EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the last of a series of columns written by candidates on the ballot for the May 13 primary election in West Virginia. All columns were received before the deadline published in The Herald-Dispatch, and no further columns from candidates or their supporters are being accepted for publication.
The public perception in Huntington is that the city is not doing a good job.
Adding to the poor public perception is a widespread feeling that city government is not adequately dealing with those things that are most important to people -- public safety, jobs, schools, well-maintained streets and parks, code enforcement, litter control and recycling and community development. To quote an old public relations man: Perception is everything; the rest is only reality.
Whoever becomes mayor after the upcoming election is going to have to work hard to change those perceptions. The next mayor must undertake the task, not as a politics-as-usual person who is part of the problem, but as a reformer.
The next mayor of Huntington and Huntington City Council must deliver the goods on basic services. He can be a big-picture guy, but he first has to make sure the trash is picked up, housing codes are enforced, streetlights are replaced, streets and alleys are properly maintained and the crime rate comes down to maintain his support among regular folks.
As a candidate for Huntington City Council from District 5, I understand the need for services. Providing services is what we do. When people call City Hall, they are not calling to see how we are feeling. They want us to do something. The new mayor would do himself a favor by keeping in mind that what people want from their government is to be "efficient, transparent, logical and responsive."
People are weary of government bureaucrats telling them the problem they are reporting is their problem, not the city's problem. If the next mayor does nothing else, he should work to put the "customer" back into customer service.
Add to this another factor: Many city departments do not have the capacity they once had to meet demands for services. Unless the city suddenly finds a new source of revenue (higher taxes, anyone?), the trend lines are clear. To pay mostly for debt service, policing, firefighting and fringe benefits, the city will have to continue to strip other departments of their capacity to deliver services. That leaves nothing for maintaining our infrastructure.
More money may not be, by itself, the way to upgrade city services, but less money isn't, either. To put it another way, it is one thing to have expectations for improved city services; it is another to have the resources to meet those expectations. The next mayor's real dilemma will be not only to think of ways to provide better services, but also to find a way to pay for them. If he fails, the gap between what the city can deliver and what the public expects will only widen and the civic cynicism deepen. One thing we don't need in Huntington is more cynicism.
To learn all about me and my position on all of the current public policy issues affecting our city, go to www.herald- dispatch.com and click on Elections 2008.
Osagie Ayanru is a candidate for Huntington City Council in District 5. For more information on candidates, go to the Election 2008 page at www.herald-dispatch.com.
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