20080318 In Carroll County - I’d rather watch it all happen on TV

In Carroll County - I’d rather watch it all happen on TV

March 18, 2008

Recently there has been a push to televise all local government meetings in Carroll County.

And then - last week the story broke that (now former) New York governor Eliot “Mr. Clean” Spitzer, otherwise known as “love client no. 9,” had violated his marriage vows and broken a number of laws by taking “acting lessons” with an “aspiring-singer.”

There is a relationship between the two events and issues. Bear with me and I’ll attempt to make my point…

Governor Spitzer mercifully resigned on March 12 and ended a sensational 48 hours of salacious melodrama of position, power, greed, and human failings.

The ironies abound in this tragedy.

In his previous job as attorney general of New York, he had gained a reputation as a ruthless boar in his relentless crusade against wrongdoing on the part of Wall Street.

To further his own political ambitions, he made it great sport to ruin the reputations of Wall Street executives.

He often used the very same laws that in the end brought about his own demise.

However, anecdotal accounts indicate his unpleasant approaches were not centered on bad folks. He was, by many accounts, an equal opportunity misanthrope, often treating foes and colleagues with equal disdain.

Once he took over the governor’s office he quickly proceeded in going back on as many of his campaign promises as possible and fought with everyone – on both sides of the political aisle.

He raised taxes, added to the state’s payroll, and increased spending by 7 percent. In the paradox of contemporary taxation policy, the more New York raised taxes, the larger the state deficit grew. New York residents and businesses fled the state in astronomical numbers - and as he leaves office, he leaves behind a huge budget deficit and $2 billion in tax proposals.

One of the many golden rules of life is always treat people well when you’re on your way up because you never know when you’re coming down.

In the end, as Governor Spitzer faced a life-altering crisis, he was completely alone with no friends.

I often wonder about this “human” aspect of community leadership when I attend – or watch public hearings on the local Carroll County public access Channel 24 and witness the incivility and hypocrisy.

Locally a leadership void continues to persist. And one wonders why.

Many folks feel disenfranchised and alienated because there are too many “Spitzers” in office, locally, in Annapolis, and nationally, who aren’t doing their job and aren’t honest with us.

Then again, in today’s political environment, why would anyone want to leave the comfort of their families – their jobs, to take on leadership positions in the community where personal attacks and character assassination is a blood sport for those who may disagree with certain decisions?

And astonishingly those who are the most unpleasant are the ones who want others to respect their point of view and have an opportunity to be heard.

Recently there has been a push to televise all local government meetings in Carroll County.

A position I whole-heartedly support because personally attending these meetings is so incredibly unpleasant; why would anyone want to go?

They’re hard enough to watch on television, but at least when we watch them on TV, we can change the channel – or leave the room.

In recent memory I have had a number of folks tell me that they never gave much thought to this or that pressing issue of the day. But after having seen and heard the folks who are against it - - they’re for it.

A case in point is the fella who asked for my position on the airport… I shared with him that both sides have good points – that ought to be heard…

That in the end, the commissioners need to decide what is going to be best the greatest majority of Carroll Countians… That the commissioners are obviously not going to make everyone happy with this issue. There is no silver bullet or win-win.

He told me that he never thought much about expanding the airport until he saw the folks who are against it in action and now he wholeheartedly supports expanding the airport. Hmmm.

And recently in Carroll County; in an interesting twist, some of the folks who have been privately (and publicly) the most unpleasant are now publically claiming they are being bullied and pleading for civility.

I’d rather watch it all happen on TV.

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Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net http://www.youtube.com/kevindayhoff http://www.livejournal.com/

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com, Winchester Report and The Sunday Carroll Eagle – in the Sunday Carroll County section of the Baltimore Sun. Get Westminster Eagle RSS Feed

“When I stop working the rest of the day is posthumous. I'm only really alive when I'm writing.” Tennessee Williams

NBH

20080318 In Carroll County - I’d rather watch it all happen on TV