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Village, township aren't at war
(by Barbara Christian - December 15, 2011)
WINDOW ON MAIN STREET, BY BARBARA CHRISTIAN
Village, township aren't at war
Here we are in the midst of the holiday season, and I feel sad. I keep thinking, if we only had some snow, things would be cheery. But that's not it.
Lord knows there is plenty to be sad about. Let us count the ways. We all know people who have lost jobs, and who among us has not seen the numbers on our paychecks and our savings heading south?
The disenfranchised across the country are taking to the streets to get the attention of tone-deaf politicians who hold the fate of the nation in their hands but can't or won't do anything to fix our shared problems.
There are other woes in the world, but I won't depress you or myself by listing them. Let's just say, there are not enough ho-ho-hos, sleigh bells or scheduled showings of "It's a Wonderful Life" to make my glass half full.
But the reason for this malaise is not in Washington, D.C., or in far-off lands. It's right here in our town, or should I say, our township. To explain, let's review the way our local government works.
Those of us who live in the village of Chagrin Falls are also residents of Chagrin Falls Township, but, quirkily enough, those who reside in a small part of the township do not live in the village.
The village is an incorporated part of the township and has its own government led by a mayor and Village Council. However, the remaining part of the township -- the far end of North Main Street and Falls Road -- is not incorporated. The government there is run by three trustees.
Recently -- whether through rumor, misinformation, partial truth or paranoia -- some unincorporated township citizens came to believe village residents were mounting an invasion. It brought a panicked response.
The fear was and is that the "us" unincorporated township will be annexed by the "they" in the village, and, if that happens, taxes would go through the roof, the township's large-lot zoning would be broken and unbridled development would ensue, all because the greedy village wants more revenue.
At one meeting, some township residents demanded their trustees stop talking to village officials altogether. Now, I ask you, what kind of place would this be if we all stopped talking to one another?
What saddens me, and possibly you too, is the "us" versus "them" that has crept into the language of some of us.
So let me be the first village resident to go on record saying I don't want to see the unincorporated part of the township become anything different than what it is right now, because it is also our buffer to development.
In turn, unincorporated residents should recognize that it is the village that gives the township context and personality, a real downtown and a hometown atmosphere, not to mention snowplowing and police protection at a pretty good value.
So let's forget the "us" and "them." We are the same, and we occupy such a small corner of the world that it's best we stop being angry with one another or risk another civil war.
It reminds me of the great Walt Kelly comic strip "Pogo," in which was offered one of the greatest quotes of all time. And boy does it ever fit today's township-village situation. What Pogo said was: "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
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