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ByCOL. ELLIS BINGHAM
“■Wlwnnoek New. Contributing Writer
As a result of my participation with the Jackson District Citizens’ Committee against the proposed landfill on the Stover Tract, concerned citizens urged me to run as Uieu- representative from Jackson District on the Board of Supervisors.
After a lot of thought on the subject and after watching the existing Board of Supervisors in action in regard to the landfill controversy, I agreed to run. As a resident in Jackson District I felt that the community needed better representation on the board. As a citizen of Rappahannock County, I know that the citizens of this county deserve more than the benevolent dictatorship we’re currently governed under at the county level.
I do not mean to be over-critical of the existing members, because this is a situation which often exists when citizens do not participate in the running of their own government, or when that participation is stifled. As I stated at the PTA meeting on the night of Oct. 6, in a democracy it is the responsibility of all citizens to take an active role in the decision-making process of their government. This is especially true at the county level. If we allow others to run our government for us, they will, but probably not the way we would like.
If elected to represent the people of Jackson District, I envision my task as just that, the District’s representative. No nuqor issue should be voted on without everyone having prior knowledge and understanding of the issues and how they will affect them.
Supposedly many of the major decisions have already been made and are behind us, but when I hear statements like, “But by the end of calendar year 1988 we should know where we’re at,” I become concerned, because this implies that we don’t really know where we are at. And to be quite frank with you I don’t know how we could have determined the county’s budget requirements without a long range plan. The Comprehensive Plan for Rappahannock County that was approved in 1980 recommended that we develop a “Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan,” but this has been
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