For the full interview (recorded 11/2/20), listen to Mind and Soul in the Morning.
Twenty-four hours before election day, County Commissioner Chris Rodgers reminded voters to drop off their mail-in ballots or prepare to vote at any of their local polling places tomorrow during his interview with Mind and Soul in the Morning.
Rodgers is running to continue his 15-year career on the board of commissioners as the representative for district three. He is running unopposed in the general election.
The commissioner defended his vote in support of County Attorney Don Kleine, who faced public backlash over his handling of the James Scurlock case.
“I’ve known Don for 20 years, I know him personally,” Rodgers said, “I know him not to be a white supremacist.”
The Douglas County Board of Commission handles the county’s correctional facilities, an area Rodgers sees has ideas for improvement.
“I believe in bail reform for adult corrections.” Rodgers said, “There are several individuals sitting in there now because they can’t pay $200 and they’re not a threat to society.”
Rodgers did explain some of the work that he has already done to elevate the overcrowding in the county’s juvenile justice centers. He credited the commission’s reform programs for bringing the average intake of the juvenile justice centers down from 210 to around 60.
“Nobody should be locked up unless they absolutely have to be,” Rodgers said.