That's life: Your local government works Tony Bender Local Columnist I've covered hundreds of school board, city council, and county commission meetings over the years, and I'll tell you something you'd probably hear from any newspaper person who's done the same; by and large, your local government works. I can't count the number of times I've had a breathless citizen, Joe Coffeeshop, tell me what wacky thing the county commission is plotting, and yet, when you sit through a meeting, you find good, thoughtful decisions being made. Do they sometimes get it wrong? Sure, with hindsight being 20-20, but I'd be hard-pressed to remember the last time I disagreed with their decisions once I knew the facts.