My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in Wednesday’s Virginian-Pilot. As you might expect, I’m once again banging on the Dillon Rule. But I’m not alone in doing so.
An article in the Richmond Times Dispatch drew my attention to the fact that the Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the Governor’s Commission on Government Reform & Restructuring is looking at regionalism and the barriers the localities. Although the website has a bad link for the white paper referenced in my article, I did manage to locate a copy (pdf). It made for interesting reading.
At some point, Virginia is going to have to revisit its strict interpretation of the Dillon Rule. I’m not sure what it’s going to take in order for that to happen. Let’s just say I’m not holding my breath for the “leaders” in Richmond to do the right thing.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I think missing from any discussion of the “Dillon Rule” is the very premise that is the foundation of the Dillon Rule. “”Municipal corporations owe their origin to, and derive their powers and rights wholly from, the legislature.” Dillon additionally felt that all local politicians are corrupt and are self serving! When you can dispell the premise for the Dillon Rule, factually, there can be some discussion of abolishing the Dillon Rule, which has done a wonderful job for 100-years in Virginia.
I’m sure you are operating on the idea that if you make enough noise about it, someone will pay attention, but with the conduct of the Norfolk City Government, and other localities misuse of tax dollars, there isn’t much hope the Dillon rule will ever be repealed. “Regionalism” isn’t something, most home owners and taxpayers much care about, and given the horrid record of unconstitutional attempts to establish it, you have much to over come before you can gain any trust.
Home owners establish the tax base for city governments. When you want to establish “regional” government bodies, that have no control over them “(SPSA being a prime example) and the illegal HRTA you aren’t going to get much of a sympathetic ear from the very people you need to abolish the Dillon Rule.
But keep flailing your arms, eventually you may gain enough momentum to fly!
I gather from your comments that you didn’t bother to read the links.
That you don’t care about regionalism and what it means to the competitiveness of the Commonwealth doesn’t mean that others – particularly those in a position to actually do something – don’t.
If I were the only one who recognized how the Dillon Rule holds Virginia back, you might have an argument. But I’m not – and you don’t.
There is one reason – and only one reason – why Virginia continues to embrace the Dillon Rule as strictly as it does: power.
And if you’re looking for corruption, look no further than that.
Actually I did read the links. I care very much about “regionalism” and have seen its effects very vividly. SPSA is a great example. Uncontrolled spending, no accountability, another burden on the taxpayer. No better example of “regionalism”. And those of you who advocate it, refuse to address it! Same for the illegal HRTA. They spent over a million tax dollars before they even tried to open a door! Who pays for that VIvian? You folks who support “regionalism” or my property taxes? Is that right that my property taxes go up, because of illegal government?
Most of the objection to the Dillon Rule comes from folks who want to raise taxes, impose more government regulation and stifle what little growth we have. The next effect would be to hurt the local economy, not help it.
“Regionalism” isn’t going to help Virginia, its going to kill it. You only need to look to Atlanta, Charlotte and a few other “regional” messes to see what the after-effects are of this type of growth.
I don’t want to be a part of Virginia Beach! Yet, because of the SPSA debacle, I’m paying for Virginia Beach’s trash mess. What part of that is “progressive”? What part of that is local control of my tax dollars?
I know there are a few people (not as many as you are imagining) who are pounding their chests over “regionalism”.
Art Collins was its biggest cheer-leader. Good riddance! His 3rd Crossing was the death-cry of “regionalism”.
But until you can explain away the total and complete disasters of SPSA and HRTA and tell us how that won’t happen again, you aren’t going to get much traction.
I agree, there is only one reason why Virginia embraces the Dillon Rule. KEEPING POWER OUT OF THE PETTY CITY COUNCILS HANDS! Trying to divert attention away from the horrid failures of “regionalism” here locally isn’t going to work!
I find it interesting that every other state in the nation manages to embrace regionalism by the very nature of their lack of independent cities and counties and suffer none of the “horrors” you like to cite. Could all the other states be wrong and Virginia be right? Or could it be that Virginia, which ranks low in so many categories, is the outlier?
I’ve asked you twice to address the prime examples of ‘regionalism” you advocate in previous posts. SPSA and HRTA. You keep side-stepping, “oh look over here other people do it”, but never address the failures of “regionalism”. In the spirit of open debate, I again ask you to tell us how that (SPSA & HRTA) won’t happen again with your “regionalism”.
In the meantime, only (4) posts on this topic. And they all belong to either you or me. Not much interest in “regionalism”.
Could Virginia be right and “every other” state be wrong? Well, YES, it could very easily be true. Thanks for pointing it out!
I’m fairly certain that your folks didn’t buy that excuse when you were a kid, “but Mom and Dad, all the “other” kids are doing it”!!!! I know mind didn’t!
Every example of “regionalism” in action here is a financial disaster! The facts speak for themselves. Just because “every other state” is doing something stupid, doesn’t mean that Virginia should follow. But thanks for making my points so vividly clear.
1. SPSA is a failure of oversight, perhaps brought on by the fact that we don’t know HOW to do regionalism, because we have no experience at it.
2. HRTA was an effort I supported because it allowed this area to fund its own transportation needs rather than wait on legislators in the rural areas of VA to decide for us. Given that it was never implemented, you can hardly call that a failure.
3. Vision for the future requires that SOMEBODY look beyond today. The lack of comments here is no reflection on anything other than the fact that most people are too busy worrying about what’s happening NOW, rather than looking to the future.
Sorry you want to live in the past.
SPSA was a failure due to lack of oversight and greed. There was never a stop-gap relief for the taxpayers for crooked officials and incompetent management.
HRTA was a “failure” because it was ‘ILLEGAL”! Unconstitutional for those that bother with it. Even though it was found to be “Illegal” by the State Supreme Court they still managed to spend over $1-million in tax dollars. I haven’t notice any of you folks who advocated it, stepping up to offer to pay for that illegal expenditure.
How is it, that we have volumes of “Studies” paid for at taxpayers expense, highlighting the other 49 states “regional” experiences, but you claim “no experience”? Volumes of it! HRPDC has bureaucrats making 6-figure salaries that do nothing but relate these ‘experiences’. The Metro system in NORVA is “experience”. Ask anyone who either rides it or has to pay for it! Or here locally, HRT! Oh my God, how much more “experience” do you need? When it was Pentran/TRT they ran great, when they were merged, so you regionalist could pound your chests, they’ve been a financial mess since.
Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, and the examples go on and on, and the failures, financial disasters are a sad parade of people who refused to either listen or read history. Our system of government wasn’t founded on “regionalism” it was founded on one-person/one-vote. “Regionalism” violates that.
“regionalism” as you and the SPSA, HRTA bunch have been pushing is simply illegal government. The Dillon Rule has been one of the few stops to that pie-in-the-sky-illegal approach that you and others want to shove down the taxpayers throats.
Now would I be willing to see the GA repeal the annexation laws? You bet! I think the southside should be Norfolk (VAB-Chesapeake-Portsmouth-Norfolk-Suffolk) and the Peninsula Hampton (NN, York, Poquoson,Gloucester). Would make life a lot easier on everyone. You’d have a lot better chance of getting that by, than regurgitating these same old “regionalism’ efforts that end in financial disaster.
I don’t want to live in the past, never said I did. However, I don’t want to live under a regional form of government that is either unelected, or have no direct responsibility to me the taxpayer.
I have to admit I’m amazed by your comments. What you seem to be angry about, aside from an understandable reluctance to accept government without representation, is progress itself.
Our “form of government” was conceived during an agrarian age. Except for in time of war, most people spent their entire lives within a range of just a few miles. An agrarian economy favored decentralized living because that’s the only way farm labor worked. The Civil War and the growth of a more industrial economy changed all that. People flocked to the cities and for the first time and became dependent on others for goods and services rather than having to grow and make them all themselves.
I’m sure none of the founding fathers could have imagined the world’s cities of today, much less the way that technology would continue to change the way we live.
Whether you agree with it, or not, economic vitality–that which explains why most of us live where we do–is today a matter of regions. We do not compete with other states or cities so much as we compete with well-organized metropolitan regions around the world.
Practically every major metro region in the country is working hard to learn how to get along as a region. The Dillon Rule cripples Virginia regions, both in Richmond and in their ability to complete domestically and internationally.
The dysfunction of HRT and SPSA, as Vivian rightly points out, have nothing to do with their being regional entities.
You seem to overlook the number of regionally cooperative efforts that are successful, including: the regional jail in Portsmouth that serves multiple cities, the regional cooperation between the public libraries of southeastern Virginia, and the sharing of a courthouse and other public safety personnel and infrastructure in York County and Poquoson, just to name three. Our police and fire agencies throughout the region continue to work more cooperatively each day, but are hindered from achieving true efficiency due to the Dillon Rule that requires each municipality to be its own stand-alone economy. This is costing you and me higher taxes.
It’s interesting that three of the regions you seem to want to point to as failures–Charlotte, Atlanta and Houston–are in fact highly effective examples of “regions that work” and regions that complete handily in national and international markets.
can I help with the conversation? I’m wondering if the potential disconnect is a difference in terms used and their definitions:
http://bit.ly/RegionalDefinitions
try these.