1994-1995 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

Alternatives: Proposals For Local Governments Struggling With Limited Resources
Teacher: Delma McComis

Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

1st Meredith Chapman      2nd Shawn Burke     3rd Krista Lambert

"The city of Ironton with a population of thirteen thousand residents has only two police officers on duty at any given time. This led us to devise a plan that would use volunteers to increase safety. We propose IVAP, the Ironton Volunteer Auxiliary Patrol. IVAP, which would consist of volunteers equipped with flashlights, mace and walkie talkies, who would patrol the city of Ironton. The plan calls for Ironton to be divided into seven sectors, six of which would be patrolled on foot, while one sector would require vehicular patrol. The main duties of the IVAP would include neighborhood surveillance, public services including inspections of homes whose owners were out of town, as well as traffic reports and control. IVAP volunteers would not be acting police officers; they would not carry weapons or make arrests, but they would be trained in CPR and first-aid as well as self-defense. As with any volunteer service, the question of insurance arises. But here it is simply answered with IVAP falling under the general liability of the City of Ironton. The only added expenses to the City would be payments made into the workers' compensation fund. We also believe that Ironton area businesses and private citizens would be willing to donate money to the program to help defer some cost."Meredith Chapman, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"As a class we were to divide up and poll the general public and officials, give examples of alternatives, provide [feedback concerning] resistance to our proposal, and discuss volunteer incentives. Through this we were to learn about [local] government and better understand how our system works."
Anthony Allen, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"The mayor of Ironton, Ohio, told us of the problems he faces when it comes to the protection of Ironton. The funds he has to work with are inadequate, resulting in only two patrol cars protecting our community around the clock. This may seem laughable but it is a very dangerous situation. We wanted to help our community, yet not raise taxes to an undesirable rate."
Ginny Scott, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"So if you are a concerned citizen and want more protection on your streets, do not be afraid to pay higher city taxes. Without some savings, grants or downsizing going on there will be higher taxes to pay."
Eric Adams, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"One thought was privatizationÑgoing from government funded programs to privately owned practices. We ran into one major dilemma here: the displaced worker problem. In order for us to privatize government programs, [public] employees would have to lose jobs. They could of course be hired by the private business, but with a major pay cut and considerably decreased benefits. This was not thought to be the most feasible decision."
Ginny Scott, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio 

"Our interviews with Mayor Tordiff of Ironton and Mayor Dean of Huntington went quite well. We discovered how the government worked with the many different unions and the bureaucracy [in general]. The mayors told us a lot of things about our towns that we never realized [before]."
Anthony Allen, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"In beginning our search on saving money and stretching resources, we held many interviews with city mayors, lobbyists, media persons, and more importantly, we communicated with the public. There was, as expected, resistance to our ideas of privatization and volunteerism. A main concern was unions with collective bargaining used as their ammunition. Mayor Tordiff of Ironton made it clear that a volunteer would not, could not perform a 'city' job because of protection from the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. Mayor Jean Dean of Huntington, West Virginia, [said] in opposition, that volunteer enthusiasm wears out quickly and thus, eventually, its success would be minimal."
Amy M. Lynd, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"Actually a collective bargaining agreement between the city and the Police Department turned out to be the biggest problem. Ironically, our proposal was destined to failure because of the very bureaucracy that we set out to alter."
Meredith Chapman, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"We polled public officials about what measures could be taken to improve safety. Many answers were given but the one who really helped us out was Mayor Jim Tordiff of Ironton. We thought more along the lines of privatization taking publicly owned businesses and turning them into privately owned ones. Mayor Tordiff told us that if this were to take place that many people would lose their jobs and that we would run into an unemployment problem. Volunteerism was also discredited when Mayor Tordiff explained the insurance problems we would face. If someone is volunteering for the city and he were to be injured, the city could be sued. Downsizing was also on our minds; logically people who are being paid unnecessarily could be cut off. Mayor Tordiff was displeased with this idea because so many employees would lose jobs. Our preliminary ideas were basically shot down by the mayor."
Dusty D. Ross, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"We thought about not changing the government programs at all, but getting the public to help themselves. In other words, we thought about volunteerism. This seemed to be a good idea, but we ran into some problems in this area too. Law suits are inevitable when it comes to volunteering, if things aren't controlled."
Ginny Scott, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"But if alternatives are ever to be met, if government is to be reinvented, there must be more [than] community activism; there must also be more government cooperation. Regulations and red tape must be reduced. The government must make it easier for people to become involved and make a difference. The dishonesty, distrust, and dislike perpetuated by our wasteful government must be replaced by a new government based on understanding, faith, and trust."
Meredith Chapman, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"It seems that our attempts to make government better were met with the government bureaucracy and red tape we set out to overcome. Alternatives to government will never be reached unless concerned citizens, such as our class, are allowed to make a difference. The government must change before people can ever be expected to make a change."
Shawn Burke, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"There are so many regulations that it really gets frustrating. Jim Butler, the director of state and local government regulations for Ashland Incorporated, [discussed some of these problems with our class.] He informed us that even corporations get frustrated when dealing with regulations and sometimes even give up. For example; OSHA, an important agency started with very good intentions now has so many regulations that companies who would otherwise be very willing to expand and create more jobs, won't."
Ginny Scott, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"Although we have had opposition and resistance, working together can get [people] what they want. Even though this volunteer unit may not work in our town or community, providing others with ideas may help another community."
Krista Lambert, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"In recent polls conducted around our community and the surrounding communities, my senior English class discovered that ... the people in our cities felt that police protection and emergency services were the most important public services we have. Our city officials also felt that police protection and emergency services were vital to the well being of the public. We all may agree with this, in fact, but the question remains, how will we compensate for increased service without [more] funds?"
Ginny Scott, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

"Going from government-owned to private is called privatization. This means letting a business such as BFI takeover when our garbage men retire."
Eric Adams, Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio

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