has nothing to do with who they ultimately picked to fill the seat.

While we didn’t endorse him, Kevin Ross was a part of the “loaded list of options” we referenced when considering who we liked for the spot. We have no reason to think he’ll be anything but a solid addition to the commission, and we aren’t trying to suggest that the council’s poor line of questioning in any way tarnishes his selection.

Our frustration, in this instance, lies squarely with the members of the county council, in large part because of how self-serving that first question was.

Filling a vacancy on the county commission has to rate as one of the most important jobs with which the county council could be tasked, and almost certainly the most publicly visible. Rather than ask a question that might provide some clue as to how the candidates might perform as a commissioner, the council opened its proceedings by asking a question that only really impacted its members rather than the citizens of Weld County – where the focus should have been.

What’s more, it gave new life to a controversy that had long since gone dormant. Some of the candidates even seemed almost as confused as we were over hearing that question as opposed to one on, say, highway expansion or oil and gas activity in the county.

What’s most disappointing to us, though, is what the council’s choice of question means about the future dynamic of how it works with the other parts of our county government.

When Conway announced his resignation, we said we hoped it meant our Weld officials could find a better way of working together, leaving in the past the infighting, office politics and bad communication that plagued preceding boards. Opening with a question related exclusively to that sort of toxic work relationship doesn’t exactly fill us with a lot of hope that all members of the Weld County Council are interested in that sort of change.

The fact that council members voted without talking at all after interviewing the five finalists only bolstered that fear. We want leaders who work together to serve.

If there’s one silver lining for us, though, it’s this: As frustrated as we are with the council, there’s still hope this new iteration of the Board of Weld County Commissioners can chart a new, more productive course in how it serves the residents of Weld County.

We encourage members to put their energy in that pursuit. Focus on what you’re doing to help the people you serve rather than on the procedure with which it’s done or on whatever political baggage that might come along with it.

We also encourage voters in Weld County to pay attention to how this new board of commissioners works together, and to remember that come November. There’s a lot on the line for our region in these next few years, and it’s imperative we have leaders who make serving the people of Weld County their first priority.