Just because something always has been done a certain way, it doesn’t mean it’s the correct way of doing things, nor does it mean that the practice should continue.

    Some of Kent County’s row offices are a perfect example of that.

    Levy Court commissioners recently approved resolutions asking the General Assembly to draft legislation to do away with the county’s mortgage commissioner, receiver of taxes and comptroller — positions the body called “obsolete,” positions that Delaware’s other two counties have operated without since they came to the same conclusion years ago.

    The impact on losing these positions in the county’s operations will be minor, from what officials say. The finance department could easily absorb the roles of these offices.

    More importantly, the impact of saving $200,000 a year is huge from a taxpayer standpoint. With the economy in its current situation, governments should be looking to save as much money as possible and trim any apparent excesses. I don’t know of any constituent who doesn’t want their government to spend smarter — not necessarily less or more, just smarter.

    And with the words “layoff” and “pay cut” invading our everyday vernacular, the prospect of cutting $200,000 of elected and appointed positions from the county’s payroll could save the jobs of several employees, if it ever came to that point.

    In Doug Denison’s story on page 6a, there is one aspect of eliminating these jobs that doesn’t make sense. Levy Court Commissioner George “Jody” Sweeney said the positions in question are held by Democrats historically, and may face resistance in the General Assembly because of that. I don’t question the accuracy of Sweeney’s statement; any time politicians are involved, there is a substantial backstory behind most actions.

    This issue should be different. These positions may be elected, but they are more task-oriented than political, and parties need to be left out of this one.

    Legislators need to give the county the power to spend smarter.

    *****

    At the Post, we usually focus on the accomplishments of others, however, it’s a bit of a treat when we can put some of our own accolades in ink.

    Sports writer Brian Citino was awarded second place for best sports story by the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association for his coverage of the Caesar Rodney High School football team’s state championship win.

    Sarika Jagtiani, the Post’s health and entertainment guru, was honored by the Delaware Library Association May 7 with the media award in appreciation of her coverage of the local libraries.

Email Maureen Raitz at maureen.raitz@doverpost.com.