Governing on the Ground

Peter Golden

Description

Governing on the Ground: The Past, Present, and Future of County Governments provides readers with an inside look at the complex challenges faced by officials as they strive to strengthen their communities. At times, heartbreaking; at other times, ennobling, it is always informative, and a one-of-a-kind testament to the courage and creativity of county leaders.

County government is one of the most consequential, least understood levels of government in America. Specific county roles and responsibilities vary widely from state to state— and even within some states— but county governments everywhere play an important role in serving residents and communities.

What is often overlooked is that county governments are institutions comprised of people— county officials who live and work in the communities they lead. They are our neighbors, coworkers, family and friends.

Now, the National Association of Counties, which represents county governments in Washington, D.C. brings you the testimony of thirty officials and offers a glimpse into their efforts to help people and places thrive.

Since the seventeenth century, counties have served as the backbone of a country that longs to control its own local affairs. With the publication of Governing on the Ground: The Past, Present, and Future of County Government, you will finally read how this is accomplished.

Sujets

• Social Science
• Sociologie, société et politique
• Federal government of the United States

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 19 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665736381
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

GOVERNING ON THE GROUND
 
THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE  OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT
 
 
 
 
 
PETER GOLDEN
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 National Association of Counties
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book.
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Cover design by Leon Lawrence III
 
All photos published with permission.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3636-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3637-4 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3638-1 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023900102
 
 
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 01/16/2023
 
This book is dedicated to America’s 3.6 million county employees and nearly 40,000 county elected officials, who selflessly serve our residents and communities. Their commitment to public service and problem-solving is indispensable.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Health
Substance Use Disorder
Local Health Departments
Mental Health
COVID-19
Coroners
Human Services
Elderly
Children
Homelessness
Veterans
Immigration
Hunger
Public Safety
Emergency Response
911 Services
Jails
Human Trafficking
The Environment and Land Use
Environmental Preservation
Climate Preparedness
Water Preservation
Public Lands
Parks and Recreation
Community and Economics
Economic Development
Employment
Affordable Housing
Elections
Transportation
County Roads
Roads and Bridges
Airports
Technology
Broadband
Cybersecurity
Clerks/recorders
FOREWORD
By National Association of Counties CEO/ Executive Director Matthew Chase

America’s 40,000 elected county officials and 3.6 million county employees are heirs of the past, guardians of the present and, with careful planning and vision, creators of a better future.
As you will read in these pages, control of local affairs is an American obsession dating to 1620 when the passengers on The Mayflower signed their compact and became the first people in Western history to form a government of individuals without the oversight of a king or queen.
Fourteen years later, the first county was formed in Virginia, and over the next four centuries, counties grew, merged, changed names, and were defined—and redefined—by geographical boundaries. Currently, half of Americans live in large urban counties while the remaining half reside in counties that are primarily rural, suburban, or a mix.
Counties provide services ranging from transportation to infrastructure, from health to justice to public safety, to almost any assistance you can imagine. NACo was founded nearly ninety years ago, yet our mission, as clearly articulated by our elected leaders, remains the same—to strengthen America’s counties as communities and public institutions, ultimately helping people and places to thrive. We pursue this vision by harnessing the collective power, knowledge, and innovations of county officials.
With a shared focus on promoting healthy, safe, and vibrant counties, as originally outlined by our nation’s founders through the concepts of “ordered liberty” and “federalism,” NACo and our county officials are essential players in our intergovernmental system of federal, state, local, and tribal governments, a complex, often misunderstood structure charged with the sharing and balance of power and responsibilities among levels of government.
Serving our nation’s county officials is a labor of love and has taught me that I am still, at my core, the boy who grew up surrounded by the mountains, lakes, and farmland of Washington County in upstate New York. In fact, it was during the bright seasons of my adolescence, seeing how small-town people were invariably willing to lend each other a hand, and living with a stepfather who served as the district attorney and then a judge, that I discovered the power and efficacy of county government—the satisfactions of solving local challenges and supporting those in need.
One regrettable—and inaccurate—perception of county government is that it’s an anonymous, unfeeling bureaucracy that people think of as “They.” In reality, it is “We,” because the individuals filling these roles are our neighbors, friends, and family. Seeking to showcase the humanity and drive of these public servants, this book highlights how thirty county officials faced challenges in the past and try to anticipate how they will face new challenges in the future. You will learn, through personal anecdotes and a behind-the-scenes look at their work, just how resourceful and impactful local government leaders can be.
I admire their creativity, and I am in awe of their courage. Frankly, public officials operate at a disadvantage compared to private-sector leaders. In the private sector, innovation is celebrated and rewarded. Tragically, in the public sector, innovation is too often investigated and castigated. A news headline asks, “Why are they doing that?” and implies that something unethical or, even worse, illegal is underway. This is a death blow to innovation and explains why our elected leaders are becoming increasingly risk-averse, and it is this aversion that allows problems to fester and expand, contributing to society’s decline.
However, as you will read in these thirty remarkable stories, confronting the unprecedented challenges of the recent past—a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, deadly and destructive natural disasters, and civil unrest—county officials held steady and focused on balancing public health, safety, and economic security, regardless of the public scrutiny and drubbing that naturally follows. And I am convinced that in the coming years communities will increasingly rely on county government. Here’s why.
Even as our economy becomes more intertwined globally, people and goods are freer to move around the world and more media attention is fixated on national politics and personalities. Even so, our daily lives—the foundation of our Republic—depend on decisions carried out at the local level.
County leaders are on the front lines. When a road needs repaving, a family member overdoses from a fentanyl-laced substance, or nursing-home patients are overwhelmed by COVID-19, residents expect results. They care about their pot-holed ruined tires or whether their loved ones will survive the virus. End of story. No debate about it.
Democracies are messy. Fragile. Even frustratingly slow. Yet as our Founding Fathers laid out during the uncertain years of the American Revolution, our form of government is worth fighting to protect. Luckily, county officials continue to safeguard and advance our quality of life, from our elections, to public safety and emergency services, to community assets and infrastructure.
Counties have long been the building blocks of our nation. For too long, our county officials have worked in the background. Now, at last, with this book, they are stepping out into the spotlight.
BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE
Counties: The Building Blocks of America
In essence, county government began on a cold November day in 1620 as The Mayflower dropped anchor off the coast of Cape Cod. The thirty-five-man crew 1 and 102 passengers were anxious to go ashore after sailing across a testy sea for two months. 2 The problem was rooted in the fact that only about one-third of the passengers were Pilgrims, members of a radical Puritan sect that wanted to separate from the Church of England. Most of the passengers—called “strangers” by the Pilgrims—were laborers, artisans, indentured servants, a soldier, a sexton, and a former assistant to an ambassador. And now, as the passenger William Bradford would record in his journal, the strangers let loose with “mutinous speeches,” saying that once on land “they would use their liberty” and no one would have the “power to command them.” 3
The strangers’ rebelliousness endangered the potential community, and the solution was to draw up an agreement. Later referred to as the Mayflower Compact, the agreement stated that the passengers would join in “ a Civil Body Politic …. [and] enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices …. for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.” 4
The Pilgrims and strangers were not the first colonists in the New World. In 1607, a colony had been established in Jamestown, Virginia. It was a business venture undertaken by the Virginia Company of London with the permission of King James I, and from its founding comes the origin of counties in the New World. In 1619, the Virginia Company established four “citties”—with the names James, Charles, Elizabeth, and Henrico. Fifteen years later, a new king, Charles I, would create eight shires in Virginia, the Anglo-Saxon version of counties. James Cittie would turn into James City Shire