In 1999, a county board in Nassau County, NY, decided that the potential Y2K crisis posed an imminent threat. They decided to purchase 1,200 new computers just in case something happened. Needless to say, the computers were not necessary.

A county board in Colorado was discussing a policy for workplace safety for the county employees. They decided employees would be safer if they were all allowed to bring their guns to work.

A little closer to home, a certain mayor in a certain largest city in Michigan reportedly charged more than $200,000 on a city credit card for dining and entertainment expenses.

Closer still, another headline grabbing mayor in a neighboring city was sued after he had a newspaper carrier arrested for, get this, delivering newspapers.

I am sure that in each of these seemingly over-the-top situations, the elected officials involved have justifications for their actions. The one common thread, though, is that in each case, taxpayer money was wasted on frivolous purchases, lawsuits or moronic legislation.

The great thing about our system of governance is that anyone who desires to participate in government can run for office. And the terrible thing about our system of governance is that anyone can run for and win office.

Why do I bring this up? Because Grand Blanc Township is currently exploring hiring a township manager to run the day-to-day operations, bumping the elected supervisor down to a part-time position, primarily responsible for chairing board meetings and being the public face of the township.

This is an intelligent move for several reasons, most importantly to avoid potential situations like those mentioned above. Elections have simply become beauty contests, and the recent debaucherous behavior of Miss USA and Miss Nevada pales in comparison to what politicians are often doing behind the scenes. Voters are often duped into picking the most charismatic candidate.

We often ask questions like, “Are you a family man/woman?” or “How often do you go to church?” I am not saying these questions are completely unimportant, as character is a component of leadership, but it is far from the only component. Plain old knowledge is much more vital. We should be asking, “Do you understand finance enough to responsibly manage an annual budget that includes millions of dollars in taxpayer money?,” “Have you ever managed any employees and, if not, how do you expect to be responsible for a municipality with hundreds of them?,” or “Do you have a basic understanding of planning, zoning and economic development principles?”

With a hired manager in Grand Blanc Township, residents would be sure that the person in charge of the township knows how to manage a municipality, knows the responsibilities of each department and, most importantly, knows how to effectively manage growth and development.

The current board and supervisor have not done a bad job, as Grand Blanc Township, judging by growth patterns, is a desirable place to live. But who knows what the next election cycle will bring. A manager would bring stability to employees within the township, eliminate a learning curve that would be present if a new full-time supervisor were elected and eliminate partisan bickering in the day-to-day township operation.

People like to romanticize about the days of the town-hall style government by the townspeople. Community input is still an important tenet of local government, but the intricacies of the operation are too complex to risk someone with little or no experience being put in control. Hopefully, the board will do what is best for the community and bring in someone with the expertise to keep Grand Blanc Township’s future as bright as its present.

More Tips