LOCAL GOVERNANCE

I am a strong believer in the idea of local government, however given the manner that it has been created and implemented in Rhode Island, I am less inclined to defend it as it is presently constituted.

Locals know what they want and should have the power to get it. The closer government is to home the more likely it is within the grasp of an individual. Big government is allowed to exist and grow only because it is so far removed from those being governed.

Federal government and state government are both guilty of saddling the locals in terms of government. The federal and state lawmakers and regulators have made local government a farce. The locals have been so hamstrung by federal/state law and regulation that the mere existence of local government is little more than a dog and pony show and a means to appease a population.

I serve up as an example, state education policy. The locals are largely responsible for implementing state policy and, at least in the suburbs, pay a large part of property taxation to accomplish state set goals and mandates. There is labor and education law in place making local control just shy of impossible.

Aside from the issue of over-regulation in a society, there is also a dearth of talent on the local level to adequately defend local turf in the inter-governmental wars. In bygone days, local officials were more powerful and took the role of statesman rather than politician. Today, given the reality of political life, such a role as a statesman is growing extinct.

Local government, within a society that is highly regulated, becomes a costly and somewhat needless operation. As Rhode Island falls greater and greater into debt, the idea of having thirty-nine separate local governments, in addition to fire and water districts with taxing authority, all makes a weave that is both inefficient and superfluous.

Consolidated services would make much more sense, but it is unlikely that such a trend would be easily accepted. The political payback system would be severely impacted by such a move and so it is unlikely that the General Assembly would ever seriously consider impacting its local political bases.

There is great irony in that there is a Home Rule provision in the Rhode Island Constitution. Home Rule is mostly language. The ability of a city or town to self govern is completely lacking.

The days of local government may have passed us by. I, for one, will miss them, but what value is having them if they are not effective? Thus, we have two options in Rhode Island. Either give local governments far more autonomy in policy or consolidate to minimize costs.

Countywide taxing, building and zoning, assessments, education, and even safety services could be well served on a county or half county basis since most of these areas are currently highly regulated by state law and in the case of the cities, largely paid for through state taxation.

In the future I will discuss the benefits of local governance. I will discuss the need to consolidate services and I will speak to the issue of specifics related to the need to deregulate, especially where the state and local governments meet.