Show — MmImmINw hwjSliltWHW PBi12 Tu— day September 8 1996 ThoHoroMJoumnlLooanUtuh Our viow Shore up citizens’ belief in N Logan government tocmmmm cil for example The council mem- -' bers wring time out of their busy schedules to tend to civic matters ver the past few decades has come to be viewed the enemy of the peoas many ple This is an understandable perception although it frequently isn’t true Yes government does tax us literally and metaphorically Often it seems the goal of politicians is not to accomplish anything but to place the blame for lack of accomplishments m the opposition party Many politicians meanwhile Nevertheless they still don’t have enough hours to discuss everything So they decided since they were all going to be together in Salt Lake City later this month few the Utah League of Cities and Towns semiannual convention they might as well meet and discuss but not vote on a few issues The council invited the public to the meetings and solicited written comments from residents on the issues in advance But it’s still tf doubtful many North Logan that protect special interests or to who are interested in those voters in exchange for expensive issues will have the time or inclinabut dubious taxpayer-funde-d tion to drive to Salt Lake Gty for procouncil meetings jects Meanwhile a growing population Jeff Hunt a lawyer who repreon a limited land mass has created sents Utah newspapers — including the need for more laws — and their The Herald Journal — on public By Jack Anderson and Jan Motor accompanying bureaucracies — to information issues suggested the United Feature 8vndteata Inc keep people from stepping on each council establish a telephone link other’s toes And while dishonesty with City Hall so interested resiAmericans celebrate the end of and corruption in government aren’t dents can hear the proceedings on a subtly sell themselves to campaign contributors in exchange for laws resi-den- DC police keep trying A common they aren’t rare either Yet the United States not only survives — it thrives Wb think it’s because our system is basically sound and most citizens bureau- speaker phone in North Logan We think this is a good idea although we’d be surprised if anyone actually showed up at Gty Hall li summer with backyard barbecues and one last trip to the beach we’d like to pay a Labor Day salute to some of the most maligned public servants you'll ever find: to listen in But it would send a The Washington DC police force The nation’s capital you may have crats and politicians try to do message to North Logan residents heard is a basket case By almost any what’s right especially the local that the city has nothing to hide — infant mortality rate dropyardstick — level that government is the friend not homiout rates Take the North Logan Gty Coun- - the enemy — of the people cides you name it — the District of Columbia ranks at or near the bottom Lowmakora It’s 9 pm on a Tuesday night when Officer Curtis Reed II pulls into the Seventh District Police Station He apologizes for being an hour late the result of a run-i- n with a drunk driver He's been in the hit four times by drunk-drive- n District This one isn't a typical case She's a tiny woman without a care in the world who blew a 16 on a Breathalyzer It takes an hour to process the woman and get her out of the station house Reed doesn't want her staying overnight at die which fills up with central cell-bloprralitirtM mi) all mniiMf nt rrimimU die night progresses Reed says he's seen a lot worse One time a cab driver blew a 4 — or four times the legal limit "Standing right there talking to him you would never have known it” Reed says ‘‘We were talking back and forth just like you and I ck how the city has cheated them in one way or another The system is fall of young sergeants with little or no street experience Reed says he spent several weeks without a radio in his car because the department hadn’t paid its bill to Motorola We pull in to the Seventh District to refuel A motorcycle cop pulls in just after us He’s from another district but the gas pumps are empty there so he " has to chive across town to refuel Reed says that one Sunday he wrote nearly an entire book of tickets forests parked illegally just outside Union Ifem-pl- e Baptist Church where Mayor Marion Berry worships Before services had ended Reed was ordered to take them all back “See that van there?’’ Reed asks Things are so bad James V Hansen Republican — that Congress “Some guy got shot in the head there ' SenRobertBrnmett Republican — Represents 1st Congressiold Disjri wwrilet the city 'MBtfrtofcrv’r'' tr'l I' hre firing 'va'l’fliy yhii'su - govern itself a U£ Senate Washington DC 20510' which includes Cache '!i !i:!l2T :nn ?t By 10 poLwe’reon Ithdroaid A calllT Ovcr&hat?! r ' (202) 22£3444 UlIfiaffi&: 4225Fed-en- l too1 bfiice: 66 Rayburamulunji'Sfederdf rontrof Comes In 'frdrkran' ejMrtment complex' “tttohVknow Itzdoean’rtnwe fO'bc -- “ board has been installed to oversee the about someone throwing a bottle of beer over Building 125 S State St Salt Lake House of Representatives Washington anything" City UT 84138 (801) Duns out to be nothing more than a cou3 Utah city’s affairs until its books are straightDC 20515 (202) But die neighborhood's not all bad Sen Orrin Hatch Republican — office: 1017 Federal ple of old ladies calling each other Reed says “There are a lot of positive Building 324 25th ened out US Senate Washington DC 20510 SL Ogden UT 84401 (801) Not the least of Washington's troubles names One got mad and lobbed a bottle 7 things that happen out here Not every-on- e 1 Utah office: 8402 Fedhas been a police force that's gone from The whole puce reeks of beer (202) 2 or here is doing bad” He grew up in eral Building 125 S State St Salt Lake “The liquor stores around here open one of the being one of America's best to one of its neighborhoods that he now most troubled Scandals mismanageCity UT 84138 (801) earlier than the libraries” says Reed US HOUSE-I- AHO so he knows petrols and corruption have garnered local shaking his head "Man it’s side But it Michael Grapo Republican — Rep- ment few A minutes later we drive by corSENATE-IDAHU& headlines and helped sink morale to shows the problems we’re facing down 2nd resents District Reed where ner Congressional says he’s seen 16 murDirk Kempthorne Republican — The best officers often here” 437 includes Franklin which ders since to the Seventh District County SD-coming 3 40 Room leave for neighboring jurisdictions A female cop oh the scene is explainWashington DC Cannon House Office Building Washwhere pay and working conditions are ing how lonely police work can be when five yean ago 20510 (202) Idaho office: 20515-120- 2 1 “I’ve become desensitized to killing” (202) much better 303 N 8th Street Room 338 Boise ID ington DC her rings It’s her Idaho office: 304 N 8th Room ” he says But sensational headlines never do jus83703(208)334-177- 6 daughter ID 83702 (208) 3 The neighborhoods we drive to are tice to lives of the vast majority of offi“I’ll be home in the morning when Larry Craig Republican — 302 Hart 325 Boise cers who spend their days and nights you get up I love you too You be a less than 10 minutes from the UA CapiBuilding Washington DC 20510 (202) UTAH SENATE tol yet it remains a side of Washington Idaho office: 304 N 8th St fighting not just crime but incompetence good girl OK7” Senate District 24 (Boa Elder Cache and indifference within their own govRoom 149 Boise ID 83702 (208) The conversation doesn't really have a that most members of Congress hive k ernment Our associate Ashley Baker point the kid's just lonely never visited even though they make the counties) — John P Holmgren River City PO Box 208 Bear River decided to see for himself whiat these Morale at the Seventh District is in the policies that govern this most troubled of officers go through on a nightly basis: 9 U& HOUSE-UTAbasement Officer after officer describes American cities City UT 84301 Home phooe USSENATE-UTA- H Qvank- 524-59- 33 ! 225-045- 625-567- 224-525- 393-836- 524-43- 80 D i O rock-botto- m B 224-61- 42 225-553- cell-pho- ne : 334-195- 224-27- 52 334-15- 60 ar 279-867- H Commentary - Why not just abolish school boards? Let professionals do the job ByGary Fincka For Sciiooe Howard News Service Latel Third-strin- I’ve been trying to think of a reason why school boards shouldn't be abolished I haven’t had much luck or inspiration Maybe it's because the school board that represents me has made such a consistent botch of budgeting teacher negotiations and personnel decisions Maybe it's because the board publicly berated a I student who offered an opinion the board didn’t approve of Or maybe it's just the sight of the school bovd president squelching opposition so he can stock the board with one more well-spok- suffer from bad judgment and selfishness The average tenure of a school superintendent in this country is less g than three years quarterbacks last mat long The job pays well and carries prestige so why are tenures so short? In two words: School boards What do school hoards do? According 1 to mine when asked: — Approve or disapprove budgets prepared by superintendents and business managers That's like calling my neighbors to en member who will rubber-stam- p his agen- da But it's more than just the pettiness and ineptitude of my local board School boards everywhere seem chronically to decide whether I can afford to build an addition on my house What else do they do? I've dealt with a few of them while I was a high school teacher The first time was when the superintendent taking the board on a tour of the high school inexplicably showed them the boiler room where to the dismay of the majority a stack of ancient literature books was waiting to be burned Not one of those books was leu than 12 years old Not one was without a torn cover or missing pages or worse All of them the following day were carted back to the classroom occupied by the woman in the next room who had asked the principal to send them to the fire In the words of the school board (on a memo attached to the sad tattered pile) “Continue to use these — English doesn't change” A few years later when I chaired an English department at another high school I worked more closely with a board whose biggest concern was maintaining “community standards” in the school system The members approved my new curriculum without so much as a question about why I believed it would be valuable to students TBut nearly all of them were interested in hearing how I mid dfftnd the appearance of “certain words” in the anthologies of contemporary fiction and poetry! was using in my classes “Look here’’ one said “And look here’’ said another The authors were Bernard Malamud and EX Doc-toro- w their work provocative and exciting to my students The words were alwqys the same ones and always they were taken out of context Not to —— the end of the studfni advised I because the Harvarnewspaper d-bound editor at my suggestion had written a feature on the school's unsuccessful students interviewing them in an attempt to understand why they were throwing away their opportunity for an “This doesn't represent the school” dm the principal said d of the board even though a few days earlier he had contributed his observations to the article because the student irpmi — had sought objectivity and depth So it’s not only money and politics but I for one would rather take my chances with the expertise of those trained and experienced in their specialties whether discipline or budgeting or school law or textbook suitability' Certainly I’ve known conscientious men end women who have well-meani- ng served on school boards to try to improve their local schools but the end of such boards would be a welcome st change from government by Rather than witness name-callin- g and bickering we might see schools operated by professionals whom the community would trust to do what’s best for its children and its ability to pay seif-intere- Oaiy Finchs EngSoti : a tsniwr high school toaohor to attoaquahanna Unlvoiiay la gotoo-IMtfl filallard Plllaoro Herald Journal fft a Ttetfc AttoMomtr WftRtote tifftarte io you vote ft flte feme ewe pericmtkr comfatm Veoo 4tvcr ItoooR The Ophdcn papa UhdcndBd la acquaint psadsm adh a wsnohf of Waueohes on naUsia of pubSc hnportsnoa and pioiMa aiafflban at Bio comnuto uSh a fawn tar MrvlaNa PawenaleBluainacartBcna and nans ham nadns mead Bn apHana at fish whan and nanton CdBcinii under BwhaadhwtlMr 500b ny Iboilto wr CM b VUtmMsahns odfcr tmn The Herald Journal wskomas la Bw adUor PotnrdhBif mstnuBorcUaiNhaknMi not ha pubSUiad however and Bw adher |