Maybe it’s a contrarian nature, occupational skepticism or an aversion to conventional wisdom, but I get a bit itchy when nearly everyone nods in agreement that something’s a terrible idea or a great idea.

That’s been my knee-jerk reaction to the McHenry County Board consensus that state Rep. Jack Franks’ referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot to change McHenry County to an executive form of government is a terrible idea.

It might well be a bad idea, but I’m keeping an open mind for a few more weeks. Most of the arguments against an executive form of government focus on two major points: 1) The executive is far too powerful in comparison with the remainder of the County Board, and 2) Day-to-day government functions should be administered by a qualified professional as opposed to an elected official.