By now, it should be painfully clear to anyone who observes Hall County government that newly elected Commissioner Craig Lutz doesn't like the idea of having a park at Cool Springs.

Before taking office Lutz campaigned against the park. After taking office, he voted not to build the park. When the compromise decision was made to only build ballfields without lights instead of the major park that had been planned, he voted against that, too. His position has been clear and steadfast.

That said, Lutz's effort earlier in the month to have the ballfields built but without restroom facilities took political grandstanding a step too far, flushing practical reality right down the tube from sublime to ridiculous.

Thankfully, commission Chairman Tom Oliver cut short the effort by invoking the parliamentary powers of the chairman, or else the debate would have headed down the toilet.

Lutz is sure to portray his effort as one of fiscal responsibility, which is ironic coming from someone who has proven to be so open with the county's checkbook when it comes to interim administrators, short-term attorneys and severance packages. Those decisions have spent money, not saved it, in a time when budgets are tight and residents are wary of future tax hikes.

That Lutz would propose ballfields without restroom facilities makes you wonder if he's ever attended a T-ball game with a bunch of 5-year-olds. While there are legitimate factors to consider in such a discussion — park restrooms require a commitment of both finances and staff to maintain and keep secure — the idea of having fields for use by hundreds of youngsters without such conveniences is rather preposterous. Unless of course the commissioner favors returning to the outhouses that once graced much of the Hall County countryside.

We suspect Lutz's aborted attempt at amending the park's building plan was more about finding a vehicle to bring the ballfields back to the table for one more round of heated discussion than it was a potential endorsement of portable toilets for use by the county's recreation department.

The people of Hall County want their parks to be something in which they can take pride rather than a potential source of embarrassment.

We believe Lutz was motivated more by bad politics than good governing. His proposed amendment was all about making a point. Having failed in his original effort to stop the ballfields, the commissioner hoped an end run would again allow him to pound upon the issue some more.

But in that there is a troublesome concept. At some point, decisions by members of the county commission need to be accepted as final so that work can move on. If that's not the case, Hall County will be limping along into the future while other, more progressive counties around us are running full speed ahead.

While Oliver has been criticized for stopping Lutz before his amendment ever gained the steam necessary for discussion by the board, the chairman in fact did the only thing that made sense.

Lutz was against the ballfields. A majority of the commission voted in favor of them. Lutz lost. Then he sought to amend a decision which he had opposed in the first place. If Oliver were to allow every commissioner who finds himself on the losing side of a vote to return to the same issue time and again with proposed amendments and changes, chaos would ensue and nothing would ever be finalized.

In this instance, Lutz was like a Little Leaguer jumping up and down on home plate and screaming at the umpire long after his team has lost the game.

On its surface Lutz's effort to remove restrooms from the plans for the park provided a bit of humorous diversion, but at a deeper level shows an elected official unable to accept having lost and thus moving on to the next project. We can only hope time in office will eliminate some of the "us vs. them" mentality behind such an attitude and lead the way to more mature governance in the future.

But for now, if the county is going to build the ballfields, it needs to build the restrooms. Building such a facility without restroom accommodations assures one of two things: Either the ballfields will quickly prove to be of little value for any purpose, and ultimately will be abandoned in favor of other facilities, or restrooms will have to be added later, in which case they are sure to be more expensive.

It already has been a contentious year for a county government encountering numerous challenges, not the least of which is a budget that may face more serious revenue reductions in fiscal year 2012. Hall Countians want their leaders to end the bickering and work toward common goals, not advance narrow personal agendas that derail the board's attempts to balance residents' needs with financial restraint.

Americans' trust in government at all levels is at an all-time low. Incidents like a ridiculous flap over bathrooms only serve to widen that divide between elected officials and the people who hired them to serve.