It takes a posse
By Dan Winters
Daily Press
August 10, 2005
Why is the Hampton City Council so often faced with a citizens' revolt? The issues concerning downtown's traffic pattern, the Chesapeake Avenue traffic controls and the plan for Kecoughtan are good examples. The reason can be found in the way the city government operates and the people running it. While the planners are charged with serving the good of all Hampton citizens, they also want to pad their resumes. So they put together their master plan, organize the "pros," minimize the "cons" and sell it to the City Council.
An individual who wants to object has absolutely no chance of influencing these people, unless he or she supports their plan. If an individual goes to one of the hired city officials with an opinion that doesn't suit their plans he will get a nod, a thank you and will be forgotten except to be counted as one who "gave input."
It has been suggested that "the silent majority" backed a particular city plan because by not objecting they had given their approval. Actually, the silent majority also includes those people who recognize the futility of a lone opposing voice. I stopped saying much 20-plus years ago when my efforts to explain the stupidity of putting a four-lane, high-volume road on the Hampton waterfront were ignored because, "You just don't see the big picture."
I recently voiced some objections to a city employee and his response was, "I'm sorry you are so negative about Hampton." I wasn't. I was negative about what he was doing with our city.
The people of Newport News have shown us how disagreement must be presented. It takes a posse, the bigger the better.
Dan Winters
Hampton
