To the Editor:

I’m voting “no” on the county executive referendum. Having 24 elected County Board members of equal voting stature (including the chairman) is a far better example of representative government than having fewer County Board members who are functionally subservient to one county executive.

As a trial lawyer, I know from experience that getting 12 people on a jury to agree on a proposition is a challenge. Getting a majority of a 24-member County Board to support a proposition is equally challenging. That’s how representative government works. Diversity of thought and the free exchange of opinion drive a democracy.