It is nearly high noon in Meigs and two radically different views of the city’s future are staring at each other at the ballot box.

Meigs voters are about to determine whether they want to keep Linda Harris as mayor. Last fall, enough signatures were collected to force her into a recall election set for Tuesday.

Harris can’t point to a single success story or positive achievement as mayor. Her term has been marked by nothing other than perpetual strife and she has made herself a fixture in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Since she took the oath of office, Harris has put settling personal scores above the public good. This attitude has resulted in several harassment lawsuits and the cancellation of the City of Meigs’ insurance policy. As a result, Meigs taxpayers are on the hook for the next employee action against the city.

Police Chief Gary Price has been Harris’ favorite target in recent months. She has undermined him at every turn since his department arrested her for allegedly stalking a rival. The resulting charge prompted a judge to ban her from city hall. The ban was lifted after the  charge was dismissed, but a new one was instituted last fall.

Harris led the charge to prevent Meigs police officers from taking department vehicles home. This action has resulted in slower response times that are increasing the liklihood that someone will be injured or killed as the victim of a crime. If and when this happens, the blood will be on her hands.

Other “executive decisions” by Harris have landed her in hot water. She was recently indicted by a Thomas County grand jury on a couple of felony counts and has made a mockery of open records and open meetings laws.

Her disregard for law and order reached a shocking point recently when she foolishly pushed to make it illegal for local officers to arrest council members without the council’s approval. This move proves she believes she is a monarch answerable to no one instead of a public servant accountable to every Meigs resident.

So as both hands of the election clock approach 12, Meigs voters must decide whether they will allow Harris to become even more brazen or move toward new leadership. It is their last chance to prove to her that they hold more power than she does.