I would like to see serious effort put into publicizing the Niagara Communities Comprehensive Plan(NCCP) meetings. The Clough, Harbor & Associates consultant, Walter Kalina, a highly paid “consultant,” who spoke at the first public meeting, appeared embarrassingly far less than enthusiastic about increasing publicity to get the people involved to participate let alone educating anyone as to how this process can or should work. Very little money, he indicated, would be put into publicity or education. Why? This is unacceptable if not outrageous to anyone, unless of course you are one who is passively, unconsciously sleepwalking your way through life while our government drifts dangerously away from its democratic moorings. Where was Greg Lewis at the first public meeting of the NCCP project??? Why were only 25 people there? We are planning a possible future and 25 people minus a County Manager and only one County Legislator in attendance, Jason Murgio.
This planning process can be a great thing. It could be in itself quite an educational experience in democracy. However it will take more than the appointed few, and the other usual suspects of local government, to turn out to plan a possible future for Niagara County. Those leading this planning process are morally obligated to take responsibility to publicize this project and educate the people regarding exactly what this planning project is all about, how it’s done and how people might participate. Or it’s business as usual. Insular! Hermetically sealed “government” behind the backs of the people. Business as usual!
The first public meeting two weeks ago at NCCC was negative, pessimistic and cynical. Twenty five people or so showed up. The attitude of virtual despair at that meeting can only be overcome if some effort and enthusiasm is shown on the part of our putative leadership and hired consultants to further involve, motivate and help our people to participate.
If this is going to be more than an insider governmental process, then representation needs to go far, far beyond the appointed representatives of the so-called stakeholders. Or it’s business as usual.
For the most part, I fear, the appointment of stakeholders is an inside job. I’m sure some will think the appointees are enough in number and qualitatively representative. I hope they are adequately representative of the people of Niagara County essentially and as a whole. I don’t believe that they are. Right now it appears as business as usual. Of course it does not appear this way to the insiders. But business as usual never appears as business as usual to the insiders. To them it’s just the way it is and just the way it has to be.
I asked one councilman from North Tonawanda, Kevin Brick, appearing on Tom Christy’s Legislative Journal on LCTV, about this project when I called in to the show. He knew very little about the NCCP planning project of a substantive nature, if anything at all. When I asked who the representative was from North Tonawanda, he didn’t know. How are the citizens supposed to know if the councilmen don’t know???
Did the Mayor of NT do a search for a good representative? Did he bother to consult or inform the people as to this process that “we” are involved in. Who knows? I heard nothing. Did he send out notice asking if anyone was interested in representing North Tonawanda? Not as far as I know. Is this government degenerated into bureaucracy at its worst?! Business as usual? I hope not. There is much reason to believe it is.
We must do more to encourage this democratic process. It could be amazing. Or it could be business as usual. Democracy, when nurtured at its source, must be nurtured at its “grass roots.” Think about that metaphor. The nutrients must come in through the roots, the people, all of the people. Democratic governmental process is “for” the people, but if not “by” them, then at best it’s just “about” them and not “of” them.
Wake up Niagara County! Your tax money, your representation and your governmental rights are being pissed away. This plutocratic oligarchy is pretending to be democratic but is nowhere within the most meager limits of democracy. The specialists, experts, managers, bureaucrats and patronage appointees are devolving toward a centralized administration of the few over the many. It is a “show” of the forms of democracy without the specifics and particulars of democracy’s substance. Business as usual? Not if you demand to be involved, accounted for and respected.
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