Local GOP needs better leadership

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Now that was a juvenile stunt. And peculiar, too. What was Lancaster County Republican Chairman Jim Haga thinking when he fired off a taunting e-mail to ousted Lincoln City Council member Terry Werner?

It certainly wasn't lofty thoughts about the ideals of democratic self-government.

"Let this be a wakeup call to you. The voters of Lincoln wisely rejected your socialist agenda. If needed we could have addressed your driving record (having a private eye follow you was a joy) … and more," Haga's e-mail said in part.

Werner said he took it as another "in your face, nah-nah-nah-nah-nah."

That sounds about right.

The mention of the private eye was a faintly ominous touch, though.

Have Lincoln city politics become so poisonous that political operatives are hiring private eyes to dig up dirt on the other guys?

Haga just embarrassed himself and his party even more with his weird explanation of why he wrote the e-mail.

Haga said he made the claim of hiring a private eye — a claim he now says was false — because he knew that Werner would go to the press and the Journal Star would write about it.

From Haga's perspective that would prove the paper was biased.

Huh?

If Haga wants to justify his behavior he's going to have to come up with an explanation  more logical than that.

It's too bad that Haga and his henchmen don't spend as much energy trying to find solutions to pressing city problems as they do on this sort of immature behavior.

When party officials become so obsessed with winning that they forget about actually governing, democracy is in trouble.

More energy in Lincoln politics needs to be focused on finding solutions to real problems, like catching up to needs for new streets and roads, finding good sites for more businesses and streamlining the city permit process and eliminating red tape.

The 2005 officially nonpartisan city election already was down in the record books as one of the most partisan and negative on record.

Thanks to Haga, now the election looks even worse.

Haga, who is moving to Denver to take a new job, already has announced that he is stepping down from his post as Lancaster party chairman.

That provides an opportunity to make a change for the better.

Rank-and-file Republicans in Lancaster County deserve better leadership.