Wednesday marked the beginning of a new era for the Chilton County Commission and, maybe, the county itself.

Fair or not, the commission has a perception that it can’t balance a budget and can’t fix a road. It’s hard to fault an administration for mistakes that have been made by past administrations and hard to fault past administrations based on hindsight. Nevertheless, the county is not in great financial shape, and that’s all that should matter at the moment to commissioners and residents alike.

The task is to fix the problems. Many roads need to be paved or improved, and there isn’t a whole lot of money available to do so.

With two new commissioners (Greg Moore and “Red” Turnipseed) and a new chairman meeting Wednesday for the first time, the group can take the approach of having a fresh start.

Of course, many residents won’t forget their prior prejudices easily. That will have to be earned. The commission took a step toward earning back some trust with the appointment of Tim Mims as chairman.

Mims’s appointment was improved by a 5-1 vote (with Mims himself abstaining), so the commissioners were almost unanimous in their decision. Speaking with The Clanton Advertiser, Mims, a three-term commissioner, stressed the importance of finding new revenue sources and keeping a close check on existing funds. Exactly.

To make Mims an even better choice for this position, the new chairman is both the only independent that ran for a seat and the candidate that received the most votes in the county’s cumulative voting system. We think this chairman, and this commission, will serve the county well.

Mims’ selection is a first step toward convincing the people of Chilton County that their commission cares less about partisan lines and more about their will.

Now, about those roads…