Small town politics corruption (farm, village, tractors, cost)
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I worked for over a decade as compliance officer for a small town, pop. about 22,000. One of my biggest frustrations was the big shots in town who thought the rules didn't apply to them, and a right wing city manager who thought laws were made to be broken.
My job was to enforce civil ordinances inside the city. I did no criminal work, but my position had real teeth. I could write a citation for up to $1500/day for violation of city ordinances, but I kept that to a minimum. Part of it was that taking people to court was impractical, since I had to prep the case, assemble evidence, file all the paperwork with the court, etc. The result was less than half a dozen citations a year, and only for the most extreme violations. I organized whole neighborhood cleanups with less work than one citation would cause.
They eventually "defunded my position," since I was doing a great job and they couldn't fire me. The arrogant city manager moved on, at the strong suggestion of the City Council. The city recovered well, by hiring truly competent people to repair the damages and restore the relationship between the town and City Hall. Community Development actually went back to helping develop the community instead of running on the buddy system. Public Works went back to paving the streets that needed paving and fixing the sewer lines that didn't work.
A well run small town is a really nice place to live. A small town with a city government that slides into dishonesty hurts everyone. The solution is elections. If people throw the crooks out, things will get better, but they have to elect representatives that are willing to offend wealthy people.
Heh...I knew a woman that moved into a town 10 miles from where I used to live, owned a local business, then ran for city council. She got on the council and started making waves. Within 2 years she sold the business and moved out because they made her life miserable.
It's said that even people that live in a town for 10 years might not be considered a local because they didn't grow up there. I've lived in my little town for a year...and it's true that in some ways we're handicapped by not having the correct last name. That's just he way it is. People trust those they know -- the family name means a lot. It's that way all over.
It's said that even people that live in a town for 10 years might not be considered a local because they didn't grow up there.
In Maine you're "from away" unless both you and your parents were born in Maine and lived there for their entire lives! One of the continuing themes in local newspapers are articles that begin something like this: "The police were called when a car with New York plates was spotted parking for more than two hours in the one-hour parking lot." Meanwhile, the local lobstermen have unlimited parking privileges in the same parking area and often leave piles of lobster traps and other stuff blocking parking spots. Yes, people that live in a place should have some privileges over those "from away," but there is a point at which it moves from privilege to corruption. An example might be when certain people are allowed to park wherever and for as long as they want, while the cars "from away" get tickets if they are too far from the curb or slightly over the white line.
I'm a great believer in small towns and cities being great places to live, but I do sometimes find myself upset over how politics and corruption rule. One place I lived the DPW was ruled like a dictatorship. You didn't dare cross the head of the department or your driveway would be plowed in six feet deep in a snow storm, your garbage would be liberally dumped all over your sidewalk, or your street would suddenly become one-way the most inconvenient direction. One time a rival woke up in the morning to find a rotting fish on his front porch. Everyone knew who did it, but nobody was ever caught. Another place I lived I knew a well connected "good ol' boy" who never set foot in the motor vehicle bureau. They would mail him his new driver's license and a fresh inspection sticker for his truck. Another classic is water connections. It is expensive and difficult to extend city water lines out to new developments, but lo and behold, when a major party donor happens to be building a new development suddenly the town is out there digging for weeks to extend the line while other developers have been waiting years for approval. The list goes on and on. Sadly, with the demise of local newspapers, I'm afraid the situation is getting worse.
Corruption exists in all sizes of community.
However, what makes small-town corruption so difficult to roust is that the perpetrators breed and brainwash and the offspring stick around knowing they’ll inherit the spoils without having to, you know, learn how to support themselves outside of that safe but small bubble, or having to scrabble to earn a good reputation for anything. Riding on the ancestral coattails to a ridiculous point.
A common lament is that young people leave for better job or educational oppportunities elsewhere. This is not by any means universal. I see an awful lot of middle-aged and younger generations sticking around because they lack the attitude, smarts, or work ethic—or sadly, all three of those—to leave the area their parents live in. Some of them might actually love the place, but often I think it is just fear of the unfamiliar that keeps them sticking close to the ancestral security blanket. That and a sense of entitlement, especially in the male offspring.
We notice year after year that the high school girls overwhelmingly outnumber the boys in winning college scholarships. A few of the awards might be only for girls, but not that many!!!!
Back to the original topic...if the younger generations are brave enough to try something different, GOOD FOR THEM. Corruption flourishes more easily when people don’t even see it because they have not lived elsewhere, not been “the outsider,†not observed more effective ways of leading and managing.
Heh...I knew a woman that moved into a town 10 miles from where I used to live, owned a local business, then ran for city council. She got on the council and started making waves. Within 2 years she sold the business and moved out because they made her life miserable.
It's said that even people that live in a town for 10 years might not be considered a local because they didn't grow up there. I've lived in my little town for a year...and it's true that in some ways we're handicapped by not having the correct last name. That's just he way it is. People trust those they know -- the family name means a lot. It's that way all over.
Not all over. In eastern CA small town, you are a local, if people perceive you are committed to being part of the community. It does help to have lived here for 10 years. Our Good Old Boy club is easy to join with shared values. Now I do understand many small areas are not open to newcomers, but many areas are open
Now I do understand many small areas are not open to newcomers, but many areas are open
Areas that already have lots of other people "from away" tend to be more open to newcomers. Many places in Florida are like that. Sure, there are the real "Crackers," and they are proud of it, but they are few and far between. A frequent conversation starter in Florida is, "So where are you from?" The answer is often another state, and from all over the country and the world too. Not really sure which type of area breeds more corruption, but I would guess it is the one where there are few outsiders and there is an inside crowd that feels it is more deserving than those "from away." These places often run more on personal relationships than on the actual written laws and regulations. I remember my dad telling me how when he moved to a new town a friend personally introduced him to the tax assessor to make sure he got a good deal.
I was a newspaper editor in small rural communities for a decade. Insular communities operate on a buddy system because they can.
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