That’s a really important question and an even more important answer. Do you know how to find out? Do you care?
Okay, yes. I’m in a mood – feeling cynical. I can answer all three questions with a resounding “Yes!” But three years ago, I couldn’t have even defined “local government.” I’m willing to wager that the old me is not alone.
The outcomes of citizens not knowing much about local government are staggering. They run from having neighborhoods overrun by vacation rentals, to communities sinking under rising sea waters because the preventive infrastructure was not maintained, to deaths on highways and roads that could have been avoided with a little attention to speed limit and signage.
One of the more interesting nuances of getting to know local government is the finger-pointing that takes place. ⇒ That’s not the County’s issue, it is State responsibility. ⇐ Or vice versa.
Of course, the boundaries of accountability are important when it comes to infrastructure maintenance. That’s just good business practice. But to utter the statement in response to a question, “That’s the State’s responsibility,” is a cop-out.
The main highway that runs north to south on our little barrier island was washed away in November 2022 with Hurricane Nicole. The road and the dunes between the road and the ocean have taken a beating over 7 years with Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, Ian and Nicole, but Nicole took it out completely.
That highway is our only reasonable way off the island, and the State was prompt in making it passable. After all, that is a significant safety risk.
Today, 7 months later, the road is passable, but the breach remains and at high tide, the ocean washes over the highway.
Who is responsible for a real, science and engineering-based solution that will protect the fragile ecosystem?
The official answer is the State Department of Transportation. And I found out (after finally finding the right person to ask) that there are both permanent and temporary fixes in the queue.
What is the lesson in all this?
The lesson, at least in this scenario, is that county government – at least our County – doesn’t necessarily see themselves as advocates for the citizens when the responsibility belongs to the State.
And that means it falls on the citizens to advocate for themselves.
In our County’s 822 mi2, with 42 miles of coastline, there are lots of problem areas caused by weather or by reckless development that have been allowed to eat away at our coastline.
We are told that the permanent fix “won’t be cheap,” and so once the design is completed the search for funding starts. As does the competition for the finite amount of funds at the State and Federal level.
This is where the County government can and should be an advocate. And I would define advocacy as being proactive in understanding the vulnerability and risk throughout the County, and well before catastrophic events.
They should do regular maintenance of the infrastructure and repair it when necessary. They should address communities as a whole and not put in temporary fixes, only to forget them when the next crisis comes up.
They should see citizens’ requests for help as a benefit rather than as a proverbial pain in the butt. Each complaint or question is data that provides an overall sense of the welfare of the citizens. And that is a very important piece of data.
But too often, they don’t take this approach, leaving the work to citizens to be our own advocates.
And if we don’t do that, we face the consequences.
