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EDITORIAL
Good
job, Council
Most editorials, and the people who write them, are more likely to criticize
or complain, than praise.
This is not one of those editorials.
Instead, the purpose of this editorial is to commend the good work that
Village Council is doing. The Council’s five members — Tony
Arnett, Joan Horn, Hazel Latson, George Pitstick and Denise Swinger —
have been seated together for a year now and they deserve a pat on the
back, not only for their hard work, but also for their teamwork and the
way they have approached the difficult job of serving on Council. While
we have not agreed with every decision Council has made, we have been
impressed with the way these five individuals have worked together during
the last year.
They have dramatically changed the tone of Council meetings, which you
will notice right away if you go to a meeting (and you should, at least
once, while you’re here in Yellow Springs). In recent years, many
Council meetings were as uncomfortable and as tedious as a trip to the
dentist. Things, however, have changed. Council meetings are now manageable
(meetings usually end around 9 p.m.) and not loaded with too many discussion
items, allowing Council members to focus their attention on one or two
more substantial issues a session. Mr. Arnett, who as president runs the
meetings, keeps things moving at a crisp pace while generally allowing
people to have their say. When Council members do disagree, they try not
to make it personal.
Throughout this year, Council has focused much of its attention on business
and economic issues, including support for commercial development, and
addressing what it saw as shortfalls in the Village budget. With the Village
expecting a decrease in revenue next year, Council’s work this year
seems shrewd and prudent. Its agreement with the Miami Township trustees
to work together to promote commercial development was a good one, though
the effort lacked a clear strategy for what would happen once the agreement
was ratified.
Much work still needs to be done, but Council members, over the last 12
months, have shown they have the ability to provide effective leadership
and work together to make a difference.
—Robert
Mihalek
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