News
11/18/2009
New Solutions for New Castle County - by Michael Fleming
News Journal - Opinion - 11/18/2009
Those of us blessed to be Americans are inheritors of the most remarkable and resilient political system in human history. At its heart is a two-party construct, which, though perhaps not precisely what our founders envisioned, has by-and-large served us well.
By no means do all American political views fall neatly into one partisan camp or the other -- the numbers of registered Independents in a state like Delaware prove that point. But when it comes to advancing public policy that affects our lives and shape our world, the two major parties are the best vehicles we have.
Yet, the system can only function effectively, of course, when the two parties offer clear visions for how they would govern.
New Castle County Republicans take this responsibility seriously, and that is why, one year in advance of the 2010 elections, we have introduced our plan, New Solutions for New Castle County. “New Solutions” is a collection of constructive policy recommendations and common sense proposals – some new, some not – that we pledge to pursue in earnest in 2010 and beyond. They are shaped around these fundamental imperatives:
• Insisting on impeccable ethics and transparency
• Improving government service and accountability
• Enhancing quality of life, and
• Growing our economy
Decades of one-party rule have not been good for New Castle County. Years of government expansion fueled by unstable and unsustainable revenue sources have led to historic multi-million dollar deficits. In response, the Administration and Council imposed a whopping 25% tax increase – the third tax hike in 4 years, a decision we strongly opposed.
The county also implemented several organizational changes and budget reductions – many of which worthwhile, if seriously overdue. Regrettably, however, these limited, reactive efforts lacked the imagination and inventiveness required to address deeper systemic and structural issues.
New Castle County Republicans believe our local government can and must do better. We are convinced that significant opportunities exist not just to streamline, but to improve and enhance government services across the county and its fifteen independent municipalities. In an age of technology marked by transformation in every sector of American life – and belt-tightening and higher taxes for so many citizens – our local government too, must adopt new ways of working in line with the needs and expectations of the dynamic public it serves.
Our plan outlines multiple specific proposals for doing just that by reducing spending and modernizing the way our government is organized. These include consolidating and de-politicizing the row offices, reducing the size of Council, integrating overlapping county-wide public services, and introducing compensation packages that incentivize innovation and controlling costs.
We also call for a more far-sighted approach to managing growth. New Castle County can and should be a catalyst for bringing together state, federal and local interests to pioneer new ways of infrastructure planning and make it a competitive advantage in the region. In an area as small and beautiful as ours, getting this right is imperative for both our future economic success and our quality of life.
Perhaps most importantly, New Castle Countians must be confident their government is operating with transparency and the highest ethical standards. Recent headlines suggest there is reason that confidence might be in question. To remedy this, our plan includes a slate of reasonable but necessary reforms that will help expose and reduce conflicts of interest, increase public access to Council proceedings and ensure a fully functioning Ethics Commission. These inherently non-partisan proposals should be enacted without delay.
This plan was developed by private citizens like you, and it is just a beginning. In the coming year, we look forward to discussing these proposals with people across the County – Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike who want to see government improved and share our concern for excessive spending and counter-productive tax hikes. We are confident that process will result in even better ideas that can make our county a national standard for excellence and prosperity.
Have news? Please contact us!