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Policy questions
AN INTERESTING QUESTION came up at last week’s zoning and subdivision ordinance hearing, and the answers were equally interesting, if inconclusive. The question raised, indeed, is one that continues to be basic to the American governmental experience, and even part of the difficulties in Washington, D.C., right now have something to do with it.
Complaints were raised that not enough copies of the proposed ordinances had been made available for public study, and perhaps these complaints were justified. But Newbill Miller, in his dual capacity as planning commission member and as a Supervisor, gave a good reply.
Even if the copies had been available, he said, it is doubtful if public understanding of the many legal and technical points involved would have been any greater. In such a case, he argued, it is policy that public officials and members of the public must agree on. Once broad policy is hammered out, then the legal and technical details are best left to the lawyers and the engineers.
It’s a complicated question. Is ours more a republic, a representative form of government, or is it more a democracy, with a greater degree of public participation? Should we elect good men and women to office, and then leave them alone to do the public’s job, only exercising our approval or disapproval at election time? Or should we descend on every public meeting, every committee session, every gathering in the public’s interest, and breathe down these officials’ necks, watching their every move like a hawk, and turning every administrative decision into an occasion of debate and argument?
The correct answer probably lies somewhere in between*, exactly where will probably remain an issue with Americans as long as this country continues its quest for more perfect balance between individual liberty and community well-being.□
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