Silver Lake Aerial Photo,
originally published in
the Potomac News
On Tuesday, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) tried make a decision, and the BOCS failed. The BOCS could only find three votes to hand the Silver Lake Recreational Area over to the Prince William County Park Authority (PWCPA). When the BOCS considered turning the Silver Lake Recreational Area over to the Bull Run Mountains Conservancy (BRMC), the BOCS failed again. Only three BOCS members voted to allow the BRMC to manage the Silver Lake property.
Are BOCS members stupid? No? The BOCS is a committee, and committees do not work well. The BOCS’ inability to reach a decision illustrates why we should only use a committee when no other alternative will work any better.
What was the point of contention? Three BOCS members insisted on retaining public ownership (Stewart, Stirrup, and Jenkins). Three BOCS members think allowing the BRMC to manage the property would work better (Nohe, Caddigan, and May). Two BOCS members, worried about the cost of letting the PWCPA manage the property, straddled the fence. So the BOCS deadlocked.
Sometimes, compromise does not work. Sometimes a clear cut decision is required. I believe allowing the BRMC to manage the Silver Lake property remains the best option. Those against BRMC management posed a false dilemma. They said that handing the Silver Lake property over to the BRMC fails to protect the public’s interest, that the property is safer in government hands.
People trust politicians? The BRMC offered to accept very specific deed restrictions on how they would use the property? What is wrong with deed restrictions that allow the county to get the property back, if necessary? Don’t these deed restrictions obligate the BRMC to fulfill the public’s wishes?
Consider that as part of their package, the BRMC offered to more than double the size of the park. Contrary to the assertions of the opponents, the public would not be giving away the Silver Lake property for nothing. Instead, in return for being given the opportunity to manage the Silver Lake property for the public’s benefit, the BRMC offered to open up another 270 acres of parkland for the public’s benefit. Instead of refusing the BRMC’s offer, the BOCS should have verified that the other 270 acres would also be protected for the public’s benefit.
The BOCS had the opportunity to more than double the park. The BOCS could have guaranteeed that BRMC would have the obligation to protect 500 acres for the public’s benefit. The BOCS did not seize the moment. Instead, the BOCS mired itself in problems. The BOCS failed to recognize and take advantage of the opportunity it had been offered.
One of my favorite sayings goes like this: a camel is a horse designed by committee (reference here). Whenever a committee has to make a decision, that committee has a problem. The committee has to find a compromise acceptable to a majority of it members. The most important decisions often present the greatest challenge. We all want things our way, and we sometimes give ground with the greatest reluctance. It is then that the compromises that result can look very strange. Such compromises too often work poorly. Such is particularly true of this “compromise.” This “decision” produced a camel that does nothing.
Other views
Craig of Craig’s Musings expresses his frustration that the BOCS did not hand the Silver Lake Recreational Area over to the PWCPA (here).
The comments in this post at ANTI-BVBL also address the BOCS’ indecision (here).
