Home Rule Not for Westmoreland
Posted 12-05-1996
It was reported this week that the Allegheny County Commissioners now unanimously agree to
restructure their form of government. They want to replace the commission form with a Home
Rule charter that would have an elected county executive, an appointed county manager, and
an eleven or fifteen member part-time elected council. I think it is quite interesting
that two commissioners, who have been in office the same amount of time I have, think the
problems of their county can be better solved with one elected person serving full time
and a number of part timers, much like a school board.
I could not disagree more strongly with the
Allegheny County Commissioners. In the eleven months I have served as one of your County
Commissioners, one thing I've learned is, it is not the form of government that is the
problem but the people serving. It is a lack of commitment to hard work, unwillingness to
study issues and make objective decisions, and a lack of responsiveness to the taxpayers
that are the problems of government employees, whether they are elected or appointed.
One of the comments made by the Allegheny
County Commissioners was that things ran smoothly when former Commissioner Tom Foerster
ran things, but now there is no dominant personality who controls things. They also said
there is no consistent voting pattern and different Commissioners may agree on different
issues. Apparently the voters of that county weren't so happy with one Commissioner
dominating the agenda and they voted that person out. Also, I believe one of the strengths
of the commission form of government is that the majority can change on each issue and a
form of checks and balances is naturally in place.
Many observers in Westmoreland County may
think I would be frustrated by the commission form of government because I am quite often
out-voted two-to-one. However, I think that is a function of the people involved and not
because this form of government inhibits my influence. Even when I am in the minority, my
views and opinions are heard and can significantly influence policy decisions.
If you look across Pennsylvania, the
counties that chose Home Rule are not in better shape financially than we are. I have
talked with county council members of both parties from Home Rule counties and they
consistently express concern over the power of the County Executive. Also, it should be
noted that those counties that chose Home Rule did so in the 1970's and none have went
that direction since then. Most importantly, they are still bound by the commonwealth's
laws concerning taxation and cannot impose taxes not approved by the Legislature.
The ever-growing complexities of this job
require full-time elected officials. Part-timers could not possibly have the time to study
issues in great detail and would be making decisions either directed by the County
Executive or in opposition to the Executive's agenda, but without necessarily grasping all
the facts. Look at your local governments and school boards and see the challenges
part-time board members face to make informed decisions, and their budgets and number of
employees are nowhere near the scope of Westmoreland County's ($170 million budget and
2,000 employees).
I struggle constantly to be informed and
obviously have to rely on staff for details of issues. But if I was part-time and had to
hold down another full-time job, certainly I would be at a greater disadvantage. I think
the Allegheny County Commissioners are rushing to conclusions and perhaps confusing their
frustrations of not always having the votes go their way with a problem of government
structure. It indeed may be the opposite, that each Commissioner can be either in the
majority or minority on a vote may mean the commission form of government really does
work. |
