Our 2010 agenda
• Promote an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation among local government officials.
• Encourage state lawmakers to take another look at the local government reforms proposed by the Kernan-Shepard Commission.
• Push for reform of lobbying laws at the state level.
• Encourage state lawmakers to take politics out of the redistricting process.
• Move ahead with plans for a wayfinder system that will direct both residents and visitors to local landmarks and attractions.
• Get behind the local schools in their efforts to improve student performance.
• Continue support of the effort to build a new animal shelter.
• Continue efforts to identify the community's assets and promote them both here and elsewhere.
At the top of our agenda this year will be to promote an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation among local government officials.
We were embarrassed last month when a meeting of the emergency communications center governing board disintegrated into name-calling.
Emotions clearly got the better of some of our public servants, and it's beginning to look like it might be time for some new blood on that board.
Beyond that, though, it’s critical that officials at the city, county and township levels find ways to work together on behalf of their bosses, the local taxpayers.
In the current climate of shrinking tax revenues, efforts like the joint communications center will become more and more common, and it's critical for the officials involved to put petty grievances aside and work toward a common goal.
We have frankly been disappointed in this regard by a lack of leadership at the state level.
A blue ribbon commission headed by former Gov. Joe Kernan and Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard put forward a list of recommendations to reform local government, but lawmakers in the last two sessions have failed to move those reforms forward.
House Democrats, in particular, have refused to give the recommendations the consideration they deserve.
We don’t expect tremendous progress during this year’s short session, but we'd love to see some solid steps in the direction of reform.
We have also joined The Indianapolis Star and 21 other Indiana newspapers in a push for reform of lobbying laws at the state level.
Among other things, the newspapers have urged that lawmakers be barred from accepting any gift worth more than $50 and that they be required to disclose the value of all goods and services offered to them by lobbyists.
They have also urged that legislators be barred from joining the ranks of lobbyists for at least a year after leaving office.
Lawmakers from both parties appear to be taking the proposed reforms seriously, and we look forward to action in the coming session.
We will also encourage state lawmakers to follow the lead of Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita and take politics out of the redistricting process. This year’s census will provide the basis for drawing new congressional and legislative districts statewide, but our hope is that this time, unlike years past, lawmakers will draw those lines with voters, rather than partisan interests, in mind.
Far too often, districts are drawn with the idea of protecting the interests of the two political parties, and the result is a set of districts where only one party has a realistic chance of winning.
For the sake of democracy, we hope that system will change.
At the local level, we will continue our push toward implementation of a wayfinder system that will direct both residents and visitors to local landmarks and attractions.
Such signage is essential for any community that hopes to make visitors and prospective new businesses feel welcome. And frankly, it’s a big help to local residents who might not know the way to every local landmark.
Paying for such a system won’t be easy in the current economic climate, but we hope local officials will find a way.
We will continue our pledge to get behind the local schools in their efforts to improve student performance. We will celebrate their successes, and we will promote suggestions that might help them in their efforts.
The education of our community’s children should always be one of our top priorities.
We will also carry on with our efforts to support construction of a new animal shelter. For way too long, this county’s neglected pets have been lodged in a storage building at the county highway garage.
Now, thanks to the efforts of many, the fundraising effort to erect a new structure is more than two-thirds of the way toward reaching its goal. Our hope is that it will reach that goal in the next few months.
We will continue our efforts to identify the community’s assets and promote them both here and elsewhere.
Community newspapers do have a responsibility to point out areas in need of improvement, but we also have a role in pointing out what the community is doing right.
Logansport and Cass County have much to brag about, and we’ll do our part in the coming year to bring those things to light.
That’s our agenda for 2010. If you have your own list of priorities, we hope you won't hesitate to share them.
