|
|
Mike Moser Here's a reason to feel
One of the most important events in 2001 might
have taken place in a dimly lit, sparsely filled courtroom in
the county courthouse with the rebirth of a standing committee
of the Cumberland County Commission. Maybe more meetings should be held in such
a casual setting, for out of the relaxed atmosphere came one
of the most productive meetings held in the name of education
and county government. A five-year-dormant education committee, sub-panel
of the full county commission, attempted to hold its organizational
meeting Tuesday at 4 p.m. Purpose of the committee is to act
as a liaison between both bodies. Convener Dr. Donathan Ivey reported that many
of the nine-member committee were out of town or at work and
unable to attend. Lacking a quorum, the small group consisting
of Jack Clark, Dan Hassler, Russell Smith and Ivey, along with
Commissioner Sharon York, and school board members Jim Dunigan,
Orville Hale and Robbie Safdie and schools comptroller Sandy
Brewer held a nearly two-hour frank discussion about finances,
needs, goals and issues that affect each side respectively. Maybe it was good that no decisions could
be made in the absence of a quorum, because the progress made
by the honest and uninhibited exchange of ideas was greater than
any meeting between the two bodies in recent years. Absent were the suspicions and political innuendo
and confrontational attitude and in their place were listening,
trust and the candid exchange of thoughts and concepts. I am sure I am not the only person who left
that meeting with a feeling that Cumberland County was turning
the corner and moving toward progress and prosperity instead
of distrust and dissension. Politicians have a tendency to sell the general
population short when it comes to the ability to understand public
issue problems. This can build into a prevailing attitude that
politicos know best what is good for the rest of us and that
the general population cannot possibly under the complexities
of legislative government. All this kind of attitude does is build distrust
and perceptions that are divisive. And in public life, perception
is everything and sometimes the truth gets trampled. A case in point is the much-ballyhooed fund
balance some claim the board of education is squirreling away.
This was one of the issues addressed Tuesday night. Simply put, the bulk of those funds are already
earmarked, some by legislative act, and what exists in that account
is prudent investment and planning as opposed to hiding tax dollars
from the public only to use those monies frivolously. Perception: The school board is hoarding money
only to blow it on nice, non-classroom things when our students
are being crowded into classrooms and are not learning their
basic skills. Truth: These monies are earmarked and plans
call for them to be spent in a way that is directly beneficial
to students and the community. Pay for teachers and non-teaching positions,
need for a new high school and elementary school and facility-related
issues were discussed openly and frankly. This is not to say both sides should, or will,
agree on every issue. But at least each side will have a better
understanding from where the other is coming. The two sides along with other elected officials
are planning to move forward in this cooperative spirit next
Tuesday when they sit down at the same table to discuss the school
building program, capital outlay projects and land purchase for
a new elementary school. Maybe the powers that be on the county and
city level would be served well by appointing a committee to
study water issues. Both the city and the county have legitimate
concerns and positions on how the community should move forward
in water production. Everyone agrees that a free-flowing water
source is a vital key to our economic and community health and
growth. Each side can continue to march to their own drummer
and continue to go separate ways, but it will be us taxpayers
who are forced to foot the bill for such extravagance when a
spirit of cooperation would be so much more economical. Not lost in all this dialogue is Jack Clark's repeated appeal for present and long-range planning and the establishing of a time-line for when all the wish-list items can be started and funded. It seems, judging from Tuesday's meeting, there is growing support for just such planning. |