Around Prince William: Speaking up is never wrong | news/prince william | insidenova.com
Mar 5, 2023
In October 2021, I wrote a column suggesting we should rethink public comment time. My premise was simple. The 2020 Virginia General Assembly had added this language to the state code: “The governing body shall provide members of the general public with the opportunity for public comment during a regular meeting at least quarterly.”
That sounded like a good idea to me. With so many ways to communicate with those we elect to represent us, whether it be the Prince William Board of County Supervisors or the School Board, the idea of unlimited citizens time at every public meeting looked like an unnecessary distraction.
I was wrong.
I remember Prince William’s response to “illegal immigration” in 2007. According to a recap from the Brookings Institute: “Community leaders and residents (of Prince William County) successfully organized to pressure county government to crack down on illegal immigration. Passed without a public hearing or sufficient investigation of the potential consequences, the new legislation ordered police to check residency status of lawbreakers and enter into a cooperative agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It also mandated the denial of business licenses and certain county social services to unauthorized immigrants.’
The phrase, “Passed without a public hearing or sufficient investigation of the potential consequences…” caught my eye.
I remember it well. Residents on both sides of the issue engaged in a serious war of words. Demonstrations and protests were held. Public comment time dragged long into the night and following morning. Death threats to those advocating for undocumented immigrants were made. Finally, a compromise that made neither side happy, but defused the issue, was reached.
Once again Prince William is divided. As I watch the issues unfold around the future of the so-called “Rural Crescent,” data centers and land use in general, I recognize the importance of the public’s ability to directly speak to those they elect regarding controversial issues.
Government prefers that the public not pay attention to how the sausage of public policy is made or what is thrown in the grinder. That is the secret of its efficiency.
After remembering the immigration debate of 2007 and watching the conversation over data centers unfold, I recognize the importance of elected officials hearing directly from the public on all sides of any issue. In the 2021 column, I waxed philosophically about the many other ways residents can communicate with supervisors or School Board members. In retrospect, I realize none have the impact of public comment time. Those other more modern means of communication do little to slow the sausage grinder.
Public comment time figuratively throws gravel into the grinder. It puts opinions on all sides of an issue “out there” for all to hear.
The sausage that government makes is often produced behind a curtain. We aren’t exactly sure who has a hand in its production. Big money interests have lawyers, consultants, glossy marketing collateral and access. Public comment time levels the playing field between those who spend large sums of tax-deductible expenses getting what they want and “the rest of us.”
Limiting the opportunities for people to address politicians whom they “hired” (through the election process) is bad governance. Whether speakers are for or opposed to an issue doesn’t matter. The numbers who speak and the arguments they make do matter. They slow government down and make it think.
Slower is better. Go ahead, sign up, speak up and tell those you elected what you think. Some board members want to take away the voices of “the rest of us” because it makes their jobs easier. Remember that in November.
Al Alborn is an award-winning columnist and member of the Virginia Press Association. His column appears every other week. You can learn more about Al at alborn.net.