McGovernment -- instant gratification assembly seeks fast-food politics

Frontiersman Editroial Board

Local government, perhaps more than any other level of government, is where people can get involved. Local constituents have the right to march down to the borough offices and speak to borough staff -- to address their problems firsthand. More than most levels of government, Joe Taxpayer can go to assembly, planning commission, community council, platting board or any one of hundreds of other boards or commissions and actually have a hand in changing the future of the community.

There's a downside to that close relationship between the community and the government. Those who testify at public meetings are often neighbors, friends and members of the business community who may have some real or imagined societal pull in the decision making that goes on around the table. As the adage goes, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. Anyone familiar with the workings of a wheel is aware, not all squeaky wheels are necessarily broken -- some just need a dab of placating oil. There's another adage that could be slipped in here -- if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And the task of elected officials is to land somewhere between the two extremes. The goal should be to respond to complaints not with immediate action, but with an ear to what may be at the root of the problem. Then they're not put into the position of charging off to fix things that may not be so broken after all.

It's a lesson this assembly has yet to learn. A few assembly members are notorious for making last-minute motions that immediately send assembly members and staff scrambling to think through the various ramifications of any action and leave good, balanced governance in the dust. And while most of those last-minute motions have dealt with policy or procedures, it's exponentially more disappointing when those ill-planned motions take action against a fellow volunteer public servant.

It's bad policy to give validation to hearsay of the sort launched Tuesday by a few constituents with clearly identifiable personal agendas who were telling a thirdhand tale to begin with.

It's incomprehensible that assembly members were so gullible as to champion their cause.