Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I wish to address the article in the Nov. 23 issue of the Gazette-Journal concerning the Mathews Board of Supervisors’ funding policies for Constitutional Officer employees. First, let me make it perfectly clear that Constitutional Officer employees are not county employees. They serve at the will and under the authority of the individual Constitutional Officer. Our forefathers devised this system almost two centuries ago to ensure that local governments cannot control and manipulate these employees. The salaries of the employees are set by the State Compensation Board based on population and duties. The state pays a portion of the salary and the locality must pay the balance. To make these jobs more attractive to qualified applicants, many localities supplement these salaries since they are usually much lower than the salaries of local employees.

About a year and a half ago, the Mathews Board of Supervisors tried to divert funds from DMV, intended ...