Let's just say for the sake of argument that you are on the Board of Directors of a company. You've got some major changes that need to be made in order make your business run better. You (the Board) designate one or two people to do the research needed to make those changes. You are expecting to get all of the information you need from those few individuals (or indivual).
The person/people assigned to do the research start right to work on getting you the information you need. This is where a part of the process begins to break down. This is where you, as a Board member, are at your highest level of risk. While doing the research the assigned party/parties, make a few phone calls for information and look at a few documents. They look at this information from the impact it will have on him/her/them rather than for the good of the company (which is the Board's focus, right? Or, should be!). Ways of making the change that might be too hard for them, create more work for them, are carefully shunted off to the round file (a.k.a. garbage can). The remaining few pieces of information form the basis for the summary report to the Board.
Now we have the Board making their decisions based on the 2 or 3 selected pieces of information rather than all of the information found. While it is possible that the choices remaining could be good for the company, are they the best options for the company? Or, did the best options end up in the round file?.
Seldom do I trust the research of others and I have a very good reason for that. All too often when I have read the summary data of a study, I notice a few things that tell me I need to take a closer look: 1) number of comparative groups/studies is too small for a valid comparison, 2) a literature review showing what all had been reviewed only includes a few such studies/articles, 3) a section discussing the pros and cons of the various studies reviewed is far to short to provide a variety of perspectives, and 4) far too much similarity between the studies for me to believe that the author included different perspectives.
This scenario could also be found in local government where the Town
Council essentially functions as the Board of Directors with staff
being the person/persons responsible for doing the research
People are people. It is common to look for the easy way out rather than do the hard work required of quality product. But, when the easy way out affects so many other people, a moral issue arises. Who ultimately holds the responsibility when a poor study results in distorted information being provided for the decision-making process. Well, the stockholders of the company (i.e., turn on any TV news channel for examples) will bare the brunt of the costs. But, who will those stockholders hold accountable, the Board of Directors (i.e., again, turn on any TV news channel for examples). Or, in the case of government, the citizens will carry the weight of those decisions in quality of services, cost of services, taxes, loss of jobs (when businesses leave and/or new ones do not come in to the area), and, perhaps most importantly, loss of confidence and trust in elected officials.
Looking for the easy way, the cheap way, the lazy way, is seldom the best way. "You get what you pay for" comes to mind right now as being something that is not always true. In some instances, you get less than you pay for and in others you get more.
I think that the Town Council's recent decision to space out the timing of Town Council and Planning Commission meetings (thanks Mr. Wade) will help to make sure this isn't/doesn't happen in the Town of Christiansburg. A key ingredient in the recipe to success will be for interested citizens to get involved. Take the time to do your own research. Don't count on others to have the same level of interest in something that you do.
I am working on a new webpage for the citizen's information site that will provide you with links to many of the resources that I use. I have noted them in this blog at different times (well, most of them. There are a few well kept secrets that I will finally be sharing.). If you care about a certain issue, take the time to research it yourself. Talk to or write Town Council members about what you found. Make sure that all the information the Town Council needs to make good decisions is provided to them.
The omission of information is the same as mis-information! But, to sit back and fuss about things and not take the initiative to make sure all of the information is known, is a failure of the system. Some of you will say "We voted for them. We trust them." Well, so do I, I trust them to make good decisions with the information provided. However, I don't believe they are being provided with all of the information needed.
If there is anyone out there that wants to start their own blog to have a way to communicate freely with others on topics that interest you in Local Government, I will be happy to do whatever I can to help you get started. Just let me know.
Just think, a blog dedicated to walking trails and sidewalks. Where they are needed. Why they are needed. Could be the source of the initial concepts that would allow for the Town to apply for grants to accomplish that particular goal. Citizens are always the most valuable resource government has going for it. Citizens who are silent are not helping community leaders to do their job the best that they can.
The biggest "Sound of Silence" is when you don't take the time to study candidates and issues and then VOTE! November 4th is just around the corner. Are you ready?