Business as usual in 2018 at the SLO Board of Supervisor’s Chambers

It’s a brand-new year but, apparently, the same old squabbling is still going on at the county Board of Supervisors.

As their first official act of the new year, supervisors will appoint a new chair and vice chair on Tuesday and it appears that, once again, liberal Supervisor Adam Hill — who has been vice chair for the past two years — will be passed over by the conservative majority.

At least, that’s what Hill believes, according to his recent tweet: “Yes the BOS majority will not give up the Chair; No, I’m not having people come like last year. Yes, this year will be worse. And I will make public every awful & damning thing (Lynn) Compton has done and will do.”

Oh, Adam.

“Adam Hill has proved that he is toxic with his words and actions,” said one letter writer.

“Perhaps when he becomes an adult but not until then,” wrote another.

“He is not worthy of the position due to his ‘bullying’ of women. Enough!” wrote former Congresswoman Andrea Seastrand who (full disclosure) is also a Tribune columnist

Could Hill be more diplomatic and respectful? Of course. Then again, the same could be said of many other politicians, up to and including Donald Trump. But apparently, it’s OK for a president to be an unpredictable, self-promoting hothead, but a county supervisor must be a model of decorum in order to bang the gavel at meetings — especially if he belongs to a political party that’s out of power.

That’s a new way of doing business, by the way. Up until a couple of years ago, the chairmanship — which is largely a ceremonial position — was routinely rotated among the five supervisors. Sooner or later, every member got a turn.

Not anymore. In 2015, the policy on selecting a chair was revised to add this wording: “It is intended, but not mandated, that the supervisor elected as vice chairperson will succeed the chairperson in the following year.”

That’s unfortunate. This isn’t the Senate or the House of Representatives; the chairmanship should not be about political ideology or personality or payback.