Dale Drozen, who has watched the goings on in county government for several years, is joining the list of Sierra Star columnists.

He brings a perspective honed by countless meetings, stacks of hours of observation and mountains of reports.

In my time observing our local government, I have formed some strong opinions. In future columns I plan to focus on specifics of what I am digging up as I observe and participate in our local government. This first outing is more of an overview of how we are losing our way.

Our system of government has not been based on trust, the writers included checks and balances, but most important it is based on ‘WE THE PEOPLE’ never letting go of our right to know or our right to have control of our government. We have written these protections into our constitutions and our laws.