Local government's loss

Sadly, our community lost one of its most ardent supporters this past week. Councilwoman Colleen Grant represented what is best about local government. She was interested in her community and stood out as one of its foremost cheerleaders. She truly had her finger on the community's pulse. Not much happened that she wasn't aware. The list of things in which she involved herself was long and comprehensive. She will be missed in myriad ways.

At Colleen's funeral, Mayor Dennis Berry noted that she was the most apolitical person that he had ever known­­­­. A compliment! That didn't mean she didn't have feelings of how thing should be. That is the strength of government decision-making. Each "councilperson" (gotta be politically correct) presents her/his argument on how a decision should be made. The arguments are evaluated, and then by majority vote the issue is settled. The council decision is then adopted by all and presented to the community as a united opinion. "From many one."

To my taste, Colleen was a tad liberal if liberal is defined by an idea that it is all right to take tax money, in moderation, and use it for the social good. Supporting the Senior Center, handi-bus, walking trails, Humane Society all come to mind. Not that any of these endeavors are bad, in fact they all contribute to "the good life" for some but not all residents. To my way of thinking, all those kinds of projects should function on their own without the aid of tax money. That is the strength of the local representative republic process, where differing opinions are hashed out and then a course of action taken that is for the good of the community as a whole.

In my opinion, the function of local government is at the very minimum to provide for public safety and roads. Public Safety includes fire protection and law enforcement to include the courts. Roads or streets are essential, as they contribute to the essential economic health of all persons. All else is what my friend Claude Cappel calls "fluff." Many of what the city calls enterprises: sewer, water, trash collection, electrical, cable television, natural gas, and more can be provided by private enterprise. Many communities across the U.S. do have some or all of their utilities provided by private enterprise. McCook, for instance, owns its electrical distribution system but contracts the operation of it to NPPD. The natural gas distribution system and operation is not city-owned, nor is the television cable franchise.

It is a generalization that private enterprise can do business more efficiently than government. I offer a hometown case in point, though, to illustrate. While I was on the council, the Work Ethic Camp came into existence, and residents became available to do "non profit" projects. McCook uses that source of labor to care for the city parks, do snow removal and many other good for the public projects. I suggested to the street superintendent, no longer working for the city, that perhaps we could employee fewer personnel in the street department. Now remember, virtually all street repair and construction is done by contract. Street personnel mow the parks and do snow removal, with help from the trash removal equipment and personnel. At the time, the council also was considering having park mowing done by local contractors. The street superintendent came to me and vehemently made his point that every one of his city employees "worked hard and was essential!"

The numbers that I had crunched showed otherwise, but I bowed to empire building and turf wars rather than push the issue. I fear the local taxpayer was the real loser of that argument.

A mutual friend told me that Colleen didn't always vote the way she personally thought she should, but bowed to other individual's pressures. As long as the taxpayer continues to pony up unlimited tax money, inefficiencies will persist in local government. It is my observation that the taxpayer will get about as much local government as they will put up with. But then, maybe it is a good thing that my skinflint conservative bent is out of line with dear departed Colleen's more liberal outlook.

Power and responsibility have a way of changing us all.

That is the way I saw it.