The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, October 4, 1989 3 Opinion Government officials need support from voting public By HOWARD J. GROSSMAN The pathway to public service is strewn with the injured bodies of dedicated elected public servants who are abused and mistreated, often by the very people who elected “them to office. Appointed public service personnel are equally looked upon with less than awe by citizens who do not understand “the role which appointed officials playin staffing governmental agen- . cies or serving on various boards, commissions and committees. The controversial nature over the de- livery of governmental services and whether or not the public or pri- vate sector should provide certain services, or share in their provi- sion is a constant source of irrita- tion, seemingly without answer which satisfies all parties and citi- zens. Governmental service in Penn- ‘sylvania as well as other states, is a voluntary system in which a citi- zen chooses to serve in an elected post, most often without direct public service experience and very often without the availability of professional personnel at the local governmental level to assist in of- fering the service. This is due to the proliferation of local govern- ments in a state which includes 2600 general purpose local gov- ernments, many of which are small townships in population size. They represent a necessity in the local municipal government process, which has the need but not always the capacity to provide an effective level of service. Professionalizing public service means the growth and expansion of professionally trained adminis- trators who can serve as munici- pal managers in many governments today, which claim they do not have the ability to provide the fis- cal resources to support this type of professionalism. One solution to the fiscal problem, is to link municipalities together and net- work a Circuit Rider Program in which a professionally trained adminstrator can work with a number of local governments in a given geographic area, and provide not only professional services, but encourage communities to develop an area-wide approach to govern- mental services. Another potential improvement would be the growth of private sector participation in governmen- tal activities. Privitazation of serv- ices works in those instances where the private sector could provide equal or better and perhaps more cost effective ways to deliver serv- ices and should be instituted in many places. Contracting out for public serv- ices sometimes is another way to deliver, those programs and serv- ices demanded by residents and businesses and industries. What is needed in Pennsylvania . and therefore Northeastern Penn- } sylvania, is a clear and definitive policy as well as an action agenda for creating the mechanism by which professionalism functions for public service can be tested and utilized where they are proven to be successful. Organizations such as the Pennsylvania Econ- omy League and others who share this vision of improved efficiency and cost effectiveness in govern- ment, should join together in a coalition to foster the best there is in public service, and advertise and market the techniques being used successfully in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Home rule, driven by the 1972 Legislation, which permitted municipal governments to adopt Home Rule Charter, has died down and little is currently heard about Home Rule as a technique for improving the delivery of govern- mental services. Annexation and mergers and consolidations of municipal governments are words hardly utilized in the rarified at- mosphere of Pennsylvania politics. They are used in some other states where laws are quite different as well as the use of techniques which have not been tested in the Com- monwealth. For example, tax shar- ing is utilized in the Twin Cities Area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the Hackensack Meadows in New Jersey, where 16 municipali- ties share in commercial and in- dustrial taxation, no matter the location of the development prop- erty. Techngiues such as these need to be examined and tested in Pennsylvania, but are slowed down by the rigidity and involved nature of Commonwealth legislative and governmental structure. A new governmental image and profes- sionalism program needs to be launched in Northeastern Penn- sylvania as much as the Regional Image Program was initiated in 1978 by the Economic Develop- ment Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania. There is an equal need to have elected and appointed officials treated as people who have legitimate and fundamental roles "to play in the way government is viewed and services carried out. One idea would be to create an assembly of governments in North- eastern Pennsylvania, in which representatives of all local govern- ments would meet periodically to not only exchange the best means of delivering governmental serv- ices, but advocate with state and federal officials what they would like to achieve in the way of new legislation and/or new federaland/ or state support. : Ahead lies a unique challenge to address and remedy the percep- tion and negative realities of pub- lic service. It is one which requires a national state, regional, county, municipal, and private -citizen perspective through a cooperative arrangement in which the public and private sectors sit at the same table, discuss the same issues, reach a consensus on what the issues are, and direct their ener- gies and resources to professional- izing government and the public service. This can be done in such a way as to add the weight of positive public administration to the great- ness which is bursting upon the Northeastern Pennsylvania scene as this and the next generation reach toward the year 2000 and the 21st Century. Howard Grossman is executive director of the Economic Develop- ment Council of Northeastern Penn- sylvania. Adopt-a-pet Beniji is a five year old miniature Schnauzer, gray and black in color. He is a well-behaved dog, who is neutered, has had all of his shots and is housebroken. His former owner is unable to take care of Benji so he is looking for a good home and someone hice to take care of him. He is friendly and well behaved. Stop in and see Benii and the Luzerne County SPCA, Fox Hill Road, Wilkes-Barre, or call 825-4111. & @ = = @ @ @ ® @ @ ® @ @ & The most intelligent cars ever built. © 1989 Saab-Scania of America, Inc KUNKLE MOTORS (Just Off Route 309, A Few Miles North Of Dallas) R.D. #1, Dallas « Kunkle 675-1546 A bit over 100 Ibs. John Henninger, Jr. of Shavertown displays his 74th birthday present to the Post camera. It was a present grown by John Gosart. (Photo by Charlotte Bartizek) Local high school graduates now playing on Wilkes teams Four Dallas area athletes are members of fall sports teams at Wilkes College. Rich James is a member of the football team, Dale Morris the soccer team and Lind- sey Krivenko and Dawn Smith the field hockey team. James a 5'8", 175 pound fresh- man wingback, has seen action in one game so far for the Colonels gaining four yards. At Lake-Lehman High School, James was a football and baseball standout, earning a total of seven letters. Abiology major at Wilkes, James is the son of Richard and Polly Ann James of Dallas. Morris, is a freshman midfielder for the Wilkes booters. A graduate of Dallas High School, Morris was a three year starter for coach John McCafferty. An electrical engineering major at Wilkes, he is the son of David and Carole Morris of Trucksville. Krivenko is a sophomore midfielder for the Wilkes field hockey team. Also a graduate of | Dallas, she earned letters in both field hockey and tennis for the Lady Mountaineers. Undecided upon a major, she is the daughter of Charles and Joyce Krivenko of Dallas. Smith, now a resident of Moun- taintop, is a junior halfback for the Lady Colonels. She is a two time letter winner for Wilkes after earn- ing three letters at Lake-Lehman. Majoring in accounting at Wilkes, she is the daughter of Sandra Russell and Betram Smith. Michael Gurnari is baptized Michael Paul Gurnari, son of Michael and Robin of Dallas, was baptized at the Idetown UMC on September 17 by Rev. Michael Shambora. Michael was born on April 11, 1989 in the Nesbitt Memorial Hospital. Paul Benedetti and Jodi Casterline served as godparents for the infant. A special anthem was presented by the Idetown UMC Choir under direction of Mrs. Shirley Mahle. Paternal grandparents are Francis and Marie Gurnari. Ma- ternal grandparents are William and Mabel Casterline. 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