With
all due respect, your proposal is absurd.
The
corpse of regionalism has been flogged and flayed. Yet it hasn't been
buried in proper fashion. It's resurrected every so often when there's the promise of
money, such as Governor McAuliffe's Go Virginia campaign, another
futile attempt to throw around money and garner political favors.
Please,
bury it, Mr Oliver. Please say the final rites; please say a nice and
sentimental epitaph and then let's not hear anymore about
regionalism.
Talk
of the region's potential has been heard for almost three decades and
yet here we are, an economy buried under the promise of a future. The
region wants to be what it isn't and will always be less than it
wants to be.
No
amount of cheer leading or propaganda will solve the problems on the
ground. Do you really think rich cities will partner with poor cities
to solve crime, boost literacy and improve education and create a
simple, single mass transit system?
Will
cities equalize property taxes so there's one tax rate for all the
cities?
That
would be regionalism.
Will
cities form a municipal utility company to buy gas and electricity?
That
would be regionalism.
Will
cities partner to form a real international airport, such as Dulles?
That
would be regionalism.
Will
cities agree to form one regional police force, with one uniform
talking code?
That
would be regionalism.
Will
cities partner to equalize water rates and impact fees and court fees
and license fees and permitting fees, and so forth?
That
would be regionalism.
Forming
another group, or resurrecting a group, such as ReInvent Hampton
Roads, is not regionalism. It is about self-interest.
No
amount of money will make us a region. No letters or guest columns
for The Virginian-Pilot will make us a region.
But
this isn't about regionalism. This is about pitching ReInvent HR, the
group headed by former city manager, James Spore.
This
isn't about regionalism. This is about telling the public and
lawmakers and Gov. McAuliffe, on the cusp of crunching a budget, that
ReInvent HR is the organization for Go Virginia money.
“To
be ready for this, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation is creating
a nonprofit organization, ReInvent Hampton Roads, to help local
governments collaborate in developing new jobs,” Oliver wrote.
Isn't
that the job of the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance?
Isn't
that the job of the economic development departments of each city
with their sizable budgets and staff?
Isn't
that the job (or should be) of elected officials: to formulate policy
to direct city staff to attract new jobs and investment?
But
all criticism aside, Mr Oliver, you have my respect for crafting such
a clever column appealing to the public for regionalism when the
General Assembly is about to haggle over money.
We
have more organizations stumbling over each other and vying for
attention and money than we do any solutions. We have no solutions.
We have talk, cheap talk, talk talk talk talk, but no action, no call
for change, no call for disruption.
How
many regional organizations are chasing the money?
Too
many, too late, too impotent.