Lysander — The recent Consensus report seems to be suggesting a change in governance throughout the county, which for many is a code word for consolidation. As a member of local government, I wanted to let readers know my thoughts on the issue. There are many reasons, not all of them vetted, for why some cities/regions decline and some prosper. And even the word “prosper” needs to have a caveat: for how long after innovative changes are made will such prosperity be sustained?
America has lost much of its industrial manufacturing base (beyond any real ability to effect local control), and on top of that, New York state imposes more unfunded mandates on local government than most other states in the country. Syracuse and Onondaga County suffer as a result. And these are only some of the issues plaguing our communities.
So, for me, the question is this: has Consensus gotten to the bottom of why the problems exist from a foundational standpoint, and are its recommendations going to fix these, or, more worrisome, is it just shifting resources around?
There are legitimate reasons why people become defensive and parochial, and why towns and villages and the people who live there are going to be very leery about losing control of their own communities, which is at the heart of the concern that exists. So much of this is about credibility and trust, and quite frankly, the evidence that integrity exists in political leadership is not as high as it ought to be.
This is true not only at the federal and state levels, which no one I know thinks are models of government accountability and responsiveness to local needs, but also here at home, where we are witness to rather painful examples of non-cooperation. Yet at the town government level, which to be sure can be petty at times, there are at least opportunities where you can come to a town board meeting and let your board member, who also happens to be your neighbor, know that you are none too pleased with some action or want to make sure that this road is taken care of, or you want to see this development set more land aside for protected green space or any number of local actions that can be more easily effected than any decisions made in a more county-central fashion.
continued — Yet, in spite of such concerns, I sense that most folks would agree that there is a problem that can’t just be wished away. This is a testament to a sense of community most of us feel as residents of Onondaga County. I would ask, then, that without changing the legal framework or our government units at the outset, are there not many ways we can explore cooperative ventures? Do we really have to merge county government with towns to see if we are plowing our roads in the most efficient manner, or look to see if there are cooperative ways that local parks departments can effect efficiencies and lower costs without handing over to Onondaga County the responsibility of running all parks under one roof? There have got to be so many more of these ideas — in fact, if there aren’t, it would call into question why the Consensus conversation is occurring in the first place, unless it is only about consolidating power and decision making centrally.
It seems to me that the county is well poised to act in the capacity of facilitating such conversations, but it must do so without stirring up fear that the conversation ought to lead to consolidation and centralized decision-making. It is that fear that lots of people suspect is at the bottom for such efforts thus far. Perhaps however with success for some of these ventures, there will then be greater credibility and trust, leading the way for even more innovative ways to govern ourselves.
I write as the former commissioner of Onondaga County Parks, where I was blessed to see and be a part of good county government at work. But I also write as a resident of a town that I love, and now as a member of the town board, where it is vitally felt that we are the true stewards of our community precisely because we live here. That sense of stewardship is a good thing, and I believe is a foundational piece of why and under what terms we became a country 240 years ago. How then to not jeopardize this while at the same time invigorate our larger community for the future is the question I’d like to see explored.
