|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Though we trace many of our
state and federal constitutional principles back to the political system of
ancient Rome, it is in the context of the Greek city-state that we conduct
our daily lives. Indeed the relationship between
the Greek city-states and the demes or districts that surrounded them is much
like the arrangement we have relative to cities and the counties of which
they are a part. Though the demes might have had certain political and
religious rituals which were theirs alone, there was never any doubt that the
focus of governance was in the city, and it was there that policies were set
for both entities. Such is the case in many parts
of this country, and especially in the north. In New Jersey, for instance, a
county such as Essex oversees parks and recreation for all the cities in the
county and maintains all non-state or federal roads and bridges, but that is
about the extent of its outreach. All other services, such as schools, police
and libraries, are run by the cities within the county. Not so in Virginia, however.
Here we have what is perhaps one of the most bizarre, if not antediluvian,
relationships between cities and counties. Cities, though they may be
surrounded by a county, are not considered to be in the county. Hence,
Williamsburg, though it’s the county seat of James City County, is, under
this strange concoction, not in the county, but rather is an entity unto
itself. Toano, on the other hand, which
is in the county, can’t be the county seat, because it’s not a city. Tell the
truth, I have no idea what Toano is, or, for that matter, where it begins and
ends. It’s just “part of the county.”
Or maybe it’s part of Catch-22. So most counties and cities in
the state go their own way, setting up duplicate governments and operating
their own schools, libraries, police forces and everything else required to
meet the needs of their citizens. And that, I suppose, is the logical way to
approach things if you’re going to live under this segregated, separate but
equal city/county system. And so it was around here,
until bulbs went on in the early 50s and it was decided that Williamsburg and
James City County should share some responsibilities for their schools,
recreational facilities, and, eventually, libraries. What fostered this
progressive thinking is hard to say, though the desegregation movement might
have had something to do with it. The problem is that neither the
city nor the county is willing to cede any political power. Hence, though we
have one WJC School Board, it is oddly made up of one group appointed by the
city and another elected in the county. Because City Council and the Board of Supervisors are reluctant to
carry more than their fair share of costs, the School Board is put in the
position of having to make two separate budget presentations and hope all the
money is forthcoming. How much easier it would be if
only one political body were involved, or if the traffic in communication
between City Council and the Board moved faster than a jam up at the Hampton
Roads bridge tunnel. One wonders
indeed when the last time was that Jeanne Zeidler and Jim Kennedy sat down
together and had a serious tête-à-tête about shared budget concerns. No less strange is that the
Sheriff’s department, which was consolidated in 1998, submits its budget to
the county, but not to the city – and this despite the fact that its
headquarters are in Williamsburg. All other police departments
remain unconsolidated, with the result that we’re left with one monstrous
hodgepodge of security arrangements. In addition to the Sheriff’s department,
which consists of 18 people, James City employs 71 police-related personnel
and Williamsburg 47. There are 29 positions on the William and Mary campus
police force, and an additional 30 or so state police patroling the area. Add to these the deputies from
York County, which has no county police, but rather only a Sheriff’s
department, and we’re left with a total of over 200 police-related positions
in the area, all of which report to different political entities and
coordinate their activities only at the regional jail. Little wonder that
driving 30 mph. on Richmond or Jamestown Roads is hazardous to any driver’s
health. Something has to give. The
relationship between the city and county is a cluttered, unwieldy arrangement
that need not exist. Perhaps it’s time that Williamsburg be allowed to do what Newport News and
Virginia Beach have already done. Let the city annex the county and
consolidate all its services under one political umbrella. Expand City
Council to include members from the county and let the county deal with parks
and roads. This would certainly be better than the mishmash of cumbersome
arrangements we have now. It might
even get the city streets plowed after a snowstorm. Finally, two unrelated notes.
The Gazette has uploaded to its website William C. O’Donovan’s history of the
paper, from colonial times to the present. It’s an excellent read, and I recommend
it highly. Secondly, in his editorial of April 24 Mr. O’Donovan wondered why
I was so exercised over the transportation referendum. There is now a brief
reply to that on my website under “other essays.” Reach Lew Leadbeater on website
www.lewleadbeater.com |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
lewleadbeater.com Copyright 2002 All Rights Reserved
email: LWL@lewleadbeater.com |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||