In a democracy the power is vested in the people. Freely elected representatives carry out the will of the people.
A problem arises, however, when the people become too detached from their government. This happens when government becomes too centralized.
This disconnect contributes to a lethargy; why even try to participate in government when the decision making is too far away and too complex.
West Virginia is currently engaged in the necessary but laborious process of trying to return some of the authority to the people through municipal home rule.
In 2007, the state Legislature adopted a Home Rule Pilot Program. Bridgeport, Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling were given latitude to create local legislation independent of Charleston. The municipalities immediately took advantage of the new freedom, adopting ordinances to, among other things, modernize their system of taxation and deal with dilapidated properties.
(There are important limitations. Municipalities with home rule cannot adopt ordinances that violate the U.S. or West Virginia Constitutions or contradict federal laws.)
Now the program is being expanded to include 16 more cities. The state Home Rule Board is holding meetings around the state to hear applications of 22 municipalities. The next board meeting is scheduled for today in Bridgeport.
The good news is that 16 more cities will be given greater autonomy. The bad news is six cities will be left out. Additionally, the process creates an unnecessary competition among cities for the slots.
Why not open home rule to any of the more than roughly 230 municipalities in the state that want it?
The beauty of home rule is that it moves the power of government closer to the people. It’s significantly easier for a citizen to go to a city council meeting to have their voice heard on a particular proposal than journey to Charleston and try to figure out the state government labyrinth.
Opponents worry about city councils going power mad, but the answer to that concern is the ability of citizens to vote out local leaders who make poor decisions. It’s much easier to change the makeup of city council than the Legislature.
Additionally, community leaders know better than anyone what must be done in their towns—what roads need to be fixed, what old buildings need to be torn down, what tax structure will grow business. They see the problems and hear the concerns every time they walk down the streets of their town.
Polls consistently show we’re losing faith in government. Washington is the worst example of dysfunction. Charleston is a lot closer to the people than Washington, but it still remains out of reach for most average citizens.
Municipal government retains the greatest resemblance to the old town hall meetings where citizens aired their grievances and advocated for change. Let’s expand home rule to all our towns and, in the process, return more power to the people.