We’re tired of the gamesmanship between the Androscoggin County commissioners and sheriff’s office.

Commissioners low-balled their salary offer, $42,000, for erstwhile chief deputy Eric Samson. It made no sense for Samson, who now earns about $50,000, to accept a promotion in responsibility and a demotion in compensation.

Nor is it sensible for commissioners to say this promotion merits a lower salary. Chairman Elmer Berry has told Samson that he’s heard “nothing but good things” about Samson from “rank and file” officers.

If so, the county should pay Samson a chief deputy’s salary. This quizzical low-balling indicates there’s more than money on the table here. Commissioners appear to disagree with Samson’s selection for this position.

Instead of playing salary games, they should just say so.

And the sheriff’s office is accepting détente with commissioners at the expense of the public good.

Last year, when Sheriff Guy Desjardins and commissioners clashed over an additional deputy, Desjardins made strong statements about problems in county government, including a public appeal for a charter commission.

His effort went nowhere. And, for some reason, Desjardins stopped pushing.

So here we are, again, watching the sheriff and commissioners engage in this apparently annual ritual of pretending to work with each other. Something has got to change.

A charter commission is the way to change it.